Ratification

Federal Farmer: An “Unnecessary Departure” From Federalism

by TJ Martinell | Mar 27, 2023 | AntiFederalists, Federal Farmer, Federalism, Ratification

At the heart of the debate over the proposed U.S. Constitution was whether it would preserve or undermine individual freedom and state sovereignty. In his 18th and final letter dated Jan. 25, 1788, the Federal Farmer concluded that ratifying the Constitution without...

Federal Farmer: A Confederated Republic or Consolidation?

by TJ Martinell | Mar 18, 2023 | Federal Farmer, Ratification

During the Constitution’s ratification process, there was little to no debate about the type of government desired. Whether antifederalist or federalist, both sides fundamentally advocated for a federal republic with a general government exercising expressly delegated...

The Nature of the Federal Government

by Mike Maharrey | Oct 16, 2020 | Constitution, Founding Principles, Ratification

We have flipped the American constitutional system on its head. It operates exactly the opposite of how the supporters of the Constitution said it would. So, what type of government did the Constitution create? Is it powerful or weak? Is it expansive or limited? How...

The Virginia Ratifying Convention and the Birth of the Tenth Amendment

by TJ Martinell | May 28, 2016 | 10th Amendment, Bill of Rights, Constitution, Constitution, Eleven Years, Ratification, Ratification Debates

The modern debate over the meaning of the Constitution often devolves into a dueling opinions between legal experts and judges. But the true meaning of the document and the kind of government it created isn’t found in Supreme Court decrees or through interpretation...

Constitution 101: Was the Constitution Ratified By States or One American People?

by Mike Maharrey | Jun 3, 2014 | Constitution, Founding Principles, Ratification

Was the Constitution ratified by the American people as “one nation” or was it ratified by the states? As pointed out in last week’s Constitution 101 post, the people stand as the sovereign in the system. So it was the people who ratified the Constitution. But, the...

The 10th Amendment

“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.”

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