Question

Discuss the idea of a compact and social contract between people and government in early American political thought, up through the Constitution. How did those ideas influence the Constitution?

Answer 1

The ideology of social contract is that the state will serve the people who are source of all the political power enjoyed by state. The people can choose to give or withhold this power.

The idea of social contract has great influence on the US constitution as The U.S. Constitution itself starts with the three words, "We the people...,". Following this principle, a government established by the free choice of its people is required to serve the people, who in the end have sovereignty (supreme power) to keep or get rid of that government. The social contract has inspired various forms and interpretations by many different groups throughout American history. It has supported the american rebellion too.

Slaveholders used it to support states rights, Whig party favoured the social contract as a symbol of continuity in government, and abolitionists found support in Locke's theories of natural rights.

Historians also have linked social contract theories to social movements such as those for Native American rights, civil rights, immigration reform, and women's rights.