Tag: Constitution

Commentary: The Rise of Administrative Law Over Legislative Law

Admin

by William Haupt III   “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” – Abraham Lincoln Administrative law is the procedure of creating laws by bureaucratic bodies in our municipal, state and federal governments. It is “mandated law,” made by appointed officials who have been given authority to make decisions for us without our consent. It is illegitimate law being forced upon us with no regard for constitutional protocol. This capricious practice dilutes the fundamental concept of U.S. republicanism. James Madison, a supporter of a powerful federal government, reminded us, “Federal power left unchecked would silently abridge our freedom more than violent usurpations.” Our Constitution clearly defines who is responsible for making laws. “All laws are to be written and passed by representatives approved by the people in federal and local government.” It is difficult to fathom Congress freely delegates powers to administrative agencies that grant them adroitness to rule our lives. How can our Constitution delegate us with an autocratic right, yet allow men we elect and agencies the government invents claim authority over us under the penalty of law? How…

Read the full story

Commentary: Death and the Democrats

Admin

by Sebastian Gorka   Our nation is unique. Most every other nation was established in a capricious fashion. Whether defined by an ethnicity, a linguistic community, or the happenstance of being ruled by a royal dynastic elite, other countries were not the result of their people appealing to first principles, of building a political structure from scratch based upon the lessons of prior centuries. Ours is different. Yes, our Republic was born out of war, as has been the case with so many others over the centuries. But our Revolutionary War wasn’t simply waged over a brute demand for self-determination. The catalyst for the fight that would result in our being an independent nation-state was the grievous transgressions of a monarch who our Founding Fathers saw as acting in direct contravention to objective and universal truths. After our unlikely victory against what was then the most powerful empire the world had ever seen, our forefathers enshrined those truths into our founding documents. And the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution have served not only to codify those principles as the foundation of our political system for at least 11 generations, they have become a beacon for hundreds of millions of…

Read the full story

Commentary: Does the Constitution Mandate Universal Birthright Citizenship?

Admin

by Amy Swearer   Who is a United States citizen by birth? This question has increasingly received national attention, in large part because of President Donald Trump’s promise to “end birthright citizenship.” As I explain, however, in my recent Heritage Foundation legal memo titled “The Citizenship Clause’s Original Meaning and What It Means Today,” Congress definitively settled that question in 1866 when it passed the 14th Amendment. The problem is that Congress’ answer was far different from what Americans today often assume. Even though the U.S. government has long abided by a policy of universal birthright citizenship—that is, of treating all persons born in the United States as citizens, regardless of the immigration status of their parents—the reality is that the Constitution doesn’t mandate this policy. In fact, while the Citizenship Clause eliminated race-based barriers to birthright citizenship, Congress expressly intended to limit birthright citizenship based on the strength of a person’s relationship to the United States. More importantly, the government today needn’t amend the Constitution in order to restrict citizenship for the U.S.-born children of illegal or non-immigrant aliens. It could simply stop abiding by a broad policy never required by the Constitution in the first place. Context and…

Read the full story

Wisconsin Supreme Court to Hear Extraordinary Session Challenge

Admin

by Benjamin Yount   Who controls when the Wisconsin State Assembly meets? The Assembly itself, or the state’s constitution written in 1848? The Wisconsin Supreme Court hear arguments on that question Wednesday. The Wisconsin League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit earlier this year that challenges a number of laws passed during last December’s extraordinary session. “Absent an actual emergency, the Legislature should legislate during their regular sessions,” League Executive Director Erin Grunze wrote in an open letter earlier this month. “The Constitution never intended for the Legislature to be in session nonstop. It contradicts the Constitution, and it does not fit with the Legislature’s own history or the other laws it has passed.” Grunze said the Wisconsin Constitution is clear: There are limits to the Assembly’s power. “The Wisconsin Constitution lays out restrictions on the Legislature, including limiting its convening power. This is to ensure legislators act responsibly and honorably when creating laws,” Grunze added.  But the leaders in the Assembly and the State Senate, Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, say they are well within their Constitutional powers to set their own schedule.  “A judge should not violate the Legislature’s basic ability to convene when its duly elected members call…

Read the full story

Commission Declares Polk County to Be Gun Sanctuary to Protect Second Amendment Rights

Jason M. Reynolds

Polk County has declared itself to be a sanctuary – not for illegal immigrants, but for law-abiding gun owners. At Thursday evening’s Polk County Commission meeting, the County Commission voted 8-1 to adopt a resolution declaring Polk a gun sanctuary to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights, according to a story by the Cleveland Daily Banner. The county is the first in the state to do so. The resolution is based on one passed by in neighboring Cherokee County, North Carolina in March. More than 200 counties in nine states have vowed not to enforce new state measures that restrict gun access, and 132  have voted to become gun sanctuaries despite questions of the measure’s constitutionality. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/REYNOLDS_Polk-County-Gun.pdf” title=”REYNOLDS_Polk County Gun”]   Polk County Sheriff Steve Ross, who supported the resolution, spoke to Chattanooga’s NewsChannel 9. “The vast majority of America feels that we have a second amendment right to bear arms, and we have a right to protect our family and our homes,” Ross said. “We don’t feel the government has a right to come in and take guns from law abiding people that have done nothing wrong.” The resolution does not protect law-breaking citizens with guns, but instead protects…

Read the full story

Commentary: No Constitution for Divided Men

Admin

by Helen Lamm   Whether we like it or not, the defining political disagreements of our time are no longer based on differences of constitutional interpretation. “Limited government” is probably the most broadly accepted unifying principle of the conservative movement. You can find the phrase in the mission statements of the country’s most prominent right-leaning think tanks. It is a hallmark of modern conservative thought, an homage to the glory days of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The conservative movement built its political identity on this principle, and for good reason. Bureaucratic tyranny, like Cthulhu, expands indiscriminately while crushing civil society under its ever-increasing weight. Bureaucratic overreach is a problem, but it is not the problem. Conservatives tend to distract and paralyze themselves by so rigidly focusing on the principle of “limited government.” Fearful of overreaching, they stand still as the Left reaches over them. Despite operating in what effectively is a post-constitutional context, they attempt to play by rules their enemies have long since abandoned. Take, for instance, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of 13 Republicans who voted with the Democrats to overturn President Trump’s national emergency declaration to build the wall. He tweeted late last month, “If…

Read the full story

Rep. Green to File Constitutional Amendment Bill to Freeze Supreme Court Bench at Nine Justices to Counter Democrats’ Push to Pack the Court

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) says he will introduce a constitutional amendment to halt Democrats’ desire to pack the Supreme Court in a maneuver hearkening back to progressive president FDR. Green on Tuesday tweeted, “This Thursday, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of Supreme Court justices to 9 – the number of seats since 1869. The Supreme Court must remain a fair and impartial branch of government not beholden to party.” This Thursday, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of Supreme Court justices to 9 — the number of seats since 1869. The Supreme Court must remain a fair and impartial branch of government not beholden to party. https://t.co/QoHZZyIpb6 — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 19, 2019 Green also tweeted, “Schemes to pack the court are dangerous to the Founders’ vision of an independent judiciary that serves as a check on both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.” Schemes to pack the court are dangerous to the Founders' vision of an independent judiciary that serves as a check on both the Executive and Legislative branches of government. — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 19, 2019 The…

Read the full story

Commentary: Progressive Leftists vs. Common Sense

Admin

by Robert Curry   Have you heard this one? A federal judge has ruled that the all-male military draft is unconstitutional. How did you feel about this bit of news when you first learned of it? Did you think the ruling was ridiculous? An outrage? Did you feel hopeless about what is happening to our country? All of the above? Not long ago, another federal judge ruled that the Constitution requires that male prisoners who identify as female must be provided with sex-change surgery and hormone-replacement therapy at the taxpayer’s expense, and be transferred to a prison for women. There is so much to comment on here. For one thing, these rulings make it perfectly clear that we no longer live in a free, self-governing country. Instead of governing ourselves by means of our votes, increasingly we are subject to the dictates of judges who rule over us by managing to find the darnedest things in the Constitution. Like magicians pulling rabbits out of hats, judges can be counted on to astonish and amaze us with the wizardry by which they perform their conjuring tricks. Read and re-read the Constitution—please!—but you won’t find anything in it to support these rulings.…

Read the full story

Toledo Ballot Proposition Would Extend Legal Rights of Constitution to Inanimate Body of Water

Anthony Gockowski

Voters in Toledo, Ohio went to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of a “Lake Erie Bill of Rights” ballot proposition, which would extend the legal rights of the Ohio Constitution to an inanimate object. The referendum is the result of a years-long effort to clean up Lake Erie that begin in 2014 after more than 400,000 Toledo residents were told to stop drinking their tap water. According to Michigan Public Radio, a “bright green mass” called cyanobacteria encircled portions of the lake and produced a toxin known as microcystin, which can cause rashes, liver damage, and vomiting if consumed. If passed, the referendum would likely be struck down in the courts, but its placement on the ballot marks an “unprecedented” development nonetheless, according to University of Toledo law professor Ken Kilbert. “This is pretty unprecedented in the U.S. with respect to providing standing or rights for an inanimate object,” Kilbert told ABC 13. “I think it does have some legal flaws and may well suffer the fate of defeat in the court.” Markie Miller of Toledoans for Safe Water said her group will rework the wording of the document and work to get it replaced on the ballot…

Read the full story

Sen. Alexander Questions President Trump’s Emergency Declaration on Wall, While Experts Say He Has Constitution, Precedent on His Side

Jason M. Reynolds

President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build the border wall was “unnecessary, unwise and inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution,” U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said. Trump on Thursday evening declared a national emergency in the southern border crisis, The Tennessee Star reported. He signed a spending bill lacking the wall funds to avert a second government shutdown. Alexander is joined in his disapproval by none other than ultra-liberal U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43). Alexander criticized the president’s action in a press release Friday. He said: It is unnecessary because significant additional money already has been approved by Congress that he could spend on border security without declaring a national emergency. In fact, the president announced today that he would spend $3 billion of this additional funding to fund construction of the border wall. This $3 billion is in addition to the $22 billion Congress appropriated on Thursday for detention beds, technology, border patrol agents, ports of entry, replacing existing wall and 55 miles of new wall. It is unwise because if this president can declare a national emergency to build a wall, the next president can declare a national emergency to tear it down; or declare a climate change emergency to…

Read the full story

Democrats’ Same-Day Voter Registration Bill Is ‘Micromanaging’ That Would ‘Seize Control of Elections in Tennessee,’ Rep. Green Says

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) on Wednesday morning gave Democrats a tongue-lashing over legislation designed to force Tennessee and other states to offer voter registration the same day of elections. Green made the remarks during an Oversight and Reform Committee hearing over the Democrats’ H.R. 1 bill, “For the People Act of 2019.” The bill’s language and other information is available here. Green said the bill should be called the “Fill the Swamp Act.” He added, “It seems every year that passes more and more power is shifted away from the people and into the hands of a wealthy, elite few in Washington. These politicians and bureaucrats can’t help themselves from micromanaging more and more of our everyday lives. “From our roads and bridges, our firearms, the relationship with our doctors, our elementary schools, our farms, and even our toilets, these freedom and federalism hating politicians can’t help themselves. “And now … now you want to decide how we run our elections?” Green did not finish there. He said, “The fact remains there is no constitutional authority for the federal government to come down and seize control of elections in Tennessee. The Constitution creates a federalist system with power…

Read the full story

President Trump to Pelosi on SOTU: ‘I Will Be Honoring Your Invitation, and Fulfilling My Constitutional Duty’

Admin

President Trump sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi late Wednesday morning confirming his original acceptance of her invitation to deliver the annual State of the Union address from the U.S. House of Representatives chambers on Jan 29. “Thank you for you letter of January 3, 2019, sent to me long after the Shutdown began, inviting me to address the Nation on January 29th as to the State of the Union,” the letter begins. President Trump goes on to summarize the series of communiques between his office and Speaker Pelosi leading up to his official response to her: Therefore, I will be honoring your invitation, and fulfilling my Constitutional duty, to deliver important information to the people and Congress of the United States of America regarding the State of our Union. I look forward to seeing you on the evening on January 29th in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location! White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a copy of the letter: President Trump’s letter to Speaker Pelosi on…

Read the full story

Minnesota’s Betty McCollum Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Make Health Care a Right

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) recently introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make health care a right for all American citizens. The Health Care for All Amendment, H.J. Res. 17, is currently co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) and states “health care, including care to prevent and treat illness, is the right of the people and necessary to ensure the strength of the nation.” “The Congress shall have power to enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation,” the amendment states. In a press release announcing the amendment, McCollum bashed “the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans” for “actively and intentionally sabotaging our health care system,” while stating that “pharmaceutical companies are gouging consumers to extract huge profits.” “Strengthening the Affordable Care Act, expanding federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, protecting women’s reproductive rights, and working to build a system of universal health coverage are some of the steps Congress must take to ensure that the American people have the assurance and stability they deserve when it comes to receiving health care,” McCollum said. She went on to lament the treatment of health care as “a commodity driven by profit” that should not have to “be restricted or rationed according…

Read the full story

Rep. Steve Cohen Introduces Bills to Eliminate Electoral College, Limit Presidential Powers to Issue Pardons

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), who wishes U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) would jump off a bridge, wasted no time trying to monkey with the U.S. Constitution as the Democrats took control of the House Thursday – he introduced a bill to eliminate the Electoral College. Cohen is a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee. He actually introduced two Constitutional amendments, one to abolish the Electoral College and one to prohibit presidents from pardoning themselves, members of their families, members of their administrations and their campaign staff, according to a press release from his office. Cohen said, “In two presidential elections since 2000, including the most recent one in which Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million more votes than her opponent, the winner of the popular vote did not win the election because of the distorting effect of the outdated Electoral College. Americans expect and deserve the winner of the popular vote to win office. More than a century ago, we amended our Constitution to provide for the direct election of U.S. Senators. It is past time to directly elect our President and Vice President.” Cohen has previously tried to impeach President Donald Trump. Also on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Brad…

Read the full story

Sen. Lamar Alexander Says ‘Unlikely’ Supreme Court Would Rule Obamacare Unconstitutional Despite District Court Decision Ending It

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he believes that the Supreme Court will not find Obamacare to be unconstitutional – but even if it did, the federal government can swoop in and provide protections for people with pre-existing health conditions. Tennessee’s senior senator made the remark Saturday following the historic court ruling effectively declaring Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), dead. Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas on Friday night ruled the ACA unconstitutional based on the individual mandate that requires people to have insurance and how that affects a new tax law that sets the penalty for no coverage to $0. Alexander issued a statement on Twitter that said: “If the U.S. Supreme Court eventually were to agree that Obamacare is unconstitutional — which seems unlikely, however poorly the law was written — I am confident that any new federal law replacing it will continue to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions who buy health insurance.” My statement on the ruling in Texas v. Azar. pic.twitter.com/NrFtFRK9tH — Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) December 15, 2018 The Supreme Court in 2012 said the ACA was constitutional in a 5-4 vote in a case titled NFIB v. Sebelius.…

Read the full story

Carol Swain Commentary: President Trump’s Ingenious Plan to Get the Supreme Court to Rule on the Constitutionality of Birthright Citizenship

Admin

by Dr. Carol M. Swain   On October 30, President Donald Trump announced plans to issue an executive order ending the practice of giving U.S. citizenship to children of illegal aliens. By taking this bold action, the President is poised to make history by forcing the U.S. Supreme Court to issue its first-ever clarification on whether the USA-born children of illegal aliens are entitled to birthright citizenship. Following the President’s lead, Senator Lindsey Graham expressed his support by stating his plans to file legislation addressing the matter. Birthright citizenship comes from the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Although some scholars argue it would take a constitutional amendment to end the practice, others point to statutory language and the text of the 14th Amendment to argue that Congress has the authority to address the matter. Congress’s authority, they argue, is found in the language that implies anyone not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States is excluded from automatic citizenship. The “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause is understood to mean…

Read the full story

New State Rep. Griffey Calls for Resolution Supporting Trump in Ending ‘Birth Right’ Citizenship

Jason M. Reynolds

Newly elected State Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-TN-75) has called on the Tennessee House of Representatives as its first action of the 2019 legislative session to pass a resolution supporting President’s Donald Trump’s efforts to end “birth right” citizenship. Griffey urges Tennessee to lead the way in amending the U.S. Constitution, he said in a press release. His district covers Benton, Henry and Stewart counties. On Oct. 30, President Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order to clarify that simply because a child happens to be born on U.S. soil does not necessarily mean that the child is a U.S. citizen solely by virtue of that location of birth. An entire cottage industry has sprung up to cater to foreigners who seek American citizenship for their soon-to-be-born offspring. Griffey proposed that the resolution provide, in part, that: “Tennessee fully supports President Trump’s effort to end ‘birth right’ citizenship and stands ready to be the first state to ratify Constitutional amendment ending the practice if his executive order is not fully implemented and enforced.” Griffey has been a staunch supporter of Trump, having campaigned for him during the 2016 primary, his press release said. His wife Rebecca served as part of…

Read the full story

Registration Is Open for the 2020 Tennessee Star Constitution Bee, Which Will Be Held on April 25

Admin
Constitution Bee April, 2018

  The 2020 Tennessee Star Constitution Bee is open for registration!   If you have a secondary school-level student enrolled in a public or private school, or an accredited home school program, they are eligible to participate in the 2020 Tennessee Star Constitution Bee, a one-day event to be held Saturday, April 25, 2020 at Metro Christian Academy in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The top three finishers will earn college scholarships of $3,000, $1,000, and $500 respectively. In addition, they will win a free trip to Washington, D.C. for themselves and a parent to participate in the inaugural 2020 National Constitution Bee, where the winner will earn a $25,000 college scholarship! The questions in the 2020 Tennessee Star Constitution Bee will be based on the 2019 edition of The Star News Digital Media Guide to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for Secondary School Students, which is now available for purchase at a price of $30 here. The guide is written at the level for 11th and 12th grade students who are taking the half semester course in Government, but can also be used as a self-study guide by any student in grades 8 through 12. Students in grades 8 through 12 are eligible to participate. The questions and…

Read the full story

Commentary: The Democratic Party’s Reckless Disregard for the Nation’s Institutions

Admin

by Jarrett Stepman   Sometimes progressives do a great job of becoming caricatures of themselves. The progressive worldview is marked by a tendency to embrace utopian dreams, and a general disregard for tried and true traditions and institutions. Ted Kennedy captured this instinct in 1968 when he said, quoting George Bernard Shaw: “Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” But while laws and norms sometimes need to be changed, there is something to be said for recklessly overturning a system that has been at the heart of the strongest and freest country that’s ever existed. This progressive instinct for change at any cost has gone off the rails. Historically, progressives have sought to bring about a radical social transformation, and in order to achieve it, they have indulged a tendency to try to upend the constitutional system put in place by the Founding Fathers. But more pathetically, in recent days, they have sought to upend the Constitution for short-term political gain. When President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, the left wanted to abolish the Electoral College. When Trump nominated now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme…

Read the full story

Despite the Media-Driven Rhetoric, the Constitution’s 14th Amendment Does Not Grant ‘Birthright Citizenship’

Admin
young children

by James D. Agresti   Michael Anton, a former national security official in the Trump administration, recently argued in a Washington Post op-ed that the current federal practice of granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants “is an absurdity—historically, constitutionally, philosophically and practically.” A number of media outlets have published fiery rebuttals declaring that Anton is dead wrong. They claim that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives citizenship to all children born in the U.S., except for the children of diplomats. However, the legislative history of the 14th Amendment proves that it does not award citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants or anyone who is not legally and permanently residing in the United States. Background In 1866, shortly after the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, a bloc of Congressmen called the “Radical Republicans“ passed a civil rights law to ensure that African Americans had the “full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens….” This law applied to former slaves but not to foreigners, and thus, it stated that: all persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed, are hereby declared to…

Read the full story

Victor David Hanson Commentary: Who and What Threaten the Constitution?

Admin

by Victor Davis Hanson   Donald Trump on occasion can talk recklessly. He is certainly trying to “fundamentally transform” the United States in exactly the opposite direction from which Barack Obama promised to do the same sort of massive recalibration. According to polls (such as they are), half the country fears Trump. The media despises him. Yet Trump poses no threat to the U.S. Constitution. Those who since 2016 have tried to destroy his candidacy and then his presidency most certainly do. When, and if, we ever lose our freedoms, it will not likely be due to a boisterous Donald Trump, damning “fake news” at popular rallies, or even by being greeted with jarring “lock her up” chants—Trump, whom the popular culture loves to hate and whose every gesture and, indeed, every inch of his body, is now analyzed, critiqued, caricatured, and damned on the national news. In general, free societies more often become unfree with a whimper, not a bang—and usually due to self-righteous pious movements that always claim the higher moral ground, and justify their extreme means by their self-sacrificing struggle for supposedly noble ends of social justice, equality, and fairness. Media darlings, not media ogres, receive a…

Read the full story

Commentary: Decisive Political Victory is the Only Way to End This Cold Civil War

Admin
Tennessee Star

by Ryan Williams   As even NeverTrump Republicans are coming around – grudgingly, and with caveats, of course – to recognizing the stakes in our ongoing domestic political fights, it is perhaps impolite to note: Some of us drew these conclusions quite a long time ago. The last two weeks of psychodrama in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight should count as strong – if not ironclad – evidence of the soundness of my colleague Michael Anton’s prediction in September 2016 about the trajectory and style of Democratic Party rule in the coming years. He wrote that such rule, should it come, “will be coupled with a level of vindictive persecution against resistance and dissent. We see this already in the censorship practiced by the Davoisie’s social media enablers; in the shameless propaganda tidal wave of the mainstream media; and in the personal destruction campaigns—operated through the former and aided by the latter—of the Social Justice Warriors…” Plenty has been written about the absurdity of running a republic by way of whisper campaigns, uncorroborated smears, and malicious innuendo. There is no need to rehash the mistreatment—some of it irrevocably damaging—of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. What’s important to remember is that this will now be the new norm of nomination battles. It…

Read the full story

917 Society Needs Help Giving Out Constitutions to Tennessee Eighth-Graders

Chris Butler

The 917 Society has given out 35,000 pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to eighth-graders in Tennessee, but there are 50,000 more eighth-graders who still haven’t gotten one. Thus, 917 Society members have started a new fundraising movement to help fill the gap. The goal, said 917 Society Founder Joni Bryant, is to reach those 50,000 students before December 15, which is Bill of Rights Day. “Before these students go to high school, psychologically, it is a great time to reach our young people because they are forming their identity of who they are and we want them to know about the Constitution,” Bryant told The Tennessee Star. “In four years, these eighth-graders will be out voting, and we want them more informed and educated and excited about participating in our form of government.” Nashville physician Ming Wang has already donated $1,000 for the cause, according to a press release. Donations are due by Nov. 1 to guarantee printing and delivery of pocket Constitutions to classrooms before Dec. 15. Anyone interested in Founding Club Member status should donate $1,000 or more and commit to renewing your donation each year before Sept. 17 of next year. Founding Club Members may attend…

Read the full story

Tennessee State Lawmakers Gave Up a Section of the State Constitution When They Quickly Ratified The U.S. Constitution’s 26th Amendment

Gregory Watson

Back in 1971, the Tennessee General Assembly quickly ratified the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which lowered the voting age in all elections–federal, state and local– to 18 in every state. By doing so, they voluntarily give up a section of the Tennessee State Constitution. Here’s that story: During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Vietnam War — with which the United States was heavily involved — continued to rage overseas.  With so many American soldiers — several of them younger than 20 years of age — dying on the battlefields of a foreign land in this War, public opinion within the United States began to shift in terms of by what age a person should become eligible to vote.  At the time, an individual had to be at least 21 years of age in order to register to vote. But with the evolution in social sentiment occasioned at least in part by the Vietnam War, Congress began to take steps to lower that age from 21 down to 18.  A popular slogan of the day was “if you are old enough to fight for your country, then you are old enough to cast a…

Read the full story

Steve Osborne Commentary: #ConfirmKavanaugh Now

Admin

by Steve Osborne   The Kavanaugh hearings have devolved into a disgraceful spectacle. As his accuser’s accusation falls apart, another accuser mysteriously appeared over the weekend saying the judge acted inappropriately during his freshman year in college. If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me tell you that this whole charade is an orchestrated attempt by the democrats, hoping to delay a vote on Kavanaugh’s appointment to SCOTUS. The Democrats see that there’s a possibility of retaking the majority in the senate. If they can delay the vote on Kavanaugh until after the midterm elections, the judge won’t get the necessary votes to be confirmed. All the while, the judge’s family has to endure unfounded mudslinging all for the sake of unseemly politics. Sadly, we’ve seen this movie before. The Honorable Robert Bork, nominated for SCOTUS by President Reagan, was publicly and unjustly ripped to shreds during his confirmation hearing, and failed to get the necessary votes to confirm his nomination. Justice Clarence Thomas was similarly defamed during his confirmation hearing by a democrat operative named Anita Hill. Thankfully, Justice Thomas, knowing Anita was a setup, read a statement prior to his vote in which he excoriated the…

Read the full story

Commentary: Democrat Lynch Mob Shows We Have a Government of Fools, Not Laws

Admin

by Jeffery Rendall   After you’ve finished snickering at the notion consider the reason Trump’s so-called loyal opposition (a.k.a. Democrats and #NeverTrumpers) hate the outsider president so much – isn’t it because he’s so different from most other Republicans? From the beginning you could tell Trump not only didn’t want to be like the “standard” GOPer, he sought to mold a new party in his confrontational style – one that takes popular/majority issues, describes them in simple but brunt terminology and then bludgeons Democrats with them until they capitulate – or are vanquished. Do you think you would’ve heard “Lock her up!” from Mitt Romney’s biggest fans? The GOP establishment’s distinguished gentleman candidates of the past – George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, John McCain and Romney – all looked and acted as though they belonged at the head of a boardroom table somewhere. These stiffs had manners, too. With maybe the exception of Dole, all cut their teeth in privileged environments where good boys don’t rock the boat or the family might be shamed. Whereas the Kennedy and Roosevelt families equaled American “royalty” for the Democrats so did the Bush and Romney clans for the GOP. Though not quite as…

Read the full story

Walter Williams Commentary: Brett Kavanaugh’s Opponents Aren’t Really Against Him, They’re Against the Constitution

Admin
Brett Kavanaugh

by Walter E. Williams   One of the best statements of how the Framers saw the role of the federal government is found in Federalist Paper 45, written by James Madison, who is known as the “Father of the Constitution”: The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. … The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people. Today’s reality is the polar opposite of that vision. The powers of the federal government are numerous and indefinite, and those of state governments are few and defined. If confirmed, Brett Kavanaugh will bring to the Supreme Court a vision closer to that of the Framers than the vision of those who believe that the Constitution is a “living document.” Those Americans rallying against Kavanaugh’s confirmation are really against the Constitution rather than the man—Kavanaugh—whom I believe would take seriously his oath of office to uphold…

Read the full story

The Double Standard of Justice in the U.S. Is Risking the Collapse of the Entire System

Admin
Lady Justice

by Printus LeBlanc   The political world is waiting with bated breath for the outcome of Paul Manafort’s trial. The former one-time Trump campaign chairman is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for various tax and bank fraud crimes, most of which occurred over a decade ago. Manafort is also facing charges in the District of Columbia for Foreign Agent Registration Act violations. In total, Manafort is looking at more than three centuries behind bars. Many recall Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian election interference and if the Trump campaign colluded. Yet for some unknown reason, Mueller is vigorously pursuing Manafort even though none of the charges in Virginia or D.C. have nothing to do with Russia or the 2016 election. Despite being on trial for nothing to do with Russia or the election by someone that is supposed to be investigating Russia and the election, Manafort is likely to spend more time in prison than rapists or murderers. Is that justice? The mainstream media has reported authorities raided a compound last week in New Mexico and found malnourished children. But what really happened is much more sinister, and the actions of a local judge have called into question what…

Read the full story

Commentary: When Did It Become Okay to Disrespect the Culture, Traditions, and Values of America?

Admin
homes

by Jeffery Rendall   Wake up any particular morning and glance out the window. Do you notice anything different from the day before? Changes in weather or the seasons don’t count. Chances are you’ll see things appear pretty much the same – and if you’ve lived in one place long enough that’s true from year to year as well. Time slips by unobtrusively, so much so we don’t easily recognize all the transformations going on around us. Sometimes the changes are quite noticeable, however. Fox News host Laura Ingraham disturbed the liberal hornet’s nest last week with one such keen observation. Rick Moran of PJ Media reported, “It’s really too bad we can’t have a civil debate about anything anymore because Laura Ingraham’s observation that the ‘American we know and love doesn’t exist anymore’ in some parts of the country is a ripe topic for serious discussion. The Fox News host’s remarks were triggered by idiotic comments from nitwit Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez… “Ingraham acknowledged that Ocasio-Cortez was right ‘in a general sense,’ but was missing the point about what’s been changing in America: “[Ingraham said:] ’In some parts of the country it does seem like the America we know and love doesn’t…

Read the full story

Commentary: It’s Time For President Trump To Go Full Andrew Jackson On Overreaching Judges

Admin
John D Gates

by CHQ Staff   The news that a Bush-appointed federal district judge, John D. Bates (pictured), has ruled that Obama’s executive amnesty, not actual immigration law, is the law and that Trump must fully restore and renew the program is such a radical exhibition of judicial overreach that it should have been a banner headline or lead segment in every major media outlet. Instead it generated hardly a mention, let alone any outrage, from the establishment media who long ago fell into the trap of accepting the anti-constitutional concept of judicial supremacy over the Executive and Legislative branches of government. For a complete rundown on this outrageous usurpation of the powers of the legislative and executive branches of government see Daniel Horowitz “Bush judge demands that Trump rule as king. Really!” “The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come,” Jefferson wrote Madison six weeks before Washington’s first inauguration. “The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period.” Jefferson, Adams, Madison and other members of the founding generation of the American republic rightly feared the tyranny of the…

Read the full story

EXCLUSIVE: The 202 Year Ratification Saga of the 27th Amendment

Gregory Watson
Gregory Watson

Gregory Watson has been recognized by historians, academics, and elected officials as the only individual in American history whose singular efforts are responsible for the ratification of an amendment to the United States Constitution. Mr. Watson has provided this first hand account of his successful efforts to persuade state legislatures across the country to ratify the 27th amendment exclusively to The Tennessee Star.   For me, the journey of amending the United States Constitution in 1992 really started some 14 years earlier in 1978.  During that summer, my family moved over 1,000 miles from Michigan to Texas.  I was age 16 at the time and I still had the final two years of high school ahead of me to complete. While sharing a border with Dallas, the suburb of Mesquite, Texas, was not connected with Dallas’ public transit service.  Although of legal age to obtain a driver’s license, since I did not have access to a vehicle, I was unable to travel from Point A to Point B and had to seek other ways to achieve intellectual stimulation during those two years of residency in Mesquite.  After graduating from Mesquite High School in May of 1980, I relocated to Austin…

Read the full story

Despite the Media-Driven Rhetoric, the Constitution’s 14th Amendment Does Not Grant ‘Birthright Citizenship’

Admin
young children

by James D. Agresti   Michael Anton, a former national security official in the Trump administration, recently argued in a Washington Post op-ed that the current federal practice of granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants “is an absurdity—historically, constitutionally, philosophically and practically.” A number of media outlets have published fiery rebuttals declaring that Anton is dead wrong. They claim that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives citizenship to all children born in the U.S., except for the children of diplomats. However, the legislative history of the 14th Amendment proves that it does not award citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants or anyone who is not legally and permanently residing in the United States. Background In 1866, shortly after the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, a bloc of Congressmen called the “Radical Republicans“ passed a civil rights law to ensure that African Americans had the “full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens….” This law applied to former slaves but not to foreigners, and thus, it stated that: all persons born in the United States and not subject to any foreign power, excluding Indians not taxed, are hereby declared to…

Read the full story

The Top Ten Most Epic Presidential Vetoes in American History

Admin
George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Grover Cleveland

by Lawrence W. Reed   President James Garfield named his beloved dog Veto. The pooch was a monstrous but lovable black Newfoundland weighing more than a hundred pounds. Congress got the message: A bad or unconstitutional bill would go straight to the Garfield doghouse. (Sadly, none ever did because Garfield served only five months in office.) The veto itself is a long-established and venerable tool of republican government in numerous countries. Along with term limits, separation of powers, habeas corpus, and more, it counts among the storied contributions the ancient Roman Republic gave the world 25 centuries ago. The term itself comes from Latin and means “I forbid!” So committed were the early Romans to hamstringing the ambitions of power-seekers that they licensed the tribunes of popularly-elected assemblies to kill a bill from the Senate, and they invested each of the two highest officials in the government (the consuls) with the authority to nix the decisions of the other. The veto helped to constrain activist legislators and preserve the Republic for nearly 500 years. Inspired by the Romans, America’s Founders baked the power of presidential veto into the Constitution right from its inception—in Article I, Section 7. The President may block…

Read the full story

Soros-Linked Group Will Spend Millions To Stop Kavanaugh

Admin
Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, George Soros

by Kevin Daley and Andrew Kerr    – Progressives have formed a new political outfit to mobilize left-wing energy on judicial confirmations, including Judge Kavanaugh  – The group, Demand Justice, is financed and administratively supported by the Sixteen Thirty Fund  – George Soros’ advocacy network has given millions to the Sixteen Thirty Fund in recent years A new political advocacy group that vowed to put $5 million behind an effort to stop Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court has significant ties to the liberal financier George Soros. A Daily Caller News Foundation review has found that the group’s primary financial supporter is a nonprofit to whom Soros has given millions. The group, Demand Justice (DJ), is organized and financed by a 501(c)(4) called the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which collected some $2.2 million in contributions from the Open Society Policy Center (OSPC), one of Soros’ primary donation vehicles, between 2012 and 2016. The Soros Connection The Fund is largely financed by a handful of donors. Financial statements filed with state oversight officials in 2014 show just three contributors accounted for 70 percent — or some $11.5 million — of the Fund’s total donations and grant revenue. Disclosure forms filed with the same agency…

Read the full story

Commentary: It’s Time For President Trump To Go Full Andrew Jackson On Overreaching Judges

Admin
John D Gates

by CHQ Staff   The news that a Bush-appointed federal district judge, John D. Bates (pictured), has ruled that Obama’s executive amnesty, not actual immigration law, is the law and that Trump must fully restore and renew the program is such a radical exhibition of judicial overreach that it should have been a banner headline or lead segment in every major media outlet. Instead it generated hardly a mention, let alone any outrage, from the establishment media who long ago fell into the trap of accepting the anti-constitutional concept of judicial supremacy over the Executive and Legislative branches of government. For a complete rundown on this outrageous usurpation of the powers of the legislative and executive branches of government see Daniel Horowitz “Bush judge demands that Trump rule as king. Really!” “The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come,” Jefferson wrote Madison six weeks before Washington’s first inauguration. “The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period.” Jefferson, Adams, Madison and other members of the founding generation of the American republic rightly feared the tyranny of the…

Read the full story

Commentary: Congress Must Exercise Its Article I Power, Or It Will Be Deemed Irrelevant

Admin
Capitol building

by Printus LeBlanc   When the framers created the government, it was split into three coequal branches; the Congressional, Executive, and Judicial branches. Articles I through III describe the duties, responsibilities, and powers assigned to each branch of the government. However, one of those branches seems to be the redheaded stepchild of the government lately. If you’ve been paying attention to the news over the last several years, you know the House of Representatives, and more recently the Senate, have been engaged in a fierce battle with executive branch agencies over documents about congressional investigations. The agencies routinely ignore requests from Congress or flat out lie when questioned under oath. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. In 2013, the IRS admitted it was guilty of targeting conservative groups when it apologized for the act. Members of Congress were furious and immediately launched investigations. The IRS employee at the center of the targeting scandal, Lois Lerner, pled the Fifth Amendment right to non-incrimination when called before committees. The committees were left with no alternative but to subpoena documents. In a pattern that has become all too familiar, the requested documents were destroyed after the subpoenas were issued. The IRS said the emails were…

Read the full story

Six More Judge Nominees Advance in Trump Bid to Reshape Judiciary

Admin

by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump is completing a strong week, and is set to kick off a strong next week, in his push to reshape the federal courts, with Senate Republicans forcing votes on six more of his judicial nominees. Despite the Democratic minority in the Senate using procedures to delay many confirmation votes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, have prioritized pushing through appeals court judges, and 2017 was a record year for confirmations. “This week, the Senate will consider another slate of extremely well-qualified nominees for seats on the federal bench,” McConnell said in a statement Monday. “A thoughtful, independent, and expert judiciary is a cornerstone of our constitutional order. It’s been the case since the very beginning.” Moreover, six of the 16 of the Trump-nominated circuit court judges confirmed have replaced Democratic appointees, Axios reported. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ]  That’s important because circuit courts are the final stop for a case before it reaches the Supreme Court. In cases the high court declines to hear, the circuit courts are the last…

Read the full story

Commentary: President Trump Might Be the Most Conservative President in Our Lifetime

Admin

By Robert Romano   On Feb. 23, President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) for the second year in a row as president, after not attending in 2016 during the campaign. At the time, he was still busy building his constituency in the Republican primary and for the general election, where he would ultimately prevail on a very conservative platform of putting America and the American people first in governing. Now, Trump is the leader of the conservative, center-right party in the U.S. and of the executive branch. After one year in office, he has a record he has delivered on: lower taxes, fewer regulations and an opening the doors for economic expansion. ANWR has been opened for drilling. The Keystone XL pipeline is being built. The Obamacare individual mandate has been repealed. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. He ended the so-called Clean Power Plan. He withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and is looking to revamp NAFTA or else pull out of that one, too. Trump ran on fair and reciprocal trade, and that’s what he’s delivering. At CPAC, Trump declared, “the era of economic surrender is over.” By enforcing trade agreements…

Read the full story

Commentary: Reflecting on Our Bill of Rights

JC Bowman

Regardless of personal political persuasion or affiliation, American citizens can unite around the Bill of Rights because it communicates our basic shared values. Limiting the power of government and safeguarding the rights of our citizens is something we must all make a conscientious effort to protect. We should be especially appreciative for the protection afforded in our Bill of Rights against a national government gaining ground against our most fundamental rights—freedom of speech, protest, and conscience guarantees our equal protection under the law. A free society does not just occur. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

Read the full story

Letter to the Editor: Let Us Remember the True Meaning of the Second Amendment

Admin
2nd Amendment

Dear Tennessee Star,  After Las Vegas, The Second Amendment is again under attack by the Democrats and Liberals. But why did the framers of the Constitution include the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights? It’s been said that to properly understand the Constitution one must place themselves in the environment and frame of mind of those writing the Constitution at the time the Constitution was written. I agree, a Government of the People and by the People, must also include it’s protection and security by the People. America was in a war with England at the time the Constitution was being written, a war the People was fighting with their own guns and ammo. America had no military such as we have today, everything depended on the citizens, their firearms and willingness to fight. The framers recognized that without the right to own guns, the people would never be able to win their freedom or maintain their own security from tyranny in the future. The Framers placed the ultimate responsibility for maintaining America’s way of life not in the hands of Government, Law enforcement or the Military, but in the hands of the people, and just as Law enforcement and…

Read the full story

Metro Nashville Public Schools Ignores the Constitution During Constitution Week

Tennessee Star Staff

Metro Nashville Public Schools has not promoted Constitution Day or Constitution Week at the district level. District spokeswoman Michelle Machaud told The Tennessee Star that “we are not as a district” promoting Constitution Week but that “it may be possible social studies teachers are observing this.” The Star contacted several Metro Nashville schools but messages were not returned. Metro Nashville Public Schools does have an interest in promoting other topics for inclusion in the curriculum used by middle and high school social studies teachers. In August, for instance, the president of the Islamic Center of Nashville spoke at an in-service for Metro Nashville middle and high school social studies teachers. He posted on Facebook about how he ended the presentation with the question, “Is Islam compatible with the West?” The district did not respond to pointed questions by The Star about the presentation. Constitution Week celebrates the 230th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by the delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Constitution Day was Monday, September 18, and Constitution Week runs through Sunday, September 24. President Trump issued a proclamation last Friday to observe the occasion. (When Constitution Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is…

Read the full story

Lynn Ahrens, the Artist Behind Schoolhouse Rock’s ‘The Preamble’

Christina Botteri

  Thanks to the wildly popular Schoolhouse Rock! cartoon series, if you were a child of the 1970s or 1980s, chances are you hum a certain song whenever anyone mentions The Preamble. In fact, you’re probably humming it right now. In three minutes, the folksy tune with the catchy chorus provides viewers a foundational understanding of the what the U.S. Constitution – and especially The Preamble – are, exactly and why they’re important. https://youtu.be/yHp7sMqPL0g Schoolhouse Rock! was the brainchild of David McCall, of the advertising agency McCaffrey & McCall. The idea came to him as he watched his young son struggle to learn his multiplication tables, but could rattle off all the lyrics of the latest Rolling Stones hit without a second thought. McCall realized he if he could place good educational material inside of catchy music with kid-friendly animations,  he would be able to help children just like his son.  In true free market fashion, he pitched his idea to ABC television – his biggest client at the time. The network behemoth bought the idea, and the 3min shorts were headed for air a few months later. The first-ever installment of Schoolhouse Rock – “Three is the Magic Number” – was broadcast January 3, 1973.…

Read the full story

Constitution Series: The Preamble and Its Author, Gouverneur Morris

Tennessee Star Staff
Preamble Morris

    This is the eighteenth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at Sycamore High School, 1021 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, Tennessee.   The first fifty-three words of the Constitution – the Preamble – lay out The Who, the Why, the What, and the How of the 4,000 plus words that followed in the document it introduced: WHO: We the People of the United States, WHY: In order to form a more perfect union, WHAT: – establish Justice, – insure domestic Tranquility, – provide for the common defence, – promote the general welfare, – and secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity, HOW: do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Black’s Law Dictionary defines a Preamble as “An introductory statement in a constitution, statute, or other document explaining the document’s basis and objective; esp., a statutory recital of the inconveniences for which the statute is designed to provide a remedy.” As noted earlier in this Constitution Series, the United States Constitution written by the fifty-five delegates to the…

Read the full story

Constitution Series: The First Amendment

Claudia Henneberry
Tennessee Star - Constitution Series

    This is the sixth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. The First Amendment was passed by Congress September 25, 1789, and ratified December 15, 1791 along with the nine other amendments that comprise The Bill of Rights. It reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;  or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The First Amendment combines five specific rights into one fundamental law guaranteeing freedom of expression: (1) Freedom of Religion (2) Freedom of Speech (3) Freedom of the Press (4) Right to Peaceably Assemble (5) Right to Petition “The first amendment is the most important in the American Constitution because it protects the things that make us what we are, including talking, and writing, and worshiping,” Dr. Larry Arnn, professor of politics and history and president of Hillsdale College, wrote recently. The Founding Fathers knew that these unalienable rights already belonged to the…

Read the full story

Haslam’s Gas Tax Increase May Force Tennessee Lawmakers to Violate the Copeland Cap Amendment to State Constitution

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

Governor Haslam’s 2017-18 budget that incorporated IMPROVE Act and other spending promises now exceeds the constitutional budget growth limit established by the 1978 amendment to Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution that states, “In no year shall the rate of growth of appropriations from state tax revenues exceed the estimated rate of growth of the state’s economy as determined by law.” The amendment is known as the Copeland Cap, named for its author former state Representative David Copeland of Ooltewah. The General Assembly will now be forced into a position of voting to break a constitutional commitment to the taxpayers, or appear as the “villains” by taking away the “gifts” the Governor has promised. The 2017-2018 budget estimates appropriations from state tax revenues will be $17.9 billion, which represents an 8.3 percent growth over appropriations from tax revenues in the 2016-2017 state budget at $16.5 billion. The estimated rate of growth of the state’s economy for the 2017-18 budget year, as defined by state law, is 4.6 percent over the 2016-17 budget year. The governor’s budget, as currently structured with the IMPROVE Act, will therefore violate the Copeland Cop by 3.7 percent. The relevant law, Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 9-4-5201 states that the basis…

Read the full story

Constitution Series: How and Why Thirteen States Ratified the Constitution: 1787 – 1790 (Part Two)

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star - Constitution Series

    This is Part Two in the fourth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. (You can read Part One of How and Why Thirteen States Ratified the Constitution: 1787 – 1790 here.) On January 9, the same day Connecticut officially said yes, 370 delegates to the Massachusetts ratifying convention convened at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.     Everyone knew that the outcome in Massachusetts, the second most populous of the thirteen states, was critical, and that the issue was very much in doubt, as Federalists and Anti-Federalists jockeyed for position in the lead up to the convention. “When Paul Revere learned that Sam Adams and John Hancock were reluctant to offer their support for the Constitution during the ratification fight, he organized the Boston mechanics into a powerful force and worked behind the scenes for the successful approval by the Massachusetts convention,” Constitution Facts notes. Proceedings began on a sour note, an indication of the contentious discussions yet to come, when the delegates began to complain about their…

Read the full story

Constitution Series: How and Why Thirteen States Ratified the Constitution: 1787 – 1790

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star - Constitution Series

    This is the fourth of twenty-five weekly articles in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Series. Students in grades 8 through 12 can sign up here to participate in The Tennessee Star’s Constitution Bee, which will be held on September 23. When Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787 and told Mrs. Powel the delegates had given Americans “a republic, if you can keep it,” he was anticipating that at least nine of the thirteen states who were joined together under the Articles of Federation would eventually ratify the Constitution. Franklin was right, of course, but it would take three long years before all thirteen states were in the fold of the new republic. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed in the concept of the sovereignty of the people, so they made sure that the new republic would not be formally organized until two-thirds of the states–nine out of thirteen–held conventions to ratify the Constitution and their participation in the new republic. Until then, the United States of America, as a country, existed, but under the weak terms of the Articles of Confederation. Once nine states ratified the Constitution, that old form of…

Read the full story