1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910791130103321

Autore

Gargarella Roberto <1964->

Titolo

The legal foundations of inequality : constitutionalism in the Americas, 1776-1860 / / Roberto Gargarella

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2010

ISBN

1-107-20491-7

0-511-84732-7

1-282-63065-2

9786612630651

0-511-74987-2

0-511-74912-0

0-511-74332-7

0-511-74225-8

0-511-75061-7

0-511-74440-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (ix, 273 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Collana

Cambridge studies in the theory of democracy ; ; 8

Disciplina

342.8029

Soggetti

Constitutional history - Latin America

Constitutional history - United States

Equality before the law - Latin America

Equality before the law - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction -- Radicalism : honoring the general will -- Conservativism : the moral cement of society -- Liberalism : between tyranny and anarchy -- The quest for equality.

Sommario/riassunto

The long revolutionary movements that gave birth to constitutional democracies in the Americas were founded on egalitarian constitutional ideals. They claimed that all men were created equal with similar capacities and also that the community should become self-governing. Following the first constitutional debates that took place in the region, these promising egalitarian claims, which gave legitimacy to the revolutions, soon fell out of favor. Advocates of a conservative order



challenged both ideals and favored constitutions that established religion and created an exclusionary political structure. Liberals proposed constitutions that protected individual autonomy and rights but established severe restrictions on the principle of majority rule. Radicals favored an openly majoritarian constitutional organization that, according to many, directly threatened the protection of individual rights. This book examines the influence of these opposite views during the 'founding period' of constitutionalism in countries including the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.