Bill of Rights
Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: Jefferson on the Constitution’s Structure and How to Defend It
“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...
The Right to be Left Alone
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to privacy. Like other amendments in the Bill of Rights, it doesn’t create the right; it limits government interference with it. Shortly before he announced his withdrawal from the presidential...
Northwest Ordinance: Landmark 1787 Law Set the Foundation
On July 13, 1787, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, one of the most important and influential acts of the early republic. It established a bill of rights years before one was added to the Constitution, and prohibited slavery in the territory...
Power From the People: The Revolutionary Roots of the 10th Amendment
Thomas Jefferson called the 10th Amendment the “foundation of the Constitution,” and for good reason too. It enshrines many of the radical principles that sparked the “real American Revolution” in the years before the War for Independence. John Adams noted...