Colonial Constitutionalism The Tyranny of United States' Offshore Territorial Policy and Relations

Drawing on an interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based upon classical natural law philosophy, Colonial Constitutionalism provocatively examines the constitutional tensions between the founding philosophy of the United States and current governance arrangements with U.S. territories. This is an important contribution to discussions about territorial status that have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve from constitutionalists. -- Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Robert Statham has written a provocative and stimulating analysis of a truly important and fascinating-and almost grotesquely understudied-topic, the continuing impact and implications of America's venture into imperialism. The United States is now perhaps the major colonialist in the world today, and Statham reviews the contemporary issues presented by our colonies in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere. Statham reminds us of significant constitutional issues raised by this imperialism; he also treats the issue within a challenging framework of a Straussian political philosophy. -- Sanford Levinson, University of Texas School of Law