Any states that allowed the federal government to interfere in their sovereign jurisdiction would be guilty of a breach of trust, for the “trustees or servants of the several states” were obliged to protect the authority citizens had placed in them.
Fifth (and last) in a Series: John Dickinson and the Ratification of the Constitution Read More »
The list of constitutional provisions impacted by Dickinson is a very long one.
Fourth in a Series: John Dickinson’s Contributions to the Constitution Read More »
Dickinson was one of the few to free his own slaves during his lifetime.
Third in a Series: John Dickinson During the Continental and Confederation Periods Read More »
“We cannot be happy without being free,” Dickinson wrote in Farmer Letter XII. “We cannot be free without being secure in our own property … We cannot be secure in our property, if, without our consent, others may take it away.”
Second in a Series: The Message of the Farmer Letters Read More »
This year marks the 250th anniversary of one of the most influential series of writings in American history.
First In a Series: John Dickinson Comes Into Prominence Read More »
The unstated goal is to change the balance of power among humans—and to undermine democracy and the rule of law.
Rights for a River? An Effort to Undermine Democracy and Make the Law Unfair Read More »
The Farmer letters went well beyond asserting the case against taxation without representation; they also helped clarify American constitutional thinking on other questions, including: Which government responsibilities should be exercised centrally and which locally?
John Dickinson’s ‘Farmer’ Letters on Their 250th Anniversary Read More »
[B]ecause almost everyone conforms in most respects to prevailing social practices, disqualification for such conduct is necessarily arbitrary and driven more by politics than by merit.
Why removing historical monuments is a bad idea Read More »
So when is local control good in reality rather than merely as a slogan?
State protection for citizen rights should temper ‘local control’ Read More »
This article first appeared Aug. 15, 2017 in The Hill. Representatives of state legislatures from across the nation will converge
How the States Have Used the “Convention of States” Procedure Read More »
. . . law professors often corrupt their understanding of the Constitution with their own political preferences. . .
A Response to a “Living Constitutionalist” Read More »
Representatives of state legislatures from across the nation will converge in Phoenix, Arizona on Sept. 12 to participate in a
How a ‘convention of states’ could tweak the Constitution Read More »
