No Place Like Rome: How Classic Republicanism Influenced the Founding Fathers
It has become commonplace for people to explain the current condition of the United States with allusions to the decline of the Roman Empire. But few talk about a more illuminating comparison between the Roman Republic and its influence on classical republican values...
The Prophetic Anti-Federalist Warnings About Constitutional Taxing Power
In June 1794 the United States Congress passed a tax on the ownership of carriages. The tax called for a levy, “Upon all carriages for the conveyance of persons, which shall be kept by or for any person for his or her own use, or to be let out to hire or for the...
The Power of Precedent: How a 1796 Supreme Court Decision Supported Obamacare
A rather obscure Supreme Court case decided in 1796 set the stage for Chief Justice John Roberts to declare the Obamacare penalty a tax. It also underscores the long-running debate about the constitutionality of various federal taxes. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme...