James Wilson Quotes
There is not in the whole science of politicks a more solid or a more important maxim than this---that of all governments, those are the best, which, by the natural effect of their constitutions, are frequently renewed or drawn back to their first principles.
He believed that a bicameral legislature would prevent legislators from straying too far from the first principles and therefore was superior to the unicameral legislature which had been rejected a few years earlier by the Founding Fathers at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
James Wilson, 1742-1798, Legal Philosopher, U. S. Supreme Court Justice, Lecture, Of Government, The Legislative Department, 1791
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The words “extensive empire” imply that Jefferson who doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase was thinking of a nation that spanned the continent and was happy with the fact that the Constitution did not obstruct the addition of additional states and territories.
The English Constitution is not as binding on the English government as is the Amercan Constitution. In the English system, the government in power can override the constitution although the rarely do so out of respect for the system. In America, the Constitution is much more controlling and hence would be seen to count for more. In many third world countries, the ruler can “suspend” the constitution in a national emergency.
James Wilson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, where he represented Pennsylvania, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution. A leading legal theorist, he was one of the six original justices appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States.
