“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.”
This government “will swallow the liberties of the people, without giving them previous notice.” That’s the stark warning Patrick Henry gave us in 1788. In a series of fiery speeches, he laid out some of the most powerful anti-Federalist arguments against the...
When Congressman James Madison drafted a proposed bill of rights in the First Federal Congress of 1789, he did not write on a blank slate. He took into account historic Anglo-American constitutional documents, such as Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights...
Most of what they teach about the Bill of Rights completely skips over much of the real history. From the reason the Federalists opposed it, to Madison’s flip-flop, and the totally ignored preamble – on this episode, I’ve got 5 key – and mostly hidden...
One of the most important foundational documents in American history, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 is one that most people never learn about. Following principles outlined by Thomas Jefferson in 1784, it included a precursor to the bill of rights four years before...
The Bill of Rights doesn’t give you rights. In fact, if you need government permission, it’s not really a right. You had your rights from the moment you were born. The Bill of Rights just restricts government actions that would infringe on them. The Bill...