Thomas Jefferson
Who Decides? The Founders’ Forgotten System of Checks and Balances
“There is not a syllable in the constitution, that makes a decision of the judiciary – of its own force, and without regard to its correctness – binding upon any body, either upon the executive, or the people.” That’s from Lysander Spooner, reminding us of...
Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural: Timeless Blueprint for the Constitution
Peace, freedom, the 10th Amendment, and the elimination of taxes: These are just a few of the principles Thomas Jefferson outlined in his first inaugural address. They weren’t mere policy suggestions, they represent timeless and revolutionary declarations against the...
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...
Thomas Jefferson’s Solution from the Revolution
“A nullity” and “we declare these acts void” This was the bold conclusion about British Acts that Thomas Jefferson came to in his powerful 1774 pamphlet, A Summary View of the Rights of British America. Written nearly two years before the...