History
Forgotten Lessons from James Otis: Warnings We Ignored
Years before the Declaration of Independence, James Otis Jr. laid the intellectual foundation for the American Revolution – championing natural rights, property rights, and the necessity of resisting tyranny. To commemorate his birthday on February 5, 1725,...
Forgotten Anti-Federalist Warnings on the Constitution from Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry warned that โthe existence of their liberties will soon be terminatedโ under the Constitution without significant amendments. As one of the most active delegates at the Philadelphia Convention, Gerry ultimately refused to sign the final document....
Oath vs Censorship: Jefferson on the Duty to Stop Unconstitutional Laws
An act against the Constitution is no law at all – itโs void. This principle, rooted in the American Revolution and the debates over the Constitutionโs ratification, was central to President Thomas Jeffersonโs response to the Sedition Act of 1798. In this...
Conspiracy: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings about Centralization
Luther Martin, the Anti-Federalist firebrand, predicted that the Constitution would lead to a national system of consolidated power that could never secure liberty. He argued this was an intentional conspiracy – a deliberate plan at the Philadelphia Convention...