How the Founders Explained Limits on the Federal Government
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.” – James Madison, Federalist No. 45 Current controversy over the power of President...
Consolidation: George Mason’s Core Anti-Federalist Warning
“A monarchy, or a corrupt tyrannical aristocracy.” That, George Mason warned, is what the Constitution would produce. His objections to ratification became the foundation for some of the most influential Anti-Federalist arguments. Born December 11, 1725, Mason was one...
Tariffs: The First Economic Battle Under the Constitution
The very first economic fight under the Constitution wasn’t over a national bank. It wasn’t over building roads or canals. It was about tariffs. This was, as James Madison called it, the subject of “the greatest magnitude” – demanding, he insisted,...