A Re-Write of the Bill of Rights through the Preamble
With the 219th anniversary of the adoption of the document known as Bill of Rights only hours away, every American who has graduated from high school should be able to explain the original intent of the Amendments in ten minutes or less.
Delegated. Not Surrendered.
Individuals from both sides of the debate are making some constitutional assertions that have no basis in fact. One of these is the claim that in adopting the Constitution, the States “surrendered†some of their sovereign powers to the federal government.
When in Doubt, Don’t
Dear Uncle Sam, When you visit, please come in through the front gate and under the welcome sign. If the baggage you are carrying doesn’t fit through that Constitutional entryway, then I and my state are sorry to inform you that you’ll just have to stay the hell out.
Enumerated Powers of States
In modern times, the federal government’s enumerated powers have been construed so broadly that one may be pardoned for asking if anything really has been reserved.
The Original Meaning of an Omission
According to the theory of popular sovereignty, the people were presumed to retain all powers not expressly delegated away.
Reserved Powers
To ensure that powers not expressly delegated to the federal government could still be exercised by the states, the Tenth Amendment was enacted.
