Franklin’s Talmud: Hebraic Republicanism in the Constitutional Convention and the Debate Over Ratification, 1787-1788

by Daniel D. Slate

Hebraic republicanism found in rabbinic Judaism a set of sources and ideas that made it possible to argue that constitutional republics, with powers limited by the rule of law, were the only legitimate form of government. It had a profound influence on the founding, in particular in the formulation of the republican government Guarantee Clause of Article IV, Section 4.

A MARvel of Constitutional Demythologizing

by Jack N. Rakove

At a time when the entire constitutional system is under extraordinary stress, Akhil Amar’s contribution to the collection Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past misses the opportunity to address topics that deal with our contemporary woes—as the other contributors to this volume do.