A Radical Transformation of the Idea of Representation in the Period of the American Revolution
Author: Frank Chang
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
The representation system is a key mechanism for modern democracy, the problems deriving from it such as its roles, functions, and the proper way of electing representatives, are enduring questions for heated debates. Since the U.S.A., a great nation in terms of land population, is the first country in the world the operation of whose political system is prescribed by a written constitution, which places an emphasis on the notions of popular sovereignty and separation of power, to her the concept and system of representation is especially significant. This study is aimed to probe into, in view of its historical context, many occasions of disputes concerning the idea of representation during the period of the drafting and shaping of the American Constitution, investigate some critical transformations of the meaning of representation, analyze the argument of the related protagonists, examine the political and historical background which give rise to such vicissitudes. The study will attempt to draw out an overall consideration and evaluation of the impact, for better or for worse, which the representation system brought about on the development of the American Constitutionalism.