Nullification: A Lesson from Massachusetts History
The philosophical ideas that would give rise to the protections granted in the Tenth Amendment were present before the Revolutionary War even started.
The States Rights Tradition No One Knows
If the federal government has the exclusive right to judge the extent of its own powers it will continue to grow – regardless of elections.
Line in the Stand: The State Sovereignty Movement
An observer of history and these current events cannot help but draw strikingly similar comparisons to America’s political struggles during the early to mid-1800s, where there was a serious threat to our original form of constitutional government by the Centralists of that day.
Jeffersonian or Hamiltonian?
The battle between Jefferson and Hamilton is of very great significance, and precisely because it represented a clash between two fundamentally contrasting systems of political principle.
The Jeffersonians Were Right After All
Kevin Gutzman’s “Virginia’s American Revolution” is a treasure trove for those who would recapture the original American republic.
Lincoln’s War
The Civil War was fought with one purpose in mind: To preserve the Union at all costs. And, to put it in Lincoln’s terms, with no ifs, ands, or buts. You’d better agree with the president, or else.
Nullification Revisited
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.” – James Madison
Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States of America, was an architect, a philosopher, a Deist and an impeccable prose stylist. His passionate appeal to dissolve ties with England—the Declaration of Independence—led the early colonies to war and ultimately freedom. As president, he earned respect for his sound principles and industrious nature, though his private life has been subjected to intense scrutiny.
Rethinking the Constitution, Completely
by David Gordon, Mises.org [The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution. By Kevin R.C. Gutzman. Regnery Publishing, 2007. Xiii + 258 pgs.] Kevin Gutzman gives his readers much more than they had a right to expect. The “Politically Incorrect Guide” series in which his book appears aims at a popular audience: its goal is to [...]
Virginia Resolution Redux
On 02-26-09, a number of Virginia State Representative intrduced House Resolution 61, which reads: RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Congress of the United States be urged to honor state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The Commonwealth of Virginia hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment [...]
Kentucky Resolutions Redux
On 02/24/09, Kentucky State Representative, John Will Stacy (D) intrduced House Concurrent Resolution 168, which reads: “A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION claiming sovereignty over powers not granted to the federal government by the United States Constitution; serving notice to the federal government to cease mandates beyond its authority; and stating Kentucky’s position that federal legislation that requires [...]
The Constitution or Liberty
by Sheldon Richman, Foundation for Economic Education “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.” We might think those words—or words to the same effect—are in the U.S. Constitution. But they are not. They [...]
Were the States Sovereign Nations?
by Brian McCandliss, LewRockwell.com A defining – but so far unasked – question regarding the Civil War is the political status of the states: specifically, was the “United States of America” indeed, as our popular Pledge of Allegiance claims, “one nation, indivisible?” Or was it, rather, a union of sovereign nations, bound only to each [...]
Is it Possible to Restore Constitutionalism?
by Gary S. Lawson, Heritage Foundation When the Constitution was sent to the states for ratification in 1787, many citizens worried that the new national government proposed by the document was a Leviathan in waiting. During the crucial New York ratification debate, James Madison, writing as Publius, sought to allay these fears in the 45th [...]
The Constitution: A Politically-Incorrect Guide
by David Gordon, Mises.org Buy This Book Kevin Gutzman gives his readers much more than they had a right to expect. The “Politically Incorrect Guide” series in which his book appears aims at a popular audience: its goal is to correct commonly held myths of leftist propaganda. Gutzman eminently fulfills this goal, but his book [...]
Repeal the 17th Amendment
by John MacMullin, Mises.org Nearing election time again, we are reminded that the there are no checks and balances available to the states over federal power or over Congress itself in any area. However, in the history of our country, it was not always this way. In the original design by the Framers of the [...]
Were the States Sovereign Nations?
by Brian McCandliss, LewRockwell.com A defining – but so far unasked – question regarding the Civil War is the political status of the states: specifically, was the “United States of America” indeed, as our popular Pledge of Allegiance claims, “one nation, indivisible?” Or was it, rather, a union of sovereign nations, bound only to each [...]
The Real Purpose of the Constitution
by Neal Ross Two hundred and forty five years ago a small percentage of citizens stood up against a superior force and declared their independence from the tyranny under which they lived. This revolution for independence spawned men such as Patrick Henry, who declared, “…give me liberty, or give me death.” These were men who [...]
