Synopsis
A radical argument that the U.S. Constitution binds no one who never personally consented to it, denying the state's legitimate authority.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Public domainA constitution one never signed cannot bind anyone, so the government's claim of authority rests on force, not genuine consent.
It pushes consent theory to its limit to deny that any existing state is legitimately authorized.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with The Federalist Papers.
Reading note
Follow its relentless contractual logic, treating it as a stress test of consent-based legitimacy.
Best paired with
The Federalist Papers