The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 15: James Harrington & Algernon Sidney
John Adams featured Harrington in the first volume of his encyclopedia of republican governments, which circulated at the Constitutional Convention.
The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 14: Machiavelli
The Founders were far more interested in Machiavelli’s “Discourses on Livy” than in “The Prince.”
The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 13: Tacitus
The most important lesson the Founders learned from Tacitus was that power corrupts.
No, a Convention of States Could Not Change the “One State/One Vote” Rule
Could a convention of states could change the “one state/one vote” rule to one based on population? The short answer is “No.” In at least 42 conventions of states and colonies over 350+years, there is no precedent for such a change. The possibility exists only in the fantasies of convention opponents. Defenders of the federal […]
The ideas that formed the Constitution, part 12: Plutarch
About 40 percent of the title characters in Plutarch’s biographies ended up as pen names in the constitutional debates,
The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 11: Livy
After studying him in school, as adults, many of the Founders remained devoted to Livy.
The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 10: Virgil alone
Participants in the ratification debates could supplement English by using Virgil’s expressions . . . Virgil gave their message more force.
Yet more evidence comes to light that an amendments convention is a “convention of the states”
Founding era state legislative records show beyond doubt that an amendments convention is a “convention of the states”
Congress’s new attack on democracy & the Constitution
Sometimes “our democracy” just doesn’t seem to matter.
New Study Finds Administrative State Unconstitutional
When the framers and ratifiers used the phrase “regulate Commerce” they meant “regulate trade.” Both “regulate commerce” and “regulate trade” meant to administer the body of jurisprudence known as the law merchant.
The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 9: Virgil and other poets
If the American Founding had a poet laureate, Virgil would be it.
The real Commerce Clause—as the Founders knew it
During the Founding era, the phrase “regulate Commerce” had a very specific meaning
