Eleven Years
James Madison did not Reject Nullification
At some point in virtually every debate, an opponent of nullification will claim James Madison is on their side and that he opposed the practice. This despite the very clear meaning of the words in the Virginia Resolutions of 1798. So what gives? Was Madison for...
This Week in History: The Philadelphia Convention Begins
When delegates gathered in Philadelphia 230 years ago this week to consider changes to the structure of the general government, many prominent delegates brought plans to create a much stronger central authority, shifting power away from the states. However the...
Constitution 101: To “Provide for the Common Defense”
Many people use the general welfare clause as their “the federal government can do anything and everything clause.” Others have turned the phrase “provide for the common defense” into a similar justification for federal overreach. Progressives tend to invoke the...
The Thomas Jefferson Nobody Knows
Following up on his successful and highly regarded James Madison and the Making of America (St. Martin’s, 2012), Kevin Gutzman has returned with a fresh look at Jefferson in Thomas Jefferson, Revolutionary: A Radical’s Struggle to Remake America. It could well have...