Constitutional Genealogy: The New England Confederation of 1643
The foundational ideas underlying the Constitution took root long before the founders drafted the document. In fact, they began to take root in the earliest days of American colonialization. The Constitution was the culmination of a radical shift in political thought....
The Constitution’s rules for relations with Indian tribes
A previous installment in this two-part series described the Supreme Court’s current interest in the law of Indian tribal sovereignty—that is, the law governing how federal, state, and tribal governments relate to each other. One result is the court’s 2020 decision...
Today in History: Benjamin Franklin Introduces Plan for American Confederation
On this date in 1775, Benjamin Franklin introduced in the Second Continental Congress a formal plan for a confederation of the American colonies. Franklin introduced his plan, “The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,” nearly a year before...