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: State Constitutions
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.
Why Didn’t the Framers Listen to Abigail Adams?
In the new Code of Laws which I supposed it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would Remember the Ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.
“I swear…”
The US Constitution includes two oaths of office, but how can we tell if an officer has upheld their oath?
The King is Dead
Why do we wait roughly eleven weeks between our presidential election on the first Tuesday of November and Inauguration Day on January 20 to switch from the outgoing occupant of the White House to the newcomer?
Impeachment: A Mini-chapter on What It Is, What It Isn’t, and What Nobody Knows
Even before the Framers had decided how many presidents the country should have or how long he would serve or what powers he should have, they debated how to get rid of one if he misbehaved.
Fault Lines in the Constitution 