“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.”
January 10, 1776: Thomas Paine didn’t hold back in Common Sense. Far more than just a call for independence from Britain, it was a bold and uncompromising attack on unlimited, centralized power. In this episode, we explore some of Paine’s top principles from Common...
A deep dive into six key differences that demonstrate how the Articles were much closer to a pure system of federalism than the Constitution for the United States. We’ll cover topics like representation, the executive branch, the taxing power – and more. Path to...
“To these grievous measures, Americans cannot submit.” That’s the bold declaration that helped spark a coordinated resistance across the colonies in 1774. On this episode, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental...
Before the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin had a bold idea to unite the colonies – an idea most people have never heard of. In 1754, just before the Albany Congress, he published his famous “Join...
Signed on Sept 3, 1783 – the Treaty of Paris was intended to end the war for independence. But the war didn’t officially end on that date with the signatures of Franklin, John Adams and John Jay. The treaty, made with 13 free, sovereign, and independent...
Most people seem to believe that the constitutional convention of 1787 was called for by Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Even the Library of Congress makes this claim. But it’s totally false. It was actually the Commonwealth of Virginia that initiated...