I wanted to introduce you to my book The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution.
Are liberals right when they cite the “elastic” clauses of the Constitution to justify big government? Or are conservatives right when they cite the Constitution’s explicit limits on federal power? The answer lies in a more basic question: How did the founding generation intend for us to interpret and apply the Constitution?
The answers can be found by going directly to the source — to the Founding Fathers themselves, who debated all the relevant issues in their state constitutional conventions.
Click below to read more, see reviews and find how to buy it — including getting a signed copy!
Liked your presentation on C-span very much last night (3/3). It is very interesting to see the parallels with the present debate on small versus big government. My only comment is regarding your reference to “democracy” as if we all understand what it means. Many on the left regard democracy as government by the people in the aggregate. Apparently the original Democracy movement of the 19th century was a mass movement trying to wrest power from the elites. So the roots of democracy are not as libertarian and individualistic as we think – they may be more egalitarian?
Subject: CSPAN
I am eager to get The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution once it is recorded by the division for the blind of the Library of Congress.
J. Larry Railey
JLR/av
Dr McClanahan
You did a very nice job speaking about your book on C-Span. I learned much. Thank you.
Steve Sullivan
Brion, did any of the Founding Fathers ever explain how to make Article VII of the unionists’ constitution relevant to ratification and to establishment? Prior to ratification, Article VII must be unestablished, and to say that it’s unestablished is just a different way of saying that it has no authority. When unestablished, Article VII can have nothing to say about the terms and conditions of ratification. Without establishment, it can’t even be a basis for believing that the states’ governments or their appointed conventions may vote on the matter.
Further still, Article VII has nothing to say about the powers that may be exercised by government. So even if the Constitution were established, Art. VII would remain superfluous. So why is it there? And what licit criteria were there during 1787-1789 for ratification and establishment?
I’m ordering this book today. I am a Liberty Classroom “customer” and was highly impressed with Brion’s lectures surrounding the Civil War.