“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.”
Nullification skeptics will often argue that the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 weren’t actually proposing nullification. They base their argument on the fact that John Breckinridge removed specific references to nullification from Jefferson’s draft before...
Resolutions drafted by James Madison and passed by Virginia on Dec. 21 and 24, 1798, answer a timeless question: What do we do when the federal government oversteps its constitutional bounds? All too often, we simply ignore unconstitutional federal overreach. But...
This article is featured in is today’s Tenther newsletter, which everyone in the nullification movement gets daily or weekly. Be one of them – and Become a member here to support the TAC. On Christmas Eve, 1798, the Virginia Senate gave final approval to a proposal...
Would the proposed Constitution create the limited federal government promised? That was the central question facing the ratifying conventions as America considered adopting the new Constitution. Those in favor of ratification swore it would. But many remained...
In 1798, when President John Adams and the Federalist Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, many believed them to be a violation of the federal government’s clearly defined powers outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Shortly after its passage, several private...