Resumen de Representation, representatives and the right to vote, or the arduous path towards democratic representation in the United States, 1776–1849
The article provides an analysis of the state constitutions from 1776 through the first half of the nineteenth century. Its basic assumption is that all these constitutions had to address two essential issues: what does the representative represent, and who represents the representative? The first part will deal with the question of how the principles of representation evolved towards democratic representation, and the second will discuss the qualification of representatives, thus leading to the third part, which analyses the problem of extending and democratizing the right to vote. The issue to be explored is how democratic representation was accomplished and whether the changes in representation developed in conjunction with the democratization of suffrage rights, or whether substantial deviations manifested themselves between these two constitutional developments.
In analysing these issues the author documents that in spite of some reservations, it can clearly be concluded that by the middle of the nineteenth century some important principles of modern representation had become firmly implanted in American constitutional law, among them the abolition of property qualifications, proportional representation on the basis of ‘one man, one vote’, mandatory residence, reapportionment at regular intervals, and single-member constituencies. Although in each case only a few constitutions had taken the lead and adopted these principles, they had clearly paved the way for the rest of the states to follow in subsequent decades.
