Skip Navigation

Publius: The Journal of Federalism 2004 34(4):109-124;
© 2004 by CSF Associates Inc.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Russello, G. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Russell Kirk and Territorial Democracy

Gerald J. Russello
Seton Hall University

Russell Kirk is one of the most important American conservative thinkers. This article traces the development of Kirk's understanding of federalism, which was neither nationalistic nor based in the usual arguments about states' rights. Specifically, Kirk adapted what the American thinker Orestes Brownson called "territorial democracy" to articulate a version of federalism that is based on premises that differ in part from those of the Founders and other conservatives. Further, Kirk believed that territorial democracy could reconcile the tension between treating the states as mere "provinces" of the central government and seeing them as autonomous political units independent of Washington. Finally, territorial democracy allowed Kirk to set out a theory of rights that was based in the particular historical circumstances of the United States while rejecting a universal conception of individual rights.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.