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| Format | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Author, Analytic | Christina Mulligan, Michael Douma, Hans Lind, and Brian Quinn |
| Title, Analytic | Founding-Era Translations of the U.S. Constitution |
| Journal Title | Constitutional Commentary |
| Date of Publication | Spring 2016 |
| Volume ID | 31 |
| Issue ID | 1 |
| Location in Work | 1-54 |
| View Online | |
| Abstract | After the United States Constitution was drafted in 1787, the document was translated into German and Dutch for the German- and Dutch-speaking populations of Pennsylvania and New York. Although copies of both the German- and Dutch- language Constitutions have been preserved and are reprinted in a German collection of constitutions edited by Horst Dippel, they have largely escaped analysis until now. This Article examines the text of the translations and explains how they can clarify the meaning of the Constitution's original text. . . . Principally, the translations provide evidence of the Constitution's original public meaning—the meaning of the text as understood by its contemporary translators and as reflected in their interpretive choices. . . . The translations also provide examples of situations where there were multiple "original public meanings"—where members of the public developed different interpretations of the same text. More generally, this Article proposes that translations constitute a uniquely advantageous source of constitutional commentary by virtue of their ability to comprehensively and contextually analyze the Constitution's text. |
| Call Number | Digital file |
| MKI Terms | Constitutional law -- United States/ Translations -- German language/ Constitutional interpretation |