Originally recorded 11-19-2009:
Rob Natelson, a leading expert on the framing and adoption of the United States Constitution, offers a lesson on the general Welfare clause. He discusses the original meaning of the words themselves, the meaning of “general welfare” in the preamble, and the original meaning and understanding of the clause.
He also explains the taxing clause, the Hamiltonian vs the Madisonian view, anti-federalist concerns, modern interpretations, court cases which have turned its meaning upside down, practical reasons for a limiting view of the clause and the Constitution as a whole, and more.
Mentioned in this Show
More from Rob Natelson:
Are Campaign Finance Laws Constitutional?
Claiming Almost Everything is “Commerce”
- How to Beat an Empire: The Founders’ Ignored Blueprint - September 2, 2026
- You Don’t Have “2nd Amendment Rights.” You Just Have Rights. - August 26, 2026
- The Welfare Trap: Benjamin Franklin’s Forgotten Warning - August 19, 2026