The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 11: Livy
After studying him in school, as adults, many of the Founders remained devoted to Livy.
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 10: Virgil alone
Participants in the ratification debates could supplement English by using Virgil’s expressions . . . Virgil gave their message more force.
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Yet more evidence comes to light that an amendments convention is a “convention of the states”
Founding era state legislative records show beyond doubt that an amendments convention is a “convention of the states”
New Study Finds Administrative State Unconstitutional
When the framers and ratifiers used the phrase “regulate Commerce” they meant “regulate trade.” Both “regulate commerce” and “regulate trade” meant to administer the body of jurisprudence known as the law merchant.
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 9: Virgil and other poets
If the American Founding had a poet laureate, Virgil would be it.
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The Ideas That Formed the Constitution, Part 8: Cicero (Cont.)
Directly or indirectly, Cicero probably influenced the Constitution as much as any other thinker.
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The real Commerce Clause—as the Founders knew it
During the Founding era, the phrase “regulate Commerce” had a very specific meaning
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, part 6: Polybius
In the debate over the Constitution, both sides looked to Polybius for ammunition.
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The ideas that formed the Constitution: part 5: Aristotle
James Madison admired Aristotle’s work “The Politeia.”
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 4: the pioneers: Socrates, Xenophon, Plato
Some Federalists expressed pride in the Constitution precisely because they considered it more reality-based than Plato’s “Republic.”
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 3: the pioneers: Socrates, Xenophon, Plato
Plato refined Socrates’s classification of political systems and suggested that the better political forms tend to degenerate into corrupt forms. Aristocracy, for example, becomes oligarchy, and democracy becomes tyranny.
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The ideas that formed the Constitution, Part 2: The Founders’ education
Eighteenth-century education encompassed religion, music, and English. . . . But the heart of the curriculum was made up of the Greco-Roman classics.
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