The Political Economy of the Original Constitution (Annual Federalist Society National Student Symposium‪)‬

INTRODUCTION There seems to be little dispute that the original Constitution of the United States--and by "original Constitution" I mean the document drafted in 1787 and ratified, along with its first Ten Amendments, in 1789 and 1791 (1)--was an economic document. It was a document containing provisions that addressed economic issues and reflected economic attitudes. But the original Constitution was by no means solely an economic document. This Article will argue that if one emphasizes the Constitution's economic dimensions, one should approach it as a document reflecting attitudes toward political economy, that is, the relationship between political theory and economic activity.