Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
The Founders knew what they did not want our new government to be. Thomas Jefferson so eloquently made the argument to break away from one form while laying the groundwork for our next form of government. Then James Madison completed that groundwork in the text of Constitution. What do we mean by this? The Declaration spoke of unalienable rights, and declared the purpose of government instituted by man is to secure these rights. The Constitution then completes those thoughts by limiting the power any one person or branch of government can have by instituting...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Why do we consider the founding of this country to be such a momentous event that changed the trajectory of world history? Think about this: governments had risen and fallen from power for millennia before our country’s birth. What was the one big idea that made our founding so unique and its effects long-lasting? To answer this lofty question, we are thrilled to have a leading American scholar as our guest today. Dr. Samuel Postell is Assistant Director of the Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University and will expand upon the origins of checks and balances in our...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
We know checks and balances between the branches of federal government is a hallmark of our republic. But have you considered the checks and balances the Founders crafted into the design of Congress itself, with the House and Senate splitting legislative power? Why did the founders build in checks to prevent too much power residing within one chamber of our bi-cameral legislature and how did they accomplish this objective? To answer these questions and so many more, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Matthew Green as our special guest this week. Dr. Green is a prolific...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Did you know the United States Army is older than the United States? The Army has its origins in 1775 at a time when the colonists had a distrust of a standing permanent army like the British employed in the colonies. As such, it was a not a permanent army. The War of 1812 showed our country the need for a permanent national army. In the ensuing years, the United States Army has fought a Civil War, two World Wars and protected American interests around the world. To share further history and the impact of our Army, we are honored to have a very distinguished...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Did you know the United States Army is older than the United States? The Army has its origins in 1775 at a time when the colonists had a distrust of a standing permanent army like the British employed in the colonies. As such, it was a not a permanent army. The War of 1812 showed our country the need for a permanent national army. In the ensuing years, the United States Army has fought a Civil War, two World Wars and protected American interests around the world. To share further history and the impact of our Army, we are honored to have a very distinguished...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Thomas Jefferson cemented his legacy as an incredible orator and writer when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, almost 250 years ago. His soaring rhetoric drew inspiration from multiple government and historic traditions: from John Locke to the Magna Carta to the Enlightenment. He used phrases and words that deserve special attention. What did Jefferson mean when he talked about unalienable rights, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, self-evident truths, and the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God? To shed important insight into this...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Did you know the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in our Constitution? The phrase was used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The First Amendment does guarantee “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” What was the intent of the founders in codifying this in the Constitution? Did they intend to keep religion out of government or rather government out of religion? To help us answer these questions and so many...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Did you know the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in our Constitution? The phrase was used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The First Amendment does guarantee “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” What was the intent of the founders in codifying this in the Constitution? Did they intend to keep religion out of government or rather government out of religion? To help us answer these questions and so many...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Our Constitution does not spend a lot of time detailing foreign policy powers. We know the president can appoint ambassadors, negotiate treaties and use executive agreements in our relations with other governments. But beyond that, what is the role of the presidency? What are the checks and balances with the other branches? What do we mean when we say foreign policy is an “inherent” power? To walk us through this complex power, we are pleased to have Dr. James S. Robbins as our guest this week. Dr. Robbins is Dean of Academics, Institute of World...
info_outlineConstitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
We have laws in our country passed by Congress. Then we have regulations that come out of the bureaucracy. Our guest today argues that when government grows, individual liberty shrinks. Our guest, Andrew Langer, is the president of the Institute for Liberty. He is going to discuss the benefits and costs (upwards of $4 trillion annually) of regulations, the process to challenge them and the impact of the Administrative Procedures Act (enacted in 1946) and the role of the public in the regulations process.
info_outlineOnce again, the Founders showed their preference for brevity with the 8th Amendment. It is actually the shortest of all the amendments but packs a wallop in just 16 words! In this week’s chat, we are discussing the elements of the 8th Amendment: protections against excessive bails and fines and protections against cruel and unusual punishments. We answer what is a cruel and unusual punishment, who decides the standard by which punishment is deemed legal or illegal, how does this relate to “death-eligible” crimes in the application of the death penalty and what is the evolving standard of decency that’s used as litmus test? For this insightful conversation, we are pleased to welcome Paul McNulty, former US Attorney, Former Deputy US Attorney General and current president of Grove City College to share his knowledge and insight with our all-star student panel.