Books
Whether Party Government is Inevitable
– "Whether Party Government is Inevitable," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 80 (1965), pp. 517-542.Statesmanship and Party Government: A Study of Burke and Bolingbroke
– University of Chicago Press, 1965.Excerpt: In considering the origins of party government, we face this problem: parties are universal, but party government is recent. Parties are universal because in politics men act for… More
Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics
– "Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics," Edmund Burke: The Enlightenment and the Modern World, P.H. Stanlis, ed., University of Detroit Press, 1967, pp. 49-79.Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State
– Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State, by David P. Calleo, Journal of Modern History, vol. 40 (1968): 431-33.Representation: The Perennial Issues
– Representation: The Perennial Issues, with Robert Scigliano, pamphlet published by the American Political Science Association, 1978, 80 pp.Thomas Jefferson
– "Thomas Jefferson," American Political Thought, M. Frisch and R. Stevens, eds., New York, 1971, pp. 23-50; republished in Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H.C. Mansfield, Jr., ed., Crofts Classics, 1978.Spirit of Liberalism
– Harvard University Press, 1978.Excerpt: IN THE election of 1972 the coalition of which the Democratic party is composed came unstuck as its voters divided into enthusiasts for McGovern or against Nixon and supporters of… More
The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism
– "The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism," How Does the Constitution Protect Religious Freedom?, Robert A. Goldwin and Art Kaufman, eds., Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1978, pp. 1-14.The Ambivalence of Executive Power
– "The Ambivalence of Executive Power," The Presidency in the Constitutional Order, J. Bessette and J. Tulis, eds., Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1981, pp. 314-334.The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?
– "The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?" Government and Opposition, Vol. 16 (1981), pp. 3-18.The Forms and Formalities of Liberty
– "The Forms and Formalities of Liberty," The Public Interest, No. 70 (Winter 1983), pp. 121-131.Excerpt: This statement is long for an epigraph but dense enough to require explanation, and deep enough to reward reflection. Speaking of “forms,” Tocqueville directs our… More
Selected Letters of Edmund Burke
– Edited with an introduction entitled "Burke's Theory of Political Practice," University of Chicago Press, 1984.Too Much Charisma in the Executive?
– “Too Much Charisma in the Executive?” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 14 March 1984.Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
– "Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1985), pp. 323-326.The Teflon Presidency
– “The Teflon Presidency,” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 28 June 1985.The Forms of Liberty
– "The Forms of Liberty," Democratic Capitalism? Essays in Search of a Concept, Fred E. Baumann, ed., Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1986, pp. 1-21.The Constitution and Modern Social Science
– "The Constitution and Modern Social Science," The Center Magazine, September 1986, pp. 42-53.The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power
– "The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 237-252.Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy
– "Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy," The Public Interest, No. 86 (Winter 1987), pp. 53-64.Excerpt: ALTHOUGH modern democracy is unhappy with the word “soul,” it has one nonetheless; and its soul is not healthy today. The disease is widely known as “dependeney,” the… More
Constitutional Fideism
– "Constitutional Fideism," review article in Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, vol. 1 (1988), pp. 181-86.The Revival of Constitutionalism
– "The Revival of Constitutionalism," The Revival of Constitutionalism, James W. Muller, ed., Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska University Press, 1989, pp. 214-27.Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power
– The Free Press, 1989; paperback edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 1993)Excerpt: To understand the modern doctrine of executive power, we need to know, at least approximately, what executive power is. It might at first seem best to go directly to the thing and… More
Social Science and the Constitution
– "Social Science and the Constitution," Confronting the Constitution, Allan Bloom, ed., American Enterprise Institute Press, 1990, pp. 411-436.Political Parties and American Constitutionalism
– “Political Parties and American Constitutionalism," American Political Parties and Constitutional Politics, Peter W. Schramm and Bradford P. Wilson, eds., Rowman and Littlefield, 1992, pp. 1-16.Only Amend
– "Only Amend," New Republic, 6 July 1992, 13-14.Excerpt: Who is Ross Perot? He is a businessman who wants to be president and thinks he sees an opportunity to get there despite the system that stands in his way. Most conventional opinion… More
The Silence of a Mechanism
– "The Silence of a Mechanism," review of The Silence of Constitutions: Laws, Men, and Machines, and American Political Ideas, by Michael Foley, Government and Opposition, vol. 28 (1993): 126-29.America’s Constitutional Soul
– The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)Excerpt: When it comes to American politics, I am an amateur. I love America at its best, or even at its most characteristic: “only in America.” Perhaps this kind of love ought… More
Returning to the Founders
– "Returning to the Founders: the Debate on the Constitution," review of The Debate on the Constitution, Bernard Bailyn, ed., New Criterion, September 1993.Excerpt: The publication of The Debate on the Constitution, in two new volumes of the Library of America, is an occasion for reflection.[1] Edited by Bernard Bailyn, now the foremost… More
Friends and Founders
– "Friends and Founders," review of The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson & James Madison, John Morton Smith, ed., New Criterion, May 1995.Excerpt: The publication of the Jefferson–Madison correspondence is an event, for all who take a serious interest in American politics, that should have happened a long time ago. The… More
Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy
– Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, by Pierre Manent, English translation, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.The Unprincipled Majority
– "The Unprincipled Majority," review of Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, by Ronald Dworkin, Times Literary Supplement, 06 December 1996.The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber
– “The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence, Vol. 42 (1997), 187-189.Foreword to No Liberty for License
– Foreword to No Liberty for License, by David Lowenthal, Dallas: Spence Publishing, 1997.Educating the Prince Eds. Blitz/Kristol
– Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, Mark Blitz and William Kristol, eds., Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.In this festschrift for Harvey Mansfield, twenty-one former students, themselves distinguished scholars and writers, reflect on the whole gambit of Mansfieldian themes, from Machiavelli… More
What We’ll Remember in 2050
– "What We'll Remember in 2050," Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 January 2001, B16. Reprinted in Bush v. Gore, E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol, eds., Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001, 340-41.Uses of Ambition
– "Uses of Ambition," review of Constitutional Self-Government, by Christopher L. Eisgruber, Times Literary Supplement, 19 July 2002, 29.Jaffa vs. Mansfield
– West, Thomas G., "Jaffa vs. Mansfield," Perspectives on Political Science, Claremont Institute, Fall 2002.Excerpt: What were the original principles of the American Constitution? Are those principles true? Many historians and political scientists write about the first question. Scholars are… More
Democratic Greatness in the Founding
– "Democratic Greatness in the Founding," Enlightening Revolutions: Essays in Honor of Ralph Lerner, Lexington Books, 2006.The Law and the President
– "The Law and the President," Weekly Standard, 16 January 2006.Excerpt: EMERGENCY POWER FOR SUCH UNDERHANDED activities as spying makes Americans uncomfortable and upset. Even those who do not suffer from squeamish distaste for self-defense, and do not… More
A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism
– “A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism,” The Future of Conservatism, Charles W. Dunn, ed., Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007, pp. 43-55.The Case for the Strong Executive
– "The Case for the Strong Executive," Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2007, pp. 21-24, reprinted in the Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2007.Excerpt: Complaints against the “imperial presidency” are back in vogue. With a view to President Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has expanded and reissued the book of the… More
Bush’s Determinism and the Rule of Law
– "Bush's Determinism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Crimson, 4 June 2009.Excerpt: Every once in a while I feel obliged to do my alma mater Fair Harvard a favor by showing the world that not everyone here is morally naïve and politically correct. I am grateful… More
Executive Power in Contemporary Politics
– "Executive Power in Contemporary Politics," panel discussion, University of Richmond, 17 October 2009.Role of Government
– Video, Role of Government Panel Discussion, Princeton Club, New York City, November 9, 2010.Hosted by the New Criterion Magazine. Panelists included Harvey C. Mansfield, William Kristol and Amity Shlaes. They discussed The Federalist, Progressive era, and other constitutional… More
The Wisdom of the Federalist
– "The Wisdom of the Federalist," New Criterion, February 2011.Excerpt: The wisdom of the American Founders does not come to us in authoritative phrases such as “Confucius says” or in what we have unfortunately come to call our “values,” but… More
Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable
– "Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable," review of The Executive Unbound, by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, New York Times, 13 March 2011.Excerpt: In “The Executive Unbound,” Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, law professors at Chicago and Harvard, respectively, offer with somewhat alarming confidence the “Weimar and… More
Harvey Mansfield 80th Birthday Conference Panel 3: Executive Power
– Harvey Mansfield on his 80th Birthday: A Review of His Works. This event is sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government in the Department of Government, and in affiliation with the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University. 30 March 2012.The Majesty of the Law
– "On the Majesty of the Law," Wiley Vaughn Lecture, Harvard Law School, 4 April 2012.Excerpt: In the choice of my topic I have stumbled upon the title of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memoirs. I had meant to call upon what is awesome and venerable in the law, as I… More
The Law According to Harvey Mansfield by Richard Reinsch
– Richard Reinsch, “The Law According to Harvey Mansfield,” Library of Law and Liberty, March 28, 2013.Excerpt: Of course the modern state heightens this tension between the arbitrariness of law and the whole of law with its constant innovations. Modern political science laid the foundations… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield II
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview number 2) Conversations with Bill Kristol, September 1, 2014.In the second of an ongoing series of interviews with the Harvard professor on Conversations with Bill Kristol, Mansfield and Kristol discuss the wisdom of the Federalist, the challenges… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield IX
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 9) Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: August 1, 2016.Harvey Mansfield discusses “America’s constitutional soul” and the jurisprudence of Antonin Scalia on this episode of Conversations.
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XII
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 12), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: April 24, 2017.Bill Kristol interviews Harvey Mansfield about the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, an event that “turned out to be a lesson in politics. You were learning from… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XV
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 14), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: September 8, 2018.In this Conversation, Harvey Mansfield reflects on The Federalist and why it should be read seriously as a great work on politics. Mansfield’s discussion calls our attention to the… More
Essays
Whether Party Government is Inevitable
– "Whether Party Government is Inevitable," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 80 (1965), pp. 517-542.Statesmanship and Party Government: A Study of Burke and Bolingbroke
– University of Chicago Press, 1965.Excerpt: In considering the origins of party government, we face this problem: parties are universal, but party government is recent. Parties are universal because in politics men act for… More
Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics
– "Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics," Edmund Burke: The Enlightenment and the Modern World, P.H. Stanlis, ed., University of Detroit Press, 1967, pp. 49-79.Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State
– Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State, by David P. Calleo, Journal of Modern History, vol. 40 (1968): 431-33.Representation: The Perennial Issues
– Representation: The Perennial Issues, with Robert Scigliano, pamphlet published by the American Political Science Association, 1978, 80 pp.Thomas Jefferson
– "Thomas Jefferson," American Political Thought, M. Frisch and R. Stevens, eds., New York, 1971, pp. 23-50; republished in Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H.C. Mansfield, Jr., ed., Crofts Classics, 1978.Spirit of Liberalism
– Harvard University Press, 1978.Excerpt: IN THE election of 1972 the coalition of which the Democratic party is composed came unstuck as its voters divided into enthusiasts for McGovern or against Nixon and supporters of… More
The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism
– "The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism," How Does the Constitution Protect Religious Freedom?, Robert A. Goldwin and Art Kaufman, eds., Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1978, pp. 1-14.The Ambivalence of Executive Power
– "The Ambivalence of Executive Power," The Presidency in the Constitutional Order, J. Bessette and J. Tulis, eds., Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1981, pp. 314-334.The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?
– "The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?" Government and Opposition, Vol. 16 (1981), pp. 3-18.The Forms and Formalities of Liberty
– "The Forms and Formalities of Liberty," The Public Interest, No. 70 (Winter 1983), pp. 121-131.Excerpt: This statement is long for an epigraph but dense enough to require explanation, and deep enough to reward reflection. Speaking of “forms,” Tocqueville directs our… More
Selected Letters of Edmund Burke
– Edited with an introduction entitled "Burke's Theory of Political Practice," University of Chicago Press, 1984.Too Much Charisma in the Executive?
– “Too Much Charisma in the Executive?” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 14 March 1984.Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
– "Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1985), pp. 323-326.The Teflon Presidency
– “The Teflon Presidency,” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 28 June 1985.The Forms of Liberty
– "The Forms of Liberty," Democratic Capitalism? Essays in Search of a Concept, Fred E. Baumann, ed., Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1986, pp. 1-21.The Constitution and Modern Social Science
– "The Constitution and Modern Social Science," The Center Magazine, September 1986, pp. 42-53.The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power
– "The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 237-252.Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy
– "Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy," The Public Interest, No. 86 (Winter 1987), pp. 53-64.Excerpt: ALTHOUGH modern democracy is unhappy with the word “soul,” it has one nonetheless; and its soul is not healthy today. The disease is widely known as “dependeney,” the… More
Constitutional Fideism
– "Constitutional Fideism," review article in Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, vol. 1 (1988), pp. 181-86.The Revival of Constitutionalism
– "The Revival of Constitutionalism," The Revival of Constitutionalism, James W. Muller, ed., Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska University Press, 1989, pp. 214-27.Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power
– The Free Press, 1989; paperback edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 1993)Excerpt: To understand the modern doctrine of executive power, we need to know, at least approximately, what executive power is. It might at first seem best to go directly to the thing and… More
Social Science and the Constitution
– "Social Science and the Constitution," Confronting the Constitution, Allan Bloom, ed., American Enterprise Institute Press, 1990, pp. 411-436.Political Parties and American Constitutionalism
– “Political Parties and American Constitutionalism," American Political Parties and Constitutional Politics, Peter W. Schramm and Bradford P. Wilson, eds., Rowman and Littlefield, 1992, pp. 1-16.Only Amend
– "Only Amend," New Republic, 6 July 1992, 13-14.Excerpt: Who is Ross Perot? He is a businessman who wants to be president and thinks he sees an opportunity to get there despite the system that stands in his way. Most conventional opinion… More
The Silence of a Mechanism
– "The Silence of a Mechanism," review of The Silence of Constitutions: Laws, Men, and Machines, and American Political Ideas, by Michael Foley, Government and Opposition, vol. 28 (1993): 126-29.America’s Constitutional Soul
– The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)Excerpt: When it comes to American politics, I am an amateur. I love America at its best, or even at its most characteristic: “only in America.” Perhaps this kind of love ought… More
Returning to the Founders
– "Returning to the Founders: the Debate on the Constitution," review of The Debate on the Constitution, Bernard Bailyn, ed., New Criterion, September 1993.Excerpt: The publication of The Debate on the Constitution, in two new volumes of the Library of America, is an occasion for reflection.[1] Edited by Bernard Bailyn, now the foremost… More
Friends and Founders
– "Friends and Founders," review of The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson & James Madison, John Morton Smith, ed., New Criterion, May 1995.Excerpt: The publication of the Jefferson–Madison correspondence is an event, for all who take a serious interest in American politics, that should have happened a long time ago. The… More
Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy
– Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, by Pierre Manent, English translation, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.The Unprincipled Majority
– "The Unprincipled Majority," review of Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, by Ronald Dworkin, Times Literary Supplement, 06 December 1996.The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber
– “The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence, Vol. 42 (1997), 187-189.Foreword to No Liberty for License
– Foreword to No Liberty for License, by David Lowenthal, Dallas: Spence Publishing, 1997.Educating the Prince Eds. Blitz/Kristol
– Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, Mark Blitz and William Kristol, eds., Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.In this festschrift for Harvey Mansfield, twenty-one former students, themselves distinguished scholars and writers, reflect on the whole gambit of Mansfieldian themes, from Machiavelli… More
What We’ll Remember in 2050
– "What We'll Remember in 2050," Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 January 2001, B16. Reprinted in Bush v. Gore, E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol, eds., Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001, 340-41.Uses of Ambition
– "Uses of Ambition," review of Constitutional Self-Government, by Christopher L. Eisgruber, Times Literary Supplement, 19 July 2002, 29.Jaffa vs. Mansfield
– West, Thomas G., "Jaffa vs. Mansfield," Perspectives on Political Science, Claremont Institute, Fall 2002.Excerpt: What were the original principles of the American Constitution? Are those principles true? Many historians and political scientists write about the first question. Scholars are… More
Democratic Greatness in the Founding
– "Democratic Greatness in the Founding," Enlightening Revolutions: Essays in Honor of Ralph Lerner, Lexington Books, 2006.The Law and the President
– "The Law and the President," Weekly Standard, 16 January 2006.Excerpt: EMERGENCY POWER FOR SUCH UNDERHANDED activities as spying makes Americans uncomfortable and upset. Even those who do not suffer from squeamish distaste for self-defense, and do not… More
A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism
– “A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism,” The Future of Conservatism, Charles W. Dunn, ed., Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007, pp. 43-55.The Case for the Strong Executive
– "The Case for the Strong Executive," Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2007, pp. 21-24, reprinted in the Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2007.Excerpt: Complaints against the “imperial presidency” are back in vogue. With a view to President Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has expanded and reissued the book of the… More
Bush’s Determinism and the Rule of Law
– "Bush's Determinism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Crimson, 4 June 2009.Excerpt: Every once in a while I feel obliged to do my alma mater Fair Harvard a favor by showing the world that not everyone here is morally naïve and politically correct. I am grateful… More
Executive Power in Contemporary Politics
– "Executive Power in Contemporary Politics," panel discussion, University of Richmond, 17 October 2009.Role of Government
– Video, Role of Government Panel Discussion, Princeton Club, New York City, November 9, 2010.Hosted by the New Criterion Magazine. Panelists included Harvey C. Mansfield, William Kristol and Amity Shlaes. They discussed The Federalist, Progressive era, and other constitutional… More
The Wisdom of the Federalist
– "The Wisdom of the Federalist," New Criterion, February 2011.Excerpt: The wisdom of the American Founders does not come to us in authoritative phrases such as “Confucius says” or in what we have unfortunately come to call our “values,” but… More
Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable
– "Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable," review of The Executive Unbound, by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, New York Times, 13 March 2011.Excerpt: In “The Executive Unbound,” Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, law professors at Chicago and Harvard, respectively, offer with somewhat alarming confidence the “Weimar and… More
Harvey Mansfield 80th Birthday Conference Panel 3: Executive Power
– Harvey Mansfield on his 80th Birthday: A Review of His Works. This event is sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government in the Department of Government, and in affiliation with the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University. 30 March 2012.The Majesty of the Law
– "On the Majesty of the Law," Wiley Vaughn Lecture, Harvard Law School, 4 April 2012.Excerpt: In the choice of my topic I have stumbled upon the title of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memoirs. I had meant to call upon what is awesome and venerable in the law, as I… More
The Law According to Harvey Mansfield by Richard Reinsch
– Richard Reinsch, “The Law According to Harvey Mansfield,” Library of Law and Liberty, March 28, 2013.Excerpt: Of course the modern state heightens this tension between the arbitrariness of law and the whole of law with its constant innovations. Modern political science laid the foundations… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield II
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview number 2) Conversations with Bill Kristol, September 1, 2014.In the second of an ongoing series of interviews with the Harvard professor on Conversations with Bill Kristol, Mansfield and Kristol discuss the wisdom of the Federalist, the challenges… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield IX
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 9) Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: August 1, 2016.Harvey Mansfield discusses “America’s constitutional soul” and the jurisprudence of Antonin Scalia on this episode of Conversations.
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XII
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 12), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: April 24, 2017.Bill Kristol interviews Harvey Mansfield about the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, an event that “turned out to be a lesson in politics. You were learning from… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XV
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 14), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: September 8, 2018.In this Conversation, Harvey Mansfield reflects on The Federalist and why it should be read seriously as a great work on politics. Mansfield’s discussion calls our attention to the… More
Commentary
Whether Party Government is Inevitable
– "Whether Party Government is Inevitable," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 80 (1965), pp. 517-542.Statesmanship and Party Government: A Study of Burke and Bolingbroke
– University of Chicago Press, 1965.Excerpt: In considering the origins of party government, we face this problem: parties are universal, but party government is recent. Parties are universal because in politics men act for… More
Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics
– "Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics," Edmund Burke: The Enlightenment and the Modern World, P.H. Stanlis, ed., University of Detroit Press, 1967, pp. 49-79.Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State
– Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State, by David P. Calleo, Journal of Modern History, vol. 40 (1968): 431-33.Representation: The Perennial Issues
– Representation: The Perennial Issues, with Robert Scigliano, pamphlet published by the American Political Science Association, 1978, 80 pp.Thomas Jefferson
– "Thomas Jefferson," American Political Thought, M. Frisch and R. Stevens, eds., New York, 1971, pp. 23-50; republished in Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H.C. Mansfield, Jr., ed., Crofts Classics, 1978.Spirit of Liberalism
– Harvard University Press, 1978.Excerpt: IN THE election of 1972 the coalition of which the Democratic party is composed came unstuck as its voters divided into enthusiasts for McGovern or against Nixon and supporters of… More
The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism
– "The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism," How Does the Constitution Protect Religious Freedom?, Robert A. Goldwin and Art Kaufman, eds., Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1978, pp. 1-14.The Ambivalence of Executive Power
– "The Ambivalence of Executive Power," The Presidency in the Constitutional Order, J. Bessette and J. Tulis, eds., Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1981, pp. 314-334.The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?
– "The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?" Government and Opposition, Vol. 16 (1981), pp. 3-18.The Forms and Formalities of Liberty
– "The Forms and Formalities of Liberty," The Public Interest, No. 70 (Winter 1983), pp. 121-131.Excerpt: This statement is long for an epigraph but dense enough to require explanation, and deep enough to reward reflection. Speaking of “forms,” Tocqueville directs our… More
Selected Letters of Edmund Burke
– Edited with an introduction entitled "Burke's Theory of Political Practice," University of Chicago Press, 1984.Too Much Charisma in the Executive?
– “Too Much Charisma in the Executive?” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 14 March 1984.Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
– "Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1985), pp. 323-326.The Teflon Presidency
– “The Teflon Presidency,” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 28 June 1985.The Forms of Liberty
– "The Forms of Liberty," Democratic Capitalism? Essays in Search of a Concept, Fred E. Baumann, ed., Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1986, pp. 1-21.The Constitution and Modern Social Science
– "The Constitution and Modern Social Science," The Center Magazine, September 1986, pp. 42-53.The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power
– "The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 237-252.Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy
– "Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy," The Public Interest, No. 86 (Winter 1987), pp. 53-64.Excerpt: ALTHOUGH modern democracy is unhappy with the word “soul,” it has one nonetheless; and its soul is not healthy today. The disease is widely known as “dependeney,” the… More
Constitutional Fideism
– "Constitutional Fideism," review article in Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, vol. 1 (1988), pp. 181-86.The Revival of Constitutionalism
– "The Revival of Constitutionalism," The Revival of Constitutionalism, James W. Muller, ed., Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska University Press, 1989, pp. 214-27.Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power
– The Free Press, 1989; paperback edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 1993)Excerpt: To understand the modern doctrine of executive power, we need to know, at least approximately, what executive power is. It might at first seem best to go directly to the thing and… More
Social Science and the Constitution
– "Social Science and the Constitution," Confronting the Constitution, Allan Bloom, ed., American Enterprise Institute Press, 1990, pp. 411-436.Political Parties and American Constitutionalism
– “Political Parties and American Constitutionalism," American Political Parties and Constitutional Politics, Peter W. Schramm and Bradford P. Wilson, eds., Rowman and Littlefield, 1992, pp. 1-16.Only Amend
– "Only Amend," New Republic, 6 July 1992, 13-14.Excerpt: Who is Ross Perot? He is a businessman who wants to be president and thinks he sees an opportunity to get there despite the system that stands in his way. Most conventional opinion… More
The Silence of a Mechanism
– "The Silence of a Mechanism," review of The Silence of Constitutions: Laws, Men, and Machines, and American Political Ideas, by Michael Foley, Government and Opposition, vol. 28 (1993): 126-29.America’s Constitutional Soul
– The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)Excerpt: When it comes to American politics, I am an amateur. I love America at its best, or even at its most characteristic: “only in America.” Perhaps this kind of love ought… More
Returning to the Founders
– "Returning to the Founders: the Debate on the Constitution," review of The Debate on the Constitution, Bernard Bailyn, ed., New Criterion, September 1993.Excerpt: The publication of The Debate on the Constitution, in two new volumes of the Library of America, is an occasion for reflection.[1] Edited by Bernard Bailyn, now the foremost… More
Friends and Founders
– "Friends and Founders," review of The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson & James Madison, John Morton Smith, ed., New Criterion, May 1995.Excerpt: The publication of the Jefferson–Madison correspondence is an event, for all who take a serious interest in American politics, that should have happened a long time ago. The… More
Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy
– Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, by Pierre Manent, English translation, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.The Unprincipled Majority
– "The Unprincipled Majority," review of Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, by Ronald Dworkin, Times Literary Supplement, 06 December 1996.The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber
– “The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence, Vol. 42 (1997), 187-189.Foreword to No Liberty for License
– Foreword to No Liberty for License, by David Lowenthal, Dallas: Spence Publishing, 1997.Educating the Prince Eds. Blitz/Kristol
– Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, Mark Blitz and William Kristol, eds., Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.In this festschrift for Harvey Mansfield, twenty-one former students, themselves distinguished scholars and writers, reflect on the whole gambit of Mansfieldian themes, from Machiavelli… More
What We’ll Remember in 2050
– "What We'll Remember in 2050," Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 January 2001, B16. Reprinted in Bush v. Gore, E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol, eds., Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001, 340-41.Uses of Ambition
– "Uses of Ambition," review of Constitutional Self-Government, by Christopher L. Eisgruber, Times Literary Supplement, 19 July 2002, 29.Jaffa vs. Mansfield
– West, Thomas G., "Jaffa vs. Mansfield," Perspectives on Political Science, Claremont Institute, Fall 2002.Excerpt: What were the original principles of the American Constitution? Are those principles true? Many historians and political scientists write about the first question. Scholars are… More
Democratic Greatness in the Founding
– "Democratic Greatness in the Founding," Enlightening Revolutions: Essays in Honor of Ralph Lerner, Lexington Books, 2006.The Law and the President
– "The Law and the President," Weekly Standard, 16 January 2006.Excerpt: EMERGENCY POWER FOR SUCH UNDERHANDED activities as spying makes Americans uncomfortable and upset. Even those who do not suffer from squeamish distaste for self-defense, and do not… More
A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism
– “A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism,” The Future of Conservatism, Charles W. Dunn, ed., Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007, pp. 43-55.The Case for the Strong Executive
– "The Case for the Strong Executive," Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2007, pp. 21-24, reprinted in the Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2007.Excerpt: Complaints against the “imperial presidency” are back in vogue. With a view to President Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has expanded and reissued the book of the… More
Bush’s Determinism and the Rule of Law
– "Bush's Determinism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Crimson, 4 June 2009.Excerpt: Every once in a while I feel obliged to do my alma mater Fair Harvard a favor by showing the world that not everyone here is morally naïve and politically correct. I am grateful… More
Executive Power in Contemporary Politics
– "Executive Power in Contemporary Politics," panel discussion, University of Richmond, 17 October 2009.Role of Government
– Video, Role of Government Panel Discussion, Princeton Club, New York City, November 9, 2010.Hosted by the New Criterion Magazine. Panelists included Harvey C. Mansfield, William Kristol and Amity Shlaes. They discussed The Federalist, Progressive era, and other constitutional… More
The Wisdom of the Federalist
– "The Wisdom of the Federalist," New Criterion, February 2011.Excerpt: The wisdom of the American Founders does not come to us in authoritative phrases such as “Confucius says” or in what we have unfortunately come to call our “values,” but… More
Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable
– "Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable," review of The Executive Unbound, by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, New York Times, 13 March 2011.Excerpt: In “The Executive Unbound,” Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, law professors at Chicago and Harvard, respectively, offer with somewhat alarming confidence the “Weimar and… More
Harvey Mansfield 80th Birthday Conference Panel 3: Executive Power
– Harvey Mansfield on his 80th Birthday: A Review of His Works. This event is sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government in the Department of Government, and in affiliation with the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University. 30 March 2012.The Majesty of the Law
– "On the Majesty of the Law," Wiley Vaughn Lecture, Harvard Law School, 4 April 2012.Excerpt: In the choice of my topic I have stumbled upon the title of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memoirs. I had meant to call upon what is awesome and venerable in the law, as I… More
The Law According to Harvey Mansfield by Richard Reinsch
– Richard Reinsch, “The Law According to Harvey Mansfield,” Library of Law and Liberty, March 28, 2013.Excerpt: Of course the modern state heightens this tension between the arbitrariness of law and the whole of law with its constant innovations. Modern political science laid the foundations… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield II
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview number 2) Conversations with Bill Kristol, September 1, 2014.In the second of an ongoing series of interviews with the Harvard professor on Conversations with Bill Kristol, Mansfield and Kristol discuss the wisdom of the Federalist, the challenges… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield IX
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 9) Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: August 1, 2016.Harvey Mansfield discusses “America’s constitutional soul” and the jurisprudence of Antonin Scalia on this episode of Conversations.
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XII
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 12), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: April 24, 2017.Bill Kristol interviews Harvey Mansfield about the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, an event that “turned out to be a lesson in politics. You were learning from… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XV
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 14), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: September 8, 2018.In this Conversation, Harvey Mansfield reflects on The Federalist and why it should be read seriously as a great work on politics. Mansfield’s discussion calls our attention to the… More
Multimedia
Whether Party Government is Inevitable
– "Whether Party Government is Inevitable," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 80 (1965), pp. 517-542.Statesmanship and Party Government: A Study of Burke and Bolingbroke
– University of Chicago Press, 1965.Excerpt: In considering the origins of party government, we face this problem: parties are universal, but party government is recent. Parties are universal because in politics men act for… More
Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics
– "Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics," Edmund Burke: The Enlightenment and the Modern World, P.H. Stanlis, ed., University of Detroit Press, 1967, pp. 49-79.Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State
– Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State, by David P. Calleo, Journal of Modern History, vol. 40 (1968): 431-33.Representation: The Perennial Issues
– Representation: The Perennial Issues, with Robert Scigliano, pamphlet published by the American Political Science Association, 1978, 80 pp.Thomas Jefferson
– "Thomas Jefferson," American Political Thought, M. Frisch and R. Stevens, eds., New York, 1971, pp. 23-50; republished in Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H.C. Mansfield, Jr., ed., Crofts Classics, 1978.Spirit of Liberalism
– Harvard University Press, 1978.Excerpt: IN THE election of 1972 the coalition of which the Democratic party is composed came unstuck as its voters divided into enthusiasts for McGovern or against Nixon and supporters of… More
The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism
– "The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism," How Does the Constitution Protect Religious Freedom?, Robert A. Goldwin and Art Kaufman, eds., Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1978, pp. 1-14.The Ambivalence of Executive Power
– "The Ambivalence of Executive Power," The Presidency in the Constitutional Order, J. Bessette and J. Tulis, eds., Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1981, pp. 314-334.The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?
– "The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?" Government and Opposition, Vol. 16 (1981), pp. 3-18.The Forms and Formalities of Liberty
– "The Forms and Formalities of Liberty," The Public Interest, No. 70 (Winter 1983), pp. 121-131.Excerpt: This statement is long for an epigraph but dense enough to require explanation, and deep enough to reward reflection. Speaking of “forms,” Tocqueville directs our… More
Selected Letters of Edmund Burke
– Edited with an introduction entitled "Burke's Theory of Political Practice," University of Chicago Press, 1984.Too Much Charisma in the Executive?
– “Too Much Charisma in the Executive?” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 14 March 1984.Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
– "Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1985), pp. 323-326.The Teflon Presidency
– “The Teflon Presidency,” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 28 June 1985.The Forms of Liberty
– "The Forms of Liberty," Democratic Capitalism? Essays in Search of a Concept, Fred E. Baumann, ed., Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1986, pp. 1-21.The Constitution and Modern Social Science
– "The Constitution and Modern Social Science," The Center Magazine, September 1986, pp. 42-53.The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power
– "The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 237-252.Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy
– "Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy," The Public Interest, No. 86 (Winter 1987), pp. 53-64.Excerpt: ALTHOUGH modern democracy is unhappy with the word “soul,” it has one nonetheless; and its soul is not healthy today. The disease is widely known as “dependeney,” the… More
Constitutional Fideism
– "Constitutional Fideism," review article in Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, vol. 1 (1988), pp. 181-86.The Revival of Constitutionalism
– "The Revival of Constitutionalism," The Revival of Constitutionalism, James W. Muller, ed., Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska University Press, 1989, pp. 214-27.Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power
– The Free Press, 1989; paperback edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 1993)Excerpt: To understand the modern doctrine of executive power, we need to know, at least approximately, what executive power is. It might at first seem best to go directly to the thing and… More
Social Science and the Constitution
– "Social Science and the Constitution," Confronting the Constitution, Allan Bloom, ed., American Enterprise Institute Press, 1990, pp. 411-436.Political Parties and American Constitutionalism
– “Political Parties and American Constitutionalism," American Political Parties and Constitutional Politics, Peter W. Schramm and Bradford P. Wilson, eds., Rowman and Littlefield, 1992, pp. 1-16.Only Amend
– "Only Amend," New Republic, 6 July 1992, 13-14.Excerpt: Who is Ross Perot? He is a businessman who wants to be president and thinks he sees an opportunity to get there despite the system that stands in his way. Most conventional opinion… More
The Silence of a Mechanism
– "The Silence of a Mechanism," review of The Silence of Constitutions: Laws, Men, and Machines, and American Political Ideas, by Michael Foley, Government and Opposition, vol. 28 (1993): 126-29.America’s Constitutional Soul
– The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)Excerpt: When it comes to American politics, I am an amateur. I love America at its best, or even at its most characteristic: “only in America.” Perhaps this kind of love ought… More
Returning to the Founders
– "Returning to the Founders: the Debate on the Constitution," review of The Debate on the Constitution, Bernard Bailyn, ed., New Criterion, September 1993.Excerpt: The publication of The Debate on the Constitution, in two new volumes of the Library of America, is an occasion for reflection.[1] Edited by Bernard Bailyn, now the foremost… More
Friends and Founders
– "Friends and Founders," review of The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson & James Madison, John Morton Smith, ed., New Criterion, May 1995.Excerpt: The publication of the Jefferson–Madison correspondence is an event, for all who take a serious interest in American politics, that should have happened a long time ago. The… More
Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy
– Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, by Pierre Manent, English translation, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.The Unprincipled Majority
– "The Unprincipled Majority," review of Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, by Ronald Dworkin, Times Literary Supplement, 06 December 1996.The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber
– “The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence, Vol. 42 (1997), 187-189.Foreword to No Liberty for License
– Foreword to No Liberty for License, by David Lowenthal, Dallas: Spence Publishing, 1997.Educating the Prince Eds. Blitz/Kristol
– Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, Mark Blitz and William Kristol, eds., Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.In this festschrift for Harvey Mansfield, twenty-one former students, themselves distinguished scholars and writers, reflect on the whole gambit of Mansfieldian themes, from Machiavelli… More
What We’ll Remember in 2050
– "What We'll Remember in 2050," Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 January 2001, B16. Reprinted in Bush v. Gore, E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol, eds., Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001, 340-41.Uses of Ambition
– "Uses of Ambition," review of Constitutional Self-Government, by Christopher L. Eisgruber, Times Literary Supplement, 19 July 2002, 29.Jaffa vs. Mansfield
– West, Thomas G., "Jaffa vs. Mansfield," Perspectives on Political Science, Claremont Institute, Fall 2002.Excerpt: What were the original principles of the American Constitution? Are those principles true? Many historians and political scientists write about the first question. Scholars are… More
Democratic Greatness in the Founding
– "Democratic Greatness in the Founding," Enlightening Revolutions: Essays in Honor of Ralph Lerner, Lexington Books, 2006.The Law and the President
– "The Law and the President," Weekly Standard, 16 January 2006.Excerpt: EMERGENCY POWER FOR SUCH UNDERHANDED activities as spying makes Americans uncomfortable and upset. Even those who do not suffer from squeamish distaste for self-defense, and do not… More
A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism
– “A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism,” The Future of Conservatism, Charles W. Dunn, ed., Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007, pp. 43-55.The Case for the Strong Executive
– "The Case for the Strong Executive," Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2007, pp. 21-24, reprinted in the Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2007.Excerpt: Complaints against the “imperial presidency” are back in vogue. With a view to President Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has expanded and reissued the book of the… More
Bush’s Determinism and the Rule of Law
– "Bush's Determinism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Crimson, 4 June 2009.Excerpt: Every once in a while I feel obliged to do my alma mater Fair Harvard a favor by showing the world that not everyone here is morally naïve and politically correct. I am grateful… More
Executive Power in Contemporary Politics
– "Executive Power in Contemporary Politics," panel discussion, University of Richmond, 17 October 2009.Role of Government
– Video, Role of Government Panel Discussion, Princeton Club, New York City, November 9, 2010.Hosted by the New Criterion Magazine. Panelists included Harvey C. Mansfield, William Kristol and Amity Shlaes. They discussed The Federalist, Progressive era, and other constitutional… More
The Wisdom of the Federalist
– "The Wisdom of the Federalist," New Criterion, February 2011.Excerpt: The wisdom of the American Founders does not come to us in authoritative phrases such as “Confucius says” or in what we have unfortunately come to call our “values,” but… More
Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable
– "Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable," review of The Executive Unbound, by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, New York Times, 13 March 2011.Excerpt: In “The Executive Unbound,” Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, law professors at Chicago and Harvard, respectively, offer with somewhat alarming confidence the “Weimar and… More
Harvey Mansfield 80th Birthday Conference Panel 3: Executive Power
– Harvey Mansfield on his 80th Birthday: A Review of His Works. This event is sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government in the Department of Government, and in affiliation with the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University. 30 March 2012.The Majesty of the Law
– "On the Majesty of the Law," Wiley Vaughn Lecture, Harvard Law School, 4 April 2012.Excerpt: In the choice of my topic I have stumbled upon the title of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memoirs. I had meant to call upon what is awesome and venerable in the law, as I… More
The Law According to Harvey Mansfield by Richard Reinsch
– Richard Reinsch, “The Law According to Harvey Mansfield,” Library of Law and Liberty, March 28, 2013.Excerpt: Of course the modern state heightens this tension between the arbitrariness of law and the whole of law with its constant innovations. Modern political science laid the foundations… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield II
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview number 2) Conversations with Bill Kristol, September 1, 2014.In the second of an ongoing series of interviews with the Harvard professor on Conversations with Bill Kristol, Mansfield and Kristol discuss the wisdom of the Federalist, the challenges… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield IX
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 9) Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: August 1, 2016.Harvey Mansfield discusses “America’s constitutional soul” and the jurisprudence of Antonin Scalia on this episode of Conversations.
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XII
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 12), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: April 24, 2017.Bill Kristol interviews Harvey Mansfield about the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, an event that “turned out to be a lesson in politics. You were learning from… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XV
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 14), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: September 8, 2018.In this Conversation, Harvey Mansfield reflects on The Federalist and why it should be read seriously as a great work on politics. Mansfield’s discussion calls our attention to the… More
Teaching
Whether Party Government is Inevitable
– "Whether Party Government is Inevitable," Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 80 (1965), pp. 517-542.Statesmanship and Party Government: A Study of Burke and Bolingbroke
– University of Chicago Press, 1965.Excerpt: In considering the origins of party government, we face this problem: parties are universal, but party government is recent. Parties are universal because in politics men act for… More
Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics
– "Burke and Machiavelli on Principles in Politics," Edmund Burke: The Enlightenment and the Modern World, P.H. Stanlis, ed., University of Detroit Press, 1967, pp. 49-79.Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State
– Review of Coleridge and the Idea of the Modern State, by David P. Calleo, Journal of Modern History, vol. 40 (1968): 431-33.Representation: The Perennial Issues
– Representation: The Perennial Issues, with Robert Scigliano, pamphlet published by the American Political Science Association, 1978, 80 pp.Thomas Jefferson
– "Thomas Jefferson," American Political Thought, M. Frisch and R. Stevens, eds., New York, 1971, pp. 23-50; republished in Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H.C. Mansfield, Jr., ed., Crofts Classics, 1978.Spirit of Liberalism
– Harvard University Press, 1978.Excerpt: IN THE election of 1972 the coalition of which the Democratic party is composed came unstuck as its voters divided into enthusiasts for McGovern or against Nixon and supporters of… More
The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism
– "The Religious Issue and the Origin of Modern Constitutionalism," How Does the Constitution Protect Religious Freedom?, Robert A. Goldwin and Art Kaufman, eds., Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1978, pp. 1-14.The Ambivalence of Executive Power
– "The Ambivalence of Executive Power," The Presidency in the Constitutional Order, J. Bessette and J. Tulis, eds., Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 1981, pp. 314-334.The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?
– "The American Election: Towards Constitutional Democracy?" Government and Opposition, Vol. 16 (1981), pp. 3-18.The Forms and Formalities of Liberty
– "The Forms and Formalities of Liberty," The Public Interest, No. 70 (Winter 1983), pp. 121-131.Excerpt: This statement is long for an epigraph but dense enough to require explanation, and deep enough to reward reflection. Speaking of “forms,” Tocqueville directs our… More
Selected Letters of Edmund Burke
– Edited with an introduction entitled "Burke's Theory of Political Practice," University of Chicago Press, 1984.Too Much Charisma in the Executive?
– “Too Much Charisma in the Executive?” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 14 March 1984.Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law
– "Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1985), pp. 323-326.The Teflon Presidency
– “The Teflon Presidency,” The New Federalist Papers, The Claremont Institute, 28 June 1985.The Forms of Liberty
– "The Forms of Liberty," Democratic Capitalism? Essays in Search of a Concept, Fred E. Baumann, ed., Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1986, pp. 1-21.The Constitution and Modern Social Science
– "The Constitution and Modern Social Science," The Center Magazine, September 1986, pp. 42-53.The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power
– "The Modern Doctrine of Executive Power," Presidential Studies Quarterly, Spring 1987, pp. 237-252.Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy
– "Constitutional Government: The Soul of Modern Democracy," The Public Interest, No. 86 (Winter 1987), pp. 53-64.Excerpt: ALTHOUGH modern democracy is unhappy with the word “soul,” it has one nonetheless; and its soul is not healthy today. The disease is widely known as “dependeney,” the… More
Constitutional Fideism
– "Constitutional Fideism," review article in Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, vol. 1 (1988), pp. 181-86.The Revival of Constitutionalism
– "The Revival of Constitutionalism," The Revival of Constitutionalism, James W. Muller, ed., Lincoln, Nebraska: Nebraska University Press, 1989, pp. 214-27.Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power
– The Free Press, 1989; paperback edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993. The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 1993)Excerpt: To understand the modern doctrine of executive power, we need to know, at least approximately, what executive power is. It might at first seem best to go directly to the thing and… More
Social Science and the Constitution
– "Social Science and the Constitution," Confronting the Constitution, Allan Bloom, ed., American Enterprise Institute Press, 1990, pp. 411-436.Political Parties and American Constitutionalism
– “Political Parties and American Constitutionalism," American Political Parties and Constitutional Politics, Peter W. Schramm and Bradford P. Wilson, eds., Rowman and Littlefield, 1992, pp. 1-16.Only Amend
– "Only Amend," New Republic, 6 July 1992, 13-14.Excerpt: Who is Ross Perot? He is a businessman who wants to be president and thinks he sees an opportunity to get there despite the system that stands in his way. Most conventional opinion… More
The Silence of a Mechanism
– "The Silence of a Mechanism," review of The Silence of Constitutions: Laws, Men, and Machines, and American Political Ideas, by Michael Foley, Government and Opposition, vol. 28 (1993): 126-29.America’s Constitutional Soul
– The Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1993)Excerpt: When it comes to American politics, I am an amateur. I love America at its best, or even at its most characteristic: “only in America.” Perhaps this kind of love ought… More
Returning to the Founders
– "Returning to the Founders: the Debate on the Constitution," review of The Debate on the Constitution, Bernard Bailyn, ed., New Criterion, September 1993.Excerpt: The publication of The Debate on the Constitution, in two new volumes of the Library of America, is an occasion for reflection.[1] Edited by Bernard Bailyn, now the foremost… More
Friends and Founders
– "Friends and Founders," review of The Republic of Letters: The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson & James Madison, John Morton Smith, ed., New Criterion, May 1995.Excerpt: The publication of the Jefferson–Madison correspondence is an event, for all who take a serious interest in American politics, that should have happened a long time ago. The… More
Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy
– Foreword to Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, by Pierre Manent, English translation, Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.The Unprincipled Majority
– "The Unprincipled Majority," review of Freedom's Law: The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, by Ronald Dworkin, Times Literary Supplement, 06 December 1996.The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber
– “The Formal Constitution: A Comment on Sotirios A. Barber,” The American Journal of Jurisprudence, Vol. 42 (1997), 187-189.Foreword to No Liberty for License
– Foreword to No Liberty for License, by David Lowenthal, Dallas: Spence Publishing, 1997.Educating the Prince Eds. Blitz/Kristol
– Educating the Prince: Essays in Honor of Harvey Mansfield, Mark Blitz and William Kristol, eds., Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000.In this festschrift for Harvey Mansfield, twenty-one former students, themselves distinguished scholars and writers, reflect on the whole gambit of Mansfieldian themes, from Machiavelli… More
What We’ll Remember in 2050
– "What We'll Remember in 2050," Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 January 2001, B16. Reprinted in Bush v. Gore, E. J. Dionne, Jr. and William Kristol, eds., Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001, 340-41.Uses of Ambition
– "Uses of Ambition," review of Constitutional Self-Government, by Christopher L. Eisgruber, Times Literary Supplement, 19 July 2002, 29.Jaffa vs. Mansfield
– West, Thomas G., "Jaffa vs. Mansfield," Perspectives on Political Science, Claremont Institute, Fall 2002.Excerpt: What were the original principles of the American Constitution? Are those principles true? Many historians and political scientists write about the first question. Scholars are… More
Democratic Greatness in the Founding
– "Democratic Greatness in the Founding," Enlightening Revolutions: Essays in Honor of Ralph Lerner, Lexington Books, 2006.The Law and the President
– "The Law and the President," Weekly Standard, 16 January 2006.Excerpt: EMERGENCY POWER FOR SUCH UNDERHANDED activities as spying makes Americans uncomfortable and upset. Even those who do not suffer from squeamish distaste for self-defense, and do not… More
A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism
– “A Plea for Constitutional Conservatism,” The Future of Conservatism, Charles W. Dunn, ed., Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2007, pp. 43-55.The Case for the Strong Executive
– "The Case for the Strong Executive," Claremont Review of Books, Spring 2007, pp. 21-24, reprinted in the Wall Street Journal, 2 May 2007.Excerpt: Complaints against the “imperial presidency” are back in vogue. With a view to President Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has expanded and reissued the book of the… More
Bush’s Determinism and the Rule of Law
– "Bush's Determinism and the Rule of Law," Harvard Crimson, 4 June 2009.Excerpt: Every once in a while I feel obliged to do my alma mater Fair Harvard a favor by showing the world that not everyone here is morally naïve and politically correct. I am grateful… More
Executive Power in Contemporary Politics
– "Executive Power in Contemporary Politics," panel discussion, University of Richmond, 17 October 2009.Role of Government
– Video, Role of Government Panel Discussion, Princeton Club, New York City, November 9, 2010.Hosted by the New Criterion Magazine. Panelists included Harvey C. Mansfield, William Kristol and Amity Shlaes. They discussed The Federalist, Progressive era, and other constitutional… More
The Wisdom of the Federalist
– "The Wisdom of the Federalist," New Criterion, February 2011.Excerpt: The wisdom of the American Founders does not come to us in authoritative phrases such as “Confucius says” or in what we have unfortunately come to call our “values,” but… More
Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable
– "Is the Imperial Presidency Inevitable," review of The Executive Unbound, by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, New York Times, 13 March 2011.Excerpt: In “The Executive Unbound,” Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule, law professors at Chicago and Harvard, respectively, offer with somewhat alarming confidence the “Weimar and… More
Harvey Mansfield 80th Birthday Conference Panel 3: Executive Power
– Harvey Mansfield on his 80th Birthday: A Review of His Works. This event is sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government in the Department of Government, and in affiliation with the Center for American Political Studies, Harvard University. 30 March 2012.The Majesty of the Law
– "On the Majesty of the Law," Wiley Vaughn Lecture, Harvard Law School, 4 April 2012.Excerpt: In the choice of my topic I have stumbled upon the title of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memoirs. I had meant to call upon what is awesome and venerable in the law, as I… More
The Law According to Harvey Mansfield by Richard Reinsch
– Richard Reinsch, “The Law According to Harvey Mansfield,” Library of Law and Liberty, March 28, 2013.Excerpt: Of course the modern state heightens this tension between the arbitrariness of law and the whole of law with its constant innovations. Modern political science laid the foundations… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield II
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview number 2) Conversations with Bill Kristol, September 1, 2014.In the second of an ongoing series of interviews with the Harvard professor on Conversations with Bill Kristol, Mansfield and Kristol discuss the wisdom of the Federalist, the challenges… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield IX
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 9) Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: August 1, 2016.Harvey Mansfield discusses “America’s constitutional soul” and the jurisprudence of Antonin Scalia on this episode of Conversations.
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XII
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 12), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: April 24, 2017.Bill Kristol interviews Harvey Mansfield about the Senate’s confirmation hearings for Neil Gorsuch, an event that “turned out to be a lesson in politics. You were learning from… More
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Harvey Mansfield XV
– Harvey Mansfield (Interview 14), Conversations with Bill Kristol, Released: September 8, 2018.In this Conversation, Harvey Mansfield reflects on The Federalist and why it should be read seriously as a great work on politics. Mansfield’s discussion calls our attention to the… More