An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution

A CONTROVERSIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE FOUNDERS' INTENTIONS Beard's interpretation proposes that the Framers of the Federal Constitution were motivated primarily by economic concerns. This argument was widely held until the late 1950s, when it was gradually undermined by later research, much of it stimulated by Beard's work. Although most scholars today see the origins of the revolution in terms of the history of ideas, especially republicanism, Beard's work remains fundamental and has insured a continued focus on the economic aspect of the nation's establishment, as well as a wider awareness of the role of economic interests in history. ". . . one of 'the basic works' on the Federal Convention of 1787." --JAMES WILLARD HURST, The Growth of American Law 458 CHARLES A. BEARD [1874-1948] was one of the most influential American historians of the first half of the 20th century. A founder of The New School for Social Research, he was the author of several works including T he Supreme Court and the Constitution (1912), Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915) and The Rise of American Civilization (1927), co-written with his wife, the historian Mary Beard.