The Constitution created a federal government with powers that, as James Madison said, were “few and defined.” Yet today the feds have their paws in almost every pocket of American life. How did that happen? One reason is that if you don’t know much about the Constitution’s language, you can misread those “few and defined…
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The ratification proceedings in Vermont, terminating with that state’s adoption of the Constitution on January 10, 1791, mostly corroborate, rather than contradict, earlier evidence.
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New Hampshire was a small state, but its ratification was significant.
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If you want to apply the Founders’ own rules of interpretation to the Constitution, the understanding of the ratifiers is most important.
DetailsYou often hear that an action is “constitutional” or “unconstitutional.” More rarely, you hear the term “extra-constitutional.” Exactly how do these words differ?
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The federal government can fund infrastructure in just three specific categories.
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Some agencies subject to closure already are duplicated, or can be duplicated, by the private sector or by interstate compact, rendering federal involvement unnecessary.
DetailsThe Preamble, which begins with “We the People,” is one of the world’s most recognizable bits of prose — prose that, at least in some ways, approaches poetry.
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The Electoral College was the product of extensive, and sometimes excruciating, deliberation among the delegates to the framing convention.
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In early 1788, Dickinson perceived that ratification momentum was slowing. Accordingly, he composed for publication nine letters written under the pseudonym, “Fabius.”
DetailsThe list of constitutional provisions impacted by Dickinson is a very long one.
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There is no record that John Dickinson ever backed down in the face of popular opposition when an issue was important.
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The Constitution. Every issue, every time. No exceptions, no excuses.
