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The American Century? Migration and the Voluntary Social Contract

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (in Trondheim, Norway), jonathon.moses{at}svt.ntnu.no

This piece argues that free migration was a central if implicit part of the liberal social contract and that America’s founders were both aware of this and exploited it to legitimate their new state. The piece begins by describing this uniquely American contribution to liberal political thought. It then juxtaposes this contribution against the nature of our own international order, to show just how foreign the American Century has become. The piece closes with a short depiction of what an American Century would look like today—were it true to this early ideal—and comments on its feasibility.

Key Words: America • exit • expatriation • migration • social contract

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Politics & Society, Vol. 37, No. 3, 454-476 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0032329209338928


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