When the Framers of the Constitution sent their handiwork out to the states for ratification in 1787, opponents denounced it. The new system of government, they argued, threatened to take away power from the states and the people and give it to the federal government. Many of these Anti-Federalists, as they were called, agreed to support ratification, though, in return for a promise that the new Congress would quickly add amendments protecting the people’s rights.
Category: Rights
To Compromise or Not to Compromise? That’s a Real Question.
Almost all major laws passed by Congress involve compromises to reach the necessary number of votes to pass.
When Fault Lines Converge
Just as the Earth contains underground fault lines that slip, slide, and sink, causing earthquakes, so does the basis of our Constitution contain fractures that can demolish our government.
The Democracy Constitution
After many years of finding fault with our founding document, Sandy had the chance to try to correct Framers’ missteps and to update it. So, how did he do it and what does it look like?
Your Turn! How Would You Write a New Constitution?
If you could design the structure of an entire governmental system from the ground up, the way the Framers did, how would you do it?
Will You—Must You—Be Vaccinated?
Can the government force Americans to be vaccinated? A Supreme Court case during a smallpox epidemic provides an answer, at least for now.
Fault Lines in the Constitution 