18th Century Meanings of Happiness and Liberty
Cross Posted from the Pennsylvania Tenth Amendment Center. In this Glenn Beck interview, Rick Santorum tells us that the 18th century definition of happiness is, “to do the morally right thing”. When I heard this, I was surprised and fascinated, but also suspicious, so I decided to see if I could confirm that. First, I [...]
Wall of Separation: Myth?
The biggest misunderstanding is not even the concept of the “Separation of Church and State” itself, but a misunderstanding of federalism, the construction of the US Constitution, and the first 10 Amendments (i.e. the Bill of Rights).
Nationalism, Federalism and the Civil War
I often read blogs, articles, news “reports” and the like – where the commentator refers to the current 10th Amendment Movement with a comment like Hugh Holub in the Tucson Citizen: “The Civil War was about the right of states to allow slavery. The Union won and slavery was outlawed.” Obviously, the southern states wanted [...]
Tom Woods – The States’ Duty to Nullify
Professor Woods explains the Jeffersonian way to limit the federal government to its Constitutional authority. via www.LibertyPen.com
Nullification: Jefferson’s Remedy
“Nullification is Jefferson’s remedy for a government that acts as if it has no limits. It’s an answer to the question – what do you do when the federal government exceeds its constitutional powers.” See Tom in person in Ft Worth and Orlando. See Jack in person in Chattanooga – reserve your seats today! Tom [...]
The burden of Northern history
There has been a spate of books on America’s presumed decline in recent days. Most now and ever before compare with the rise and fall of Rome. I’ve always thought we should be compared with two empires, Rome and Athens. Or better yet, Rome and Constantinople, equal and opposite cultural counter-forces for at least 1,000 [...]
The Equality of Reason
In medieval society the king was much more than a supreme magistrate but was seen as a divine being sent from heaven to establish its laws within the kingdom. When the king was not present the divine law established by the king’s will was gone so the people lost all sense of restraint from which [...]
Nullification and how the GOP lost its way
Lawsuits aren’t an act of nullification. To nullify federal law – a state acts to protect liberty with or without “permission” from the federal government. All in all, not a bad set of viewpoints here.
Taxes in American History
Thomas DiLorenzo discusses Taxes in American History at the The Trouble with Taxation Seminar in January 2005.
From the “Left Out of the Textbook” Dept.
From a handbill that circulated in Milwaukee in the 1850s, in reference to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (emphasis in original): All the People of this State, who are opposed to being made SLAVES or SLAVE-CATCHERS, and to having the Free Soil of Wisconsin made the hunting-ground for Human Kidnappers, and all who are [...]
‘Resisting’ Is Defined as Violence. Not the ‘Taking’
Newsweek has put together a “Tax Attacks” propaganda piece. The gist of this piece is that Joseph Stack was one of many violent protesters who “believed taxes are unjustified,” and thus reacted with violent actions. Of course, anyone who believes that taxes are unjustified necessarily gets lumped in with all of the mad bombers, shooters, [...]
John Dickinson: The Penman of the Revolution
The Townshend Acts were a series of acts passed beginning in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in North America. They centered primarily on the raising of revenue for the crown and asserting central authority over governors and judges in the colonies. They were widely hated and met with [...]
Nullification, Secession, and the Human Scale of Political Order
For three days last week, on the third floor of the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston, SC, a group of scholars have been meeting to discuss the history of nullification and secession in American law and politics, and the continued relevance of those concepts today. I had the privilege of joining them for the [...]
States Can’t Nullify, Because I Said So!
Funny to watch the establishment’s reaction to the reappearance of the idea of state nullification of unconstitutional federal laws. This isn’t allowed, of course — the right of Ivy Leaguers to impose their theories on the country shall not be infringed. The extremely conventional Sanford Levinson trots out all the old arguments. My book on [...]
Video: Nullification is Taking Off!
Tom Woods Speech at the Campaign for Liberty Regional Conference in Atlanta Georgia 1/ 15/2010 – talks about the Federal Reserve, and the principle of nullification in history and modern times. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3:
Obama the Peacemaker?
“War is peace.” Sounds like something from a book I read once. You remember the one, where an entire society gives up their liberty and freedom, coaxed by a central government promising protection and comfort?
The Road to Decentralization
The heat is rising and the stakes are certainly high as our state sovereignty movement continues to grow, reflecting the mainstream nature of the principles that bind us as lovers of liberty and natural rights. As the movement grows, so have charges from the supporters of centralized government, framing the sovereignty movement as many things. [...]
The Classical Liberal States’ Rights Tradition
Video: The fourth of 10 lectures from the 2006 Steven Berger Seminar. Thomas DiLorenzo on Liberty and American Civilization, recorded at the Mises Institute, 06-06-2006.
Popular Obamacare Analogies
Obama supporters come in all shapes and sizes, but none more socially powerful than the iconic Oprah Winfrey. Last week Oprah did a segment on Denmark, perhaps in a bid to pump up support for Obamacare. The people of Denmark are said to have some of the highest numbers recorded in terms of citizen satisfaction [...]
The Death of Federalism: Lincoln’s Real Legacy
Any discussion of reclaiming freedom in America is pointless without an accurate understanding of how our rights were lost in the first place. The Real Lincoln, Professor Thomas DiLorenzo’s controversial book on the subject, makes a compelling case that it was Abraham Lincoln himself who set us on our present course. From the book’s foreword [...]
Chronology Matters
Chronology is critical when it comes to interpreting the US Constitution. Recently, I have heard attacks on the 10th movement claiming that Article I section 8 trumps the 10th amendment, because it provides for the ‘general welfare’ of the nation and so “of course the Federal health care program is constitutional”. I had a chance [...]
Happy Birthday, Sam Adams!
Samuel Adams, in my opinion, was one of the greatest American revolutionaries – a leader in the nullification of the Stamp Act, a leading role in the events that led up to the Boston Tea Party, a member of the Continental Congress and much more. Make sure to read today’s featured article, by Mr. Adams [...]
