This article argues that early American political elites had no viable competing model for a successful polity other than an empire. It emphasises that this group’s recognition of the need for power in a competitive Atlantic world, expressed through the institutions of an empire, forced them to reconsider their ideas of what forms a republic could take. The article focuses on the ratification of the Constitution as a key moment when elites from across the United States laid out their competing visions of the polity. It argues that despite differences in preferred forms of government institutions, the overwhelming majority of elites shared a common goal of expressing power across the North American continent, and even beyond. It suggests that the Constitution should be seen as an inherently imperial document, reconciling the ambiguous ideal of a free republic with the inescapable need to utilise power in imperial ways

中文翻译：

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帝国的革命：帝国理念和宪法的制定，1787-8

本文认为，早期的美国政治精英除了帝国之外，没有可行的竞争模式来实现成功的政体。它强调，这个群体承认在竞争激烈的大西洋世界中需要权力，这通过帝国制度表达出来，迫使他们重新考虑他们对共和国可能采取什么形式的想法。这篇文章重点关注宪法的批准，这是美国各地精英提出他们对政体的竞争愿景的关键时刻。它认为，尽管在首选的政府机构形式上存在差异，但绝大多数精英都有一个共同的目标，即在整个北美大陆甚至更远的地区表达权力。它表明宪法应该被视为一种固有的帝国文件，