Described in The Federalist as “the celebrated Montesquieu,” Charles de Montesquieu was cited more often than any other author from 1760-1800. In what ways did his writings and ideas help shape the U.S. Constitution and the structure of American government? William B. Allen of Michigan State University, Thomas Pangle of the University of Texas at Austin, Dennis Rasmussen of Syracuse University, and Diana Schaub of the American Enterprise Institute, discuss the political thought of Montesquieu and his influence on American democracy. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program was originally streamed live on July 6, 2023, as part of our America’s Town Hall program series.
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Today’s episode was produced by Tanaya Tauber, John Guerra, Lana Ulrich, and Bill Pollock. It was engineered by the National Constitution Center’s AV team. Research was provided by Sam Desai, Lana Ulrich and the Constitutional Content Team.
Participants
William B. Allen is emeritus dean and emeritus professor of political philosophy in the department of political science at Michigan State University. He has published extensively and serves as editor and translator of a forthcoming edition of Montesquieu’s The Spirt of the Laws.
Thomas Pangle is the co-director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas and holds the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is author of Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism, The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu's “Spirit of the Laws,” among others, and his newest book is The Life of Wisdom in Rousseau’s “Reveries of the Solitary Walker.”
Dennis Rasmussen is a professor of political science at Syracuse University. He is the author of five books, including The Pragmatic Enlightenment: Recovering the Liberalism of Hume, Smith, Montesquieu, and Voltaire, and most recently, The Constitution’s Penman: Gouverneur Morris and the Creation of America’s Basic Charter.
Diana Schaub is a professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland and nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. An expert on American political thought, she is the author of three books, including Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu’s “Persian Letters," and her newest book is His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also a professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
Additional Resources:
- Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws: A Critical Edition, ed. William B. Allen
- Dennis Rasmussen, Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders
- Diana Schaub, Erotic Liberalism: Women and Revolution in Montesquieu’s Persian Letters
- Diana Schaub, “Montesquieu on the Liberty of Women,” in The Cambridge Companion to Montesquieu
- Dennis Rasmussen, The Pragmatic Enlightenment: Recovering the Liberalism of Hume, Smith, Montesquieu, and Voltaire
- Thomas Pangle, Montesquieu’s Philosophy of Liberalism: A Commentary on the Spirit of the Laws
- Thomas Pangle, The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws
- Thomas Pangle, “Considerations on the Romans,” in The Cambridge Companion to Montesquieu
Transcript
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