America’s Constitution, Written and Unwritten

Abstract

Americans and Englishmen, wags remind us, are divided by a common language. Something similar (if less amusing) might be said about constitutional scholars in law schools, history departments, and political science departments. We all seem to be speaking the same language-the language of American constitutionalism-but each department speaks that language with a distinctly disciplinarian dialect. Rarely do scholars in each discipline fully and fairly engage those in other departments.