論韋伯斯特的共和理念－以《美國政策之概述》與《聯邦憲法主要原則的考察》二書為例

On the Idea of Republic of Noah Webster: "Sketches of American Policy" and "An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution"

王煜芬(Yu-Fen Wang)

《史學研究》 25期 (2012/07) Pp. 67-104

https://doi.org/10.29438/THR.201207.0002

摘要

諾亞．韋伯斯特（Noah Webster，1758－1843）於1828年出版的《美式英語字典》(American Dictionary of English Language)是第一本「美語字典」，此書使韋伯斯特聲名大噪，成為當時至今日美國家喻戶曉的字典編纂者，同時也是一位在文化上國家認同的傳播與代表者。然而，韋伯斯特編纂的字典具有政治上的目的與意義，並非僅只是表面上的國家認同者。身為一個知識份子，在十八世紀的北美知識份子所追求「如何維護與建立共和國」的理念下，研究韋伯斯特的任何著作與思想都必須放在此思潮中來理解。因此，「如何建立一個理想的共和國」是他畢生最主要所關心的問題。本文主要研究他於1781年至1787年間的共和理念，並以兩篇著作《美國政策之概述》與《聯邦憲法主要原則的考察》做為史料來探究，從中結合當時美國現實上的政治發展並與此呼應，特別是從邦聯政府走向聯邦政府的經歷與產生的諸多問題。韋伯斯特早期的共和理念不僅是一位「著書立說」的聯邦政府支持者，也是一位將「十三個共和國」視為一體的知識份子，更為重要的是他在教育上的「實踐」，而他在教育上的實踐則是最有別於傳統僅有政治思想的「建國之父們」的共和理念。

關鍵字

諾亞．韋伯斯特 ； 共和主義 ； 邦聯條款 ； 聯邦政府 ； 十八世紀美國

並列摘要

Noah Webster (1758-1843) was an important politician, editor, educator and moral-teacher in early American history, and he wrote and published plenty of works in his all life. The most famous work of Webster was his dictionary, An ”American Dictionary of the English Language”, published in 1828, which made him renowned and symbolized him as a national-identity prompter by ways of separating the American English from British English. However, not only being a national-identity prompter, but also he was an intellectual whose thoughts and idea were related to the republicanism which composed the eighteenth century American intellectuals' minds both in political and cultural fields. Webster devoted his whole life and all works to building and living up an ideal republican country; therefore, we should not merely take him as a national-identity prompter, we should take him also as a republican. This article aims to expunge Webster's early idea of republic from 1781 to 1787, which was the time from the promulgation of Articles of Confederation to the replacement of Constitution. And the two works, ”Sketch of American Policy” and An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution”, which presented the kernel thought of his early republican idea. Hence, taking these two works as sources in interpreting, we can know how Webster built his idea of republic from the historical backgrounds, his explanations of political system, his demands of equal distribution of property, and his promotion of education.

並列關鍵字

Noah Webster ； Republicanism ； Articles of Confederation ； Constitution ； Eighteenth century American