Book contents
- One Nation Under Law
- One Nation Under Law
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part IThe Document
- Part IICreating an American Nation
- Part IIIMaking Government Work
- Part IVLiberty and Equality
- AppendixThe Dunlap Broadside – The First Printing of the Declaration of Independence
- Notes
- Index
Part III - Making Government Work
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 May 2026
Book contents
- One Nation Under Law
- One Nation Under Law
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part IThe Document
- Part IICreating an American Nation
- Part IIIMaking Government Work
- Part IVLiberty and Equality
- AppendixThe Dunlap Broadside – The First Printing of the Declaration of Independence
- Notes
- Index
Summary
We are sometimes told that the Declaration is an airy statement about individual rights, whereas the Constitution does the hard work of structuring a government. This Part argues that the Declaration is primarily concerned, not with individual rights, but with the structure of government. That is, how do we structure a government so that our rights are most reliably protected? And the answer is not as little government as possible, but a competently structured government, subject to the rule of law, that works for the benefit of the people.
Information
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- One Nation Under LawThe Meaning of the Declaration of Independence, pp. 117 - 150Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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