“Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. No serious scholar, including one disposed to agree with the Court’s result, has argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to create such a right.” “The decision by the seven-man majority in Roe v. Wade has so far been made to stick. But the Court’s decision has …
More Favorite Chestertonianisms
“There is only one thing that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism. “Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity.’ “Truth must of necessity be stranger than fiction, for fiction is the creation of the human mind, and therefore is congenial to it.” “Earnest Freethinkers need not worry themselves so much …
Skeptical? You Think?
“If people can’t trust not only the executive branch but also don’t trust Congress, and don’t trust federal judges, to make sure that we’re abiding by the Constitution with due process and rule of law, then we’re going to have some problems here.” President ObamaReally? You’re just now figuring this out? After cheerleading for Planned Parenthood, snooping into our e-mails and …
The Genius of the Electoral College
“Every word of the Constitution ultimately decides a question between power and liberty.” James Madison The Founding Fathers would more than likely be surprised by the current controversy over the Electoral College provisions of the Constitution. Indeed, it was one of the least controversial provisions of the new compact during the divisive debate for ratification. According to Alexander Hamilton writing …
America’s First Constitution
The first American constitution was ratified by the colony of New Haven on this day in 1639. The entire community assembled in a newly erected barn where the eminent Puritan pastor John Davenport (1597-1670) preached and prayed earnestly—and then proposed fundamental articles for the governance of the colony. His four articles were simple: First, they were to affirm that the Holy Scriptures …
An Engine of Freedom
On this day in 1787 a constitutional convention convened in Philadelphia with representatives from seven states. Though the meeting was not authorized by Congress, they were among the most eminent men in the young American republic—and several were actually members of Congress. Their purpose was to draft amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Under other circumstances, the meeting might have been considered a coup …
Penman of the Revolution
Widely known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” John Dickinson (1732-1808), wrote many of the most influential documents of the period—from the Declaration of Rights in 1765 and the Articles of Confederation in 1776 to the Fabius Letter in 1787 which helped win over the first States to ratify the Constitution: Delaware and Pennsylvania. Having studied law in England, Dickinson was devoted to the English common law …