On the record
The Constitution was the reflex action of two opposing tendencies, the one the imperative need of an efficient central government, and the other the passionate attachment to local self-rule.
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gutenberg.orgJames Beck: “The Constitution was the reflex action of two opposing tendencies, the one the imperative need of an efficient central…”
Editor's note · Context
Beck identifies the dual pressures of needing a strong central government and a commitment to local self-rule as key influences on the Constitution's creation.
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It did not believe that the State was omnipotent or infallible, and yet it proclaimed its authority within wise and just limits.
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