“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
The Bill of Rights was born from intense battles between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over delegated and reserved powers. This clash not only shaped its contested origins but also left its true purpose misunderstood to this day. 1. Initial Efforts Rejected During...
Repealing the 17th Amendment has become a rallying cry for those seeking to restore federalism. But the Anti-Federalists warned during the ratification debates that structural flaws in the Senate run much deeper than merely the method of election. Corruption,...
“Self-defense is a primary law of nature, which no subsequent law of society can abolish.” That’s how the great Mercy Otis Warren put it. But this wasn’t just a philosophical view for the Founders and Old Revolutionaries. They knew an armed society was...
Tench Coxe may be the most influential founding father that people have never heard of. For most people, discussions about the meaning of the Constitution begin and end with the Federalist Papers. These essays enjoy immense popularity today mostly due to the fame of...
“The last of all oppressions” That’s how Thomas Jefferson described the military draft. Because of widespread opposition to it, the federal government didn’t actively draft men into the military until the Civil War. But, during the War of 1812, it tried – and...
“A nullification of the act is the rightful remedy.” That’s how Thomas Jefferson put it in his draft Resolutions against the Alien and Sedition Acts. On November 10, 1798, the Kentucky house passed resolutions based on his principles. They not only...