The United States Constitution as an Incomplete Text

Donald S. Lutz

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1988, vol. 496, issue 1, 23-32

Abstract: Viewing the Constitution of the United States of America as a political text leads to the application of techniques of textual analysis when reading it. Textual analysis shows the Constitution to be incomplete, both as a constitution and as a founding instrument of the federal union. A complete text of a constitution for the United States requires inclusion of the state constitutions, and a complete text of a founding instrument for the United States requires inclusion of the Declaration of Independence. Any meaning to be derived from the U.S. Constitution, including the intentions of the Founders, requires taking into account the purpose for which the Constitution is being read, what constitutes a complete text for that purpose, and the context in which the document was written.

Date: 1988
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:496:y:1988:i:1:p:23-32

DOI: 10.1177/0002716288496001003

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