Abstract
States’ rights is often perceived as a single and unchanging doctrine, but American political thought reveals three version of states’ rights with distinct purposes. This essay examines these competing thoughts and ultimately argues that Alexis de Tocqueville’s localism, with its emphasis on the substantive social benefits of local government over institutional or constitutional forms, offers a version of states’ rights best suited to the modern American regime.
Recommended Citation
Carlson, Jack
(2022)
"Dividing Democracy: Three Arguments for States' Rights,"
Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/compass/vol6/iss1/3
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