The Gospel According to Madison: Constitutionalism, Infallibility, and the Noble Interest

The United States Constitution is a case study in quiet resilience. Throughout American history, various political movements and corresponding political crises have threatened the constitutional order and the values that encompass republican government. Despite these perils, the Constitution has demonstrated an exceptional amount of durability largely due to its self-sustaining fortifications. Historians and legal theorists agree that the Constitution is malleable to at least some degree, adaptive to the sympathies and identities of an ever-changing political culture. This article suggests that while constitutionalism is capable of evolution, the constitutional order itself is infallible and immutable at its most foundational level, remaining impactful and viable some two hundred- and fifty-years following ratification. The Constitution guards itself against politically inflicted abuse, relying on its enumerated structures, informative philosophies, and spiritual awareness. Structures (e.g. bicameralism, federalism, judicial review, etc.) make up the initial line of defense, political philosophy (e.g. factional behavior, liberty, republicanism) the intermediate defense, and spiritualism the final and strongest line of defense. When constitutional incursions take on a violent form, the government structure is preserved via “the noble interest,” a self-interested affinity for constitutionalism that exists within all American citizens as political actors. Given the nation’s volatile political history, I argue that the Constitution should carry the symbolic label of infallibility, reflecting a governing system that is incapable of theoretical error, misguidance, or malfeasance.