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From Many, One

State Representation and the Construction of an American Identity

Harvard University, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA, epenn{at}latte.harvard.edu

I present a formal model of the effect of political representation on the formation of group identities using the drafting of the United States Constitution as a case study. I first show the presence of `factions', or groups with competing interests, to be beneficial in forging a national identity. Next, I use this model to argue that the Great Compromise succeeded as more than a political maneuver to ensure ratification of the Constitution; it created a political environment in which an American national identity could emerge. I find that representation schemes that ignore group distinctions and use the individual as the basic unit of political representation may induce individuals to embrace a group-based notion of identity. Conversely, acknowledging group distinctions by using the group as a unit of political representation may induce individuals to embrace a more universalistic conception of identity, and thus may make group distinctions less salient.

Key Words: endogenous identities • federalism • Great Compromise • representation • valence

Journal of Theoretical Politics, Vol. 21, No. 3, 343-364 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0951629809103967


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