The meaning of “militia” in the Second Amendment
By: Rob Natelson This is the second article examining contributions to our understanding of the Constitution from the three brand new volumes of the Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution ...
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Tench Coxe and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
By: TJ Martinell Tench Coxe isn’t well-known today, but he was an influential figure in the founding era. Coxe advocated for the new Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and he ...
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Tench Coxe on State vs Federal Power under the Constitution
By: Mike Maharrey The federal government has no constitutional authority to do the vast majority of the things it does today. Of course, this truth runs counter to conventional wisdom and ...
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“Necessary” Is Not a Constitutional Argument
By: Mike Maharrey I hear a lot of bad constitutional arguments justifying this or that federal action. One common justification for expanding federal power is: “This thing is necessary! It ...
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How our Constitution was supposed to work: new evidence comes to light
By: Rob Natelson Judging by the promises of presidential candidates, you might think the federal government is designed to fix whatever ails us: health care, education, crime, infrastructure, the common ...
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