承蒙复旦大学李剑鸣教授，北京大学王希教授、王立新教授、满运龙教授，武汉大学谢国荣教授，南开大学韩铁教授、杨巨平教授、付成双教授、丁见民副教授以及匿名审稿人等提出宝贵修改意见，并承北京大学何芊同学收集部分资料，谨致谢忱。
    ①不同学者对公共利益的界定有所不同，但总体来说，公共利益的概念“内在于集体性自我意识的本质之中”，它不同于地区或集团性利益，也不受时间限制，是超越每个社会成员暂时利益的，并且能影响每个社会成员的共同的、普遍的利益。关于公共利益的概念，参见爱德华·希尔斯(Edward Shils)：《市民社会的美德》，李强译，邓正来、杰弗里·亚历山大主编：《国家与市民社会——一种社会理论的研究路径》，上海：上海人民出版社，2006年，第44、50页；Franklin A.Kalinowski,"David Hume and James Madison on Defining 'The Public Interest'," in Richard K.Matthews,ed.,Virtue,Corruption,and Self-Interest:Political Values in the Eighteenth Century,Bethlehem:Lehigh University Press,1994,p.175.
    ②“公共机构”是借用了波林·梅尔在《美国公司的革命根源》一文中的用法。在18世纪末到19世纪初美国关于商业公司的文献中，经常提到商业公司是公共事业(public utility)，在颁布商业公司的特许状中，明确表示建立商业公司是为公共利益服务。参见Pauline Maier,"The Revolutionary Origins of the American Corporation," The William and Mary Quarterly,vol.50,no.l (Jan.1993),pp.51-84.
    ③相关论著有：Pauline Maier,"The Revolutionary Origins of the American Corporation," pp.51-84; Oscar Handlin and Mary Flug Handlin,Commonwealth:A Study of the Role of Government in the American Economy:Massachusetts,1774-1861,New York:New York University Press,1947; "Incorporating the Republic; The Corporation in Antebellum Political Culture," Harvard Law Review,vol.102,no.8(Jun.1989),pp.1883-1903; Edwin Merrick Dodd,American Business Corporations until 1860:With Special Reference to Massachusetts,Cambridge,MA:Harvard University Press,1954; Ronald E.Seavoy,The Origins of the American Business Corporation,1784-1855:Broadening the Concept of Public Service during Industrialization,Westport,CT:Greenwood Press,1982; John Lauritz Larson,Internal Improvement:National Public Works and the Promise of Popular Government in the Early United States,Chapel Hill,NC:University of North Carolina Press，2001;韩铁：《试论美国公司法向民主化和自由化方向的历史性演变》，《美国研究》2003年第4期；韩铁：《美国公司的历史演变和现代大企业的崛起》，《南开学报》2002年增刊。
    ④参见Oscar Handlin and Mary Flug Handlin,Commonwealth:A Study of the Role of Government in the American Economy:Massachusetts,1774-1861,pp.94-98.
    ⑤Pauline Maier,"The Revolutionary Origins of the American Corporation," pp.57-58,82.
    ⑥Andrew M.Schocket,Founding Corporate Power in Early National Philadelphia,DeKalb,IL:Northern Illinois University Press,2007,pp.81-82,89.
    ⑦William Blackstone,Commentaries on the Laws of England,vol.1,Philadelphia,1771,p.468,http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
    ⑧Stewart Kyd,A Treatise on the Law of Corporations,vol.1,London,1793-1794,pp.12-13,http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031427589;view=lup;seq=43
    ⑨James Willard Hurst,The Legitimacy of the Business Corporation in the Law of the United States,1780-1970,Charlottesville:University Press of Virginia,1970,pp.1-3.
    ⑩Ron Harris,Industrializing English Law:Entrepreneurship and Business Organization,1720-1844,New York:Cambridge University Press,2000,pp.17-18,41,47.
    (11)李剑鸣：《美国的奠基时代(1585-1775)》，北京：中国人民大学出版社，2011年，第87、89页。
    (12)最先研究美国早期商业公司的学者西米恩·埃本·加尔德温(Simeon Eben Baldwin)将进行经济活动的公司称为“商业公司”，之后的学者沿用了商业公司的说法。参见Simeon Eben Baldwin,"American Business Corporations before 1789," The American Historical Review,vol.8,no.3(Apr.1903),pp.449-465; Joseph Stancliffe Davis,Essays in the Earlier History of American Corporations,vol.2,Cambridge,MA:Harvard University Press,1917,p.3; Oscar Handlin and Mary F.Handlin,"Origins of the American Business Corporation," The Journal of Economic History,vol.5,no.1(May 1945),pp.1-23; Ronald E.Seavoy,The Origins of the American Business Corporation,1784-1855:Broadening the Concept of Public Service During Industrialization,pp.3-7.
    (13)“共和党”也称“民主共和党”。在美国18世纪末的文献中，党派冲突中的两派通常被时人称为“Federalist”和“Republican”。18世纪末的“Republican”不同于美国现代政党政治中的“共和党”，他们主张忠于美国革命精神与宪法，建立共和形式的政府，所以称之为“Republican”。之后的政治学家在论著中将其称为“Democratic Republican”，即“民主共和党”。而美国的大部分历史学论著中则仍然称其为“Republican”。文中为了与18世纪末美国文献保持一致，将“Republican”译为“共和党”。
    (14)John Adams,"An Address of the Convention," Journal of Convention for Framing a Constitution of Government for the State of Massachusetts Bay:From The Commencement of their First Session,September 1,1779,to the Close of their Last Session,June 16,1780,Boston,1832,p.216,http://books.google.com; John Adams,"A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America,against the Attack of M.Turgot,in his Letter to Dr.Price," in Charles Francis Adams,ed.,The Works of John Adams,vol.4,Boston:Little,Brown and Co.,1865,p.404.
    (15)李剑鸣：《“人民”的定义与美国早期的国家构建》，《历史研究》2009年第1期。
    (16)李剑鸣：《“共和”与“民主”的趋同——美国革命时期对“共和政体”的重新界定》，《史学集刊》2009年第5期。
    (17)"A Constitution or Frame of Government," Journal of Convention for Framing a Constitution of Government for the State of Massachusetts Bay:From The Commencement of their First Session,September 1,1779,to the Close of their Last Session,June 16,1780,p.222.
    (18)George Washington,"First Annual Message to Congress," in John C.Fitzpatrick et al.,eds.,The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources,1745-1799,vol.30,Washington,D.C.:U.S.Government Printing Office,1931-1944,pp.491-492.
    (19)Oscar Handlin and Mary Flug Handlin,Commonwealth:A Study of the Role of Government in the American Economy:Massachusetts,1774-1861,p.109.
    (20)"For the Centinel," Columbian Centinel,Jan.21,1792,http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
    (21)"Proceedings of the Third Session of the Ninth General Assembly,of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,Monday,September.5 A.M.," Pennsylvania Evening Herald,Sep.7,1785,http://infoweb.newsbank.com/
    (22)"National Bank:Communicated to the House of Representatives,December 14,1790," American State Papers 09,Finance vol.1,1st Congress,3rd Session,p.68,http://infoweb.newsbank.com/