ABSTRACT
It is a frequently observed peculiarity of the American worker that he perceives a kind of divine revelation in the Constitution of his country, and consequently he reveres it with devout awe. His feelings towards the Constitution are as if it were something holy that is immune from mortal criticism. This has been rightly spoken of as 'constitutional fetish worship'. The whole Constitution therefore rests on the basis of popular sovereignty, and only Switzerland provides a comparable example. The sovereign People alone decides on what law there should be throughout the United States. The availability of this right leads to a series of far-reaching consequences upon the character of the spirit governing public life. The last and poorest commoner has a part in the sacred sovereignty; at least formally, he is the People and the People are the State. In his consciousness it is an undoubted reality.
