Thomas Jefferson warned us. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
The people have ignored this for far too long – education on the original, legal meaning of the Constitution – along with founding principles going back to the American Revolution – are seriously lacking in our government-run schools today.
And yes, that might be the understatement of the century. They don’t teach it at all.
So when it comes to understanding what government is authorized to do under the Constitution – a vast majority of people are absolutely clueless. They don’t even know where to start. So, they instead rely on people with power to tell us how much power they’re supposed to have.
It doesn’t take much imagination to wonder how that kind of thing will play out. As a result, we now live under the largest government in history.
But this shouldn’t be surprising.
John Dickinson put it this way:
All artful rulers, who strive to extend their power beyond its just limits, endeavor to give to their attempts as much semblance of legality as possible. Those who succeed them may venture to go a little further; for each new encroachment will be strengthened by a former. “That which is now supported by examples, growing old, will become an example itself,” and thus support fresh usurpations.
Jefferson and Dickinson – coauthors of the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms in response to the attacks on Lexington and Concord in 1775 – nailed it yet again.
This is a big reason why we spend so much time on education here at the Tenth Amendment Center. This means tirelessly working to teach people what the Constitution actually says and means – which includes a growing library of articles and podcasts covering both the federalist and anti-federalist views, along with essential information from the Articles of Confederation.
We also spend plenty of time going back to the “Real American Revolution” – which was a radical change in the views of the people from 1760-1775 – before the first shots were first at Lexington and Concord. There, we get tons of effective strategy from the old revolutionaries for how to successfully respond to the largest government in history.
We’ve also expanded our collection of TAC books and handbooks quite a bit in recent years. A favorite of ours is Mike Maharrey’s The National Bank vs the Constitution. Here, Mike traces the origins of today’s federal reserve – the engine that powers the biggest government in history – to Alexander Hamilton’s brainchild, the First Bank of the U.S.
As Mike notes, “the story is about more than central banking. It’s really a battle for the heart and soul of America’s constitutional system.
If you understand the constitutional arguments against the First Bank of the United States, you will have a solid grasp on the constitutional arguments against much of the unconstitutional monster state we live under today.”
As noted above, we also spend a lot of time on strategy – how to protect and defend the Constitution and liberty when government fails to follow the rules, which is 24/7/365.
Our annual State of the Nullification Movement Report might be the best tool we have to offer on this front. The 2023 edition is in process right now – Mike and I hope to have it all wrapped up by fall – so pretty soon. Clocking over 250 pages, it’s packed full of strategy from the founders and old revolutionaries in the first section – and the second section covers how that strategy is being used today to nullify all kinds of federal acts, “laws,” rules, regulations and programs – in practice and effect.
The best part is we make this report available for free to anyone interested in reading and learning more. Stay tuned – we’ll update you as we get closer to the release date.
We’ve also published a number of other books and handbooks on the Constitution, nullification – and strategy for liberty. But today, I wanted to share a few projects that we’ve got in the pipeline – in process and more.
The one that I’m most excited about is Maharrey’s next book – Rhetoric and Resistance in the Face of Tyranny, which we hope to have ready in early 2024. Here, Mike will share with you all kinds of forgotten and ignored history and strategy that the old revolutionaries used from Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and the resistance to the Stamp Act in 1765 – through the ramping up of resistance to the Coercive Acts in 1774.
A great example of this is the Suffolk Resolves from Sept. 1774. Primarily drafted by the great Patriot and Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren, the resolves called for non-compliance to the Coercive Acts, disobedience to courts, tax resistance and more.
I’ve also hired on Alan Mosely to take on some blogging duties for our Path to Liberty podcast – this, along with some data entry automation that I recently upgraded in our CRM – is freeing a number of hours each week – so I can finally start working on a number of projects that have been on hold for far too long.
This includes our nullification legislation Tracking and Action Center. Here, we’ll build an online tool you can use to keep up to date with nullification efforts happening in every state – on a bunch of issues – from sound money to blocking gun control enforcement, ending the theft that is civil asset forfeiture, taking on the surveillance state and much more. So rather than just an annual report of what’s happening – our goal is to build a clearinghouse of what’s happening – day to day – with action steps people can take in support of what’s important to them.
We’ve got a lot of website upgrades that need to happen. Better content organization by topic, better search, better speed, better – well, everything. Plus, there are a number of books we hope to get rolling on very soon. These include:
- An overview of the primary Anti-Federalist papers and the leading arguments against ratification
- A summary of the primary Federalist arguments – well-beyond the Federalist papers
- The founders’ Education – A series covering what the founders learned from – and what they recommended we learn as well.
- Nullification strategy – single handbooks on how to use nullification on single issues – the first being how to nullify federal gun control.
- There’s a pretty massive list to follow as well.
Now here’s the deal. These efforts cost money. The only way we can get them all done – and more – in the coming year – is through your financial support.
This compels me to plead on behalf of our small, but amazing team of writers, researchers, activists – and lovers of liberty – to help us continue growing into the coming year and beyond.
In June, we just commemorated our 17 year anniversary. And I intentionally do my best to avoid the word “celebrate.” The reason is simple – we exist because the largest government in history keeps growing – and there is so much ignorance about the Constitution and liberty – and how to defend both. While I’m proud of what we’ve built here at the TAC, that’s nothing to celebrate at all. We’ll save that for when we all live under a real “land of the free.”
In order to keep moving in that direction we need to up our game – and now. That’s why I’m sharing with you this brief roadmap of just some of the projects and books we’re already working on – and have on deck.
Head on over to our website to pitch in and help us take things to the next level.
You can make a one-time donation in any amount here:
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/donate/
Or, you can join us as a member for as little as $2/month – where you can also access and download every handbook we ever publish while your membership is active.
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/members/
Whether it’s a few dollars, a few hundred, a few thousand – or anything in between – let me be clear – we couldn’t be more grateful for your support. Thank you for putting your financial faith behind our work!
- Remembering John Dickinson: “One of the great worthies of the revolution” - November 13, 2024
- Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: Jefferson on the Constitution’s Structure and How to Defend It - November 11, 2024
- Presidential Actions to Uphold the Constitution: A Five-Step Guide - November 8, 2024