Category Archives: Constitution of the United States

Morality, Freedom, and Liberty

Posted on by June 23, 2017

The Founding Fathers of our nation established a republic, a democracy that turned the power to the people. It was a new nation that said that the citizens, the people, would come first and would therefore choose their own leaders for the new nation.

In and around this rich new culture, there was faith and morality. The Founders hoped that culture would continue to allow America to become a light on the hill for the whole world.

The combination of the Spirit of the Revolution, Declaration of Independence, the new U.S. Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and the foundation in law was new in the world. As Benjamin Franklin said: “It’s a Republic—if you can keep it. The most fervent desire of the Founding Fathers was that we, as a people, would watch over this nation, with these founding documents, culture, and faith, and keep it strong forever. read more

The Father of the Constitution

Posted on by June 21, 2017

Fathers Day having just passed, I have been thinking a little bit about the man we call “The Father of the Constitution”. The anniversary of his death is coming soon. He died on June 28, 1836, at the age of 85. He lived the last several years at his home, Montpelier, Virginia. His home wasn’t too far from Monticello, the home of his beloved friend, Thomas Jefferson.

Madison was the tireless scholar who fought for and caused the Constitutional Convention to occur. He knew the Articles of Confederation (the preliminary agreement between the colonies to bring unity) wasn’t working. He invited and got 55 of the most revered men from each of the 13 colonies to attend—eventually. And he proposed the plan that became the basis for our Constitution. read more

A Prayer for a Nation

Posted on by June 19, 2017

Benjamin Franklin was a religious man, but he didn’t much care for organized religion. At least not as it was presented to him. But he did believe in God. And he had some things to say about our Constitution.

“I beg that I may not be understood to infer,” he said, “that our General Convention (Constitutional Convention) was divinely inspired, when it form’d the new Constitution . . . .yet I must own that I have so much faith in the general Government of the world by Providence (his, and George Washington’s, way of naming God) that I can hardly conceive a Transaction of such momentous Importance to the Welfare of Millions now existing, and to exist in the posterity of a great Nation, should be suffered to pass without being in some degree inflluenc’d, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler, in whom all inferior Spirits live, move and have their Being.”
(“A Comparison of the Conduct of Ancient Jews and Anti-federalists in the United States of America” (1788), as quoted in “First Freedom” by Randall Palmer, et al, 2012, page 37. read more

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL YOU FATHERS!

Posted on by June 18, 2017

It’s been a wonderful Fathers Day today. I had a great and delicious dinner at my daughter and son-in-law’s home. (I didn’t have to cook or do dishes! And the food was scrumptious.

On top of that I received some treasured gifts from my wife and from my daughters. I won’t tell you which are from which one lest the others feel slighted. But I got a See’s candy gift card, and four different good books. “First Freedom, a Fight for Religious Liberty” by Randall Balmer, Lee Groberg, and Mark Mabry (full of beautiful pictures in addition to the words). “America in the Last Days, The Constitution and the Signs of the Times” by Morris Harmor. “John Quincy Adams” by Harlow Giles Unger. And “Dreamers and Deceivers, True Stories of the Heroes and Villains Who Mad America”, by Best Selling Author, Glenn Beck. read more

The Founding Fathers and the First Amendment

Posted on by June 16, 2017

Patrick Henry didn’t like the U.S. Constitution. He spoke out forcefully against its adoption in the Virginia Constitutional Convention. He spoke nearly every day –18 of the 23 days of the Convention, arguing against its adoption. Why didn’t he like it, you ask? It wasn’t because he was not a true patriot. He was known as America’s first patriot.

He didn’t like it because he thought it didn’t protect the citizens as well as it should. He thought America would descend into a monarchy just like Great Britain unless it provided more written proofs of the citizens’ rights. read more

Amendments to the Constitution

Posted on by June 14, 2017

Looking back on it, many would agree that the two Amendments to the U.S. Constitution which were both ratified in 1913, were the worst Amendments ever adopted (some say they weren’t actually properly ratified). Those were the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments.

The Sixteenth is the one that approved the previously unwanted collection of an income tax (see discussions about this in our early history). For some reason, we, the people, approved this burdensome tax. That has been the subject of many disputations—and I won’t continue that here. read more

Dolley Madison Speaks Her Mind

Posted on by June 2, 2017

Dolley Madison, who was married to James Madison, was raised a Quaker. She gave up her religion when her father was banished from the Quaker religion when he filed for bankruptcy as his starch making business failed. Dolley couldn’t get over that.

She was vivacious and outgoing and made a difference, a huge difference in the life of James Madison. The problem was that she usually said anything that popped into her head. Sometimes that wasn’t ‘politically correct’, even then.

Dolley called her husband ‘Jemmy’, as a term of endearment. Jemmy, a usually serious man, used to laugh at Dolley when she would just blurt something out. James kept much to himself, and he warned Dolley “In politics, think before you speak, and if you intend to say what you really mean, then think twice!” read more

The Founding Fathers and the Constitution

Posted on by June 1, 2017

When I took Constitutional Law (a required course) in law school, I had been looking forward to it. Of all my classes in law school, this was the most disappointing. We never once read, or were required to read, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, or the Federalist Papers.

We learned in our Contracts class, that to understand a contract you had to look into the “four corners” of the document to understand the basic premise. That apparently isn’t the case with the most important document in the establishment of the nation, the Constitution. read more

The Founding Fathers Plan

Posted on by May 23, 2017

In the Constitution, the Founding Fathers set out a plan for the ruling of the new nation. That plan included procedures should the leaders be guilty of high crimes or misdemeanors. They could be impeached. Yes, even the Supreme Court Justices were (in theory) subject to this.

Do you recall how it is born out in history? Vice President to Richard Nixon, Sprio Agnew, resigned after bribery allegations were brought against him. Nixon appointed Gerald Ford to become the new Vice President, replacing Agnew. read more

Freedom and Mothers Day

Posted on by May 13, 2017

To All You Mothers Out There:

Have a very Happy and Blessed Mothers Day!

Thank your God for all your many blessings, especially for the freedoms you have.Thank Thomas and Martha Jefferson and our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.

Freedom of Religion is one of our precious gifts.