Books

As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit: Essays by Martin Diamond

– Ed. William A. Schambra. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 1992.
When Martin Diamond decided the time had come to collect his essays of some twenty years into a single volume, he selected as its title, As Far as Republican Principles Will Admit. That selection was the only piece of guidance he left for those whose task it… More

The Founding of the Democratic Republic

– The Founding of the Democratic Republic. Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock, 1981.
Publisher’s Description: A reprint of four chapters by Martin Diamond from The Democratic Republic (Diamond, Garfinkel, and Fisk), this book provides a more complete view of our political foundations than can be found in contemporary American… More

The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy

– The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1977.
Composed in 1977 and published as a booklet by the American Enterprise Institute, this essay is a vigorous defense of our constitutional method of electing presidents through the partly-national, partly-federal Electoral College. Although it was initially… More

The Revolution of Sober Expectations

– The Revolution of Sober Expectations. Distinguished Lecture Series on the Bicentennial. Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute for Policy Research, 1974. Also included in America's Continuing Revolution. Washington: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1975. 25-41.
Prepared as part of the American Enterprise Institute’s series of distinguished lectures on the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, this lecture was delivered at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1973. Essential to the success of the… More

Introduction to The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition

– Introduction. The Thirties: A Reconsideration in the Light of the American Political Tradition. Eds. Morton J. Frisch and Martin Diamond. De Kalb: Northern Illinois UP, 1968. 3-5.
A new edition was published in 2010, which includes a new introduction. Below is the publisher’s description: We are pleased to bring back into print The Thirties, originally published in 1968 as NIU Press’s third book. With contributions from some of… More

Essays

“The Federalist”

– "The Federalist." History of Political Philosophy. Eds. Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey. 3d Ed. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1987. 659-679.
This essay explores the central themes of The Federalist such as the manner in which a decent but nonetheless democratic political order might be established, employing separation of powers, and the notion of the large, commercial republic, along with other… More

The Separation of Powers and the Mixed Regime

– "The Separation of Powers and the Mixed Regime." Publius 8.3 (Summer 1978): 33-44.
Martin Diamond insisted that an accurate understanding of the founder’s intentions required a firm grasp of the distinction between their scheme of separation of powers and the traditional idea of the mixed regime. In this lecture to the Woodrow Wilson… More

“The Federalist” on Federalism: “Neither a National Nor a Federal Constitution, but a Composition of Both”

– "The Federalist on Federalism: 'Neither a National Nor a Federal Constitution, but a Composition of Both'" Yale Law Review 86.6 (May 1977): 1273-285.
In his essays on American federalism, Diamond argued that we would benefit from a more precise understanding of the nature of federalism as the founders bequeathed it to us—or, more accurately, of their intended constitutional “composition” of… More

Teaching about Politics as a Vocation

– "Teaching about Politics as a Vocation." Eds. Sidney Hook et al. The Ethics of Teaching and Scientific Research. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus, 1977.
How may a teacher of politics explore with his students the fundamental commitments, or “values,” of the regime, while remaining faithful to his obligation to be “scientific” and objective? Diamond examines that question and other… More

Ethics and Politics: The American Way

– "Ethics and Politics: The American Way." The Moral Foundations of the American Republic. Ed. Robert H. Horwitz. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1977. 39-72.
This essay, published in 1977 in The Moral Foundations of the American Republic, edited by Robert H. Horwitz, is a fitting summary of Diamond’s understanding of the American regime—both its “low but solid” foundation in the large,… More

The Forgotten Doctrine of Enumerated Powers

– "The Forgotten Doctrine of Enumerated Powers." Publius 6.4 (1976): 187-93.
The editors of Publius: Journal of Federalism composed the following introductory note to accompany this essay’s publication in 1976: Professor Diamond’s essay is an elaboration of his remarks at a Woodrow Wilson Center evening dialogue on the… More

The American Idea of Equality: The View from the Founding

– "The American Idea of Equality: The View from the Founding." Review of Politics 38.3 (July 1976): 313-31.
Although the founders embraced the idea of human equality, Diamond argues in this essay from a 1976 issue of The Review of Politics, it was a limited, moderate, sober understanding of equality, the recovery of which would be a vital counterweight to… More

The American Idea of Man: The View from the Founding

– "The American Idea of Man: The View from the Founding." The Americans, 1976: An Inquiry into Fundamental Concepts of Man Underlying Various U.S. Institutions. Ed. Irving Kristol and Paul Weaver. Lexington: Lexington, 1976. 1-23.
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Multimedia

Teaching

Note to students of Martin Diamond

Note to students of Martin Diamond: We are looking for syllabi and audio recordings from Diamond’s classes. If you have materials of interest that you would like to share, please contact us.