Free Republic

Among the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation was the near impossibility of amending them to meet pressing needs regarding taxation and commerce. In 1787-1788, the lower threshold to amend the Constitution per Article V overcame Anti-Federalist reluctance to form a new Union. From the time the federal convention sent the draft Constitution to the Confederation Congress and states, many Anti-Federalists demanded a second convention, preferably before federal elections and the establishment of a new government. Not only the Anti-Federalists, but few Federalists were entirely satisfied with the Constitution as written. The difference was that Federalists were satisfied that Article...

It has been said that, when he was leaving the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked whether the Founding Fathers had given America a monarchy or a republic, and he replied: “A republic, if you can keep it.” The Founders put the power to decide our Nation’s future in the hands of “We the People.” On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and during Constitution Week, we recommit to preserving our republic, perfecting our Union, and ensuring our democracy survives and thrives. Our Constitution established that our Nation would be a democracy, meaning the rule of the people — not of...

Jonathan Turley, a liberal constitutional scholar at George Washington University, wrote Saturday that some Democrats were using the coronavirus pandemic to demand China-style restrictions on free speech. In the op-ed, published in The Hill, Turley criticized “the politicians and academics who have called for the censorship of social media and the internet,” including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Hillary Clinton, and others: The only thing spreading faster than the coronavirus has been censorship and the loud calls for greater restrictions on free speech. The Atlantic published an article last week by Harvard Law School professor Jack Goldsmith and University of Arizona...

Another high-ranking official in the George W. Bush administration endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, calling former President Donald Trump “perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation.” Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez revealed his support for Harris in an op-ed for Politico, saying he couldn’t “sit quietly” as Trump “eyes a return to the White House.” “The American presidency is the most powerful position in the world. Of course, our constitution and laws, as well as institutions such as Congress and our courts, act as guardrails to that power,” wrote the 69-year-old former...

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances that led to the arrest of a French Valley woman in the early hours of July 4. The arrest is the subject of a video containing profanity circulating online showing a deputy refusing to leave the woman's residence despite her requests. According to the video, a minor answered the door after the deputy rang the bell. Captions in the video say the minor closed the door after seeing the deputy, only for the deputy to open the door and let himself in. [snip] "Now that I'm inside your house, I own...

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) claimed Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that voting for former President Donald Trump or writing in a name was “to abandon the Constitution.” Host Jonathan Karl said, “There was a lot of talk during the primaries of the Nikki Haley voters, and some states seem like even when she stopped running, almost a third of Republican voters were looking for an alternative to Trump and voting for Nikki Haley. She’s now saying that she is, quote, on standby to campaign for Donald Trump to help him get re-elected. She’s also of course, called him unhinged,...

Our Constitution is not dangerous. But the people who are threatened by it—all of them: politicians, academics, journalists, activists—are. Ah, the left. Ever ready to burn the foundations of America to the ground in pursuit of … progress. The latest example is a New York Times article by Jennifer Szalai titled, “The Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?” You can guess what her conclusion will be, but the subhead nevertheless provides an additional clue: “One of the biggest threats to America’s politics might be the country’s founding document.” Unsurprisingly, Szalai starts out by casting everything in terms of current...

democrats tend to seek to destroy things that they cannot rule over and are roadblocks to a forever one-party fascist state, like Donald Trump, the electoral college, the Supreme Court and more recently, Elon Musk. Now the left has put the Constitution in its sights. A Berkeley (of course) law school Dean has decided it's time for the Constitution to go: Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of California at Berkeley’s law school, called for a new constitution Friday, claiming that failing to make changes would cause the U.S. to “drift toward authoritarianism.” Chemerinsky appeared on “Morning Joe” to...

All pro-life people need to support and vote for Trump in the 2024 election. They need to take the huge, giant “W” (aka the win) on abortion that the Supreme Court gave America with the Dobbs decision and carry their fight against abortion to the state level. They also must understand that the moral fight over abortion is inextricably intertwined with the greatest cancer of 20th-century American government, namely, judicial activism. If we lose this one, we’ve lost the nation.This is how close we are:They want to overthrow The Constitution pic.twitter.com/d1g35Vavwy — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2024A vocal minority...

Billionaire Elon Musk slammed a New York Times writer that wrote an article which claimed the U.S. Constitution can be considered one of the "biggest threats" to the country. The Times' book critic Jennifer Szalai claimed that "The United States Constitution is in trouble" due to the fact that former President Trump was able to become president through the Electoral College. "Americans have long assumed that the Constitution could save us; a growing chorus now wonders whether we need to be saved from it," Szalai said. "The document that’s supposed to be a bulwark against authoritarianism can end up fostering...

In his new book, the eminent law professor points to a source of growing disunion – the constitution itself. Among progressive scholars of the US constitution, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law, is widely considered pre-eminent. Now 71, he studied at Northwestern and Harvard and has also taught at DePaul, USC, Duke and UC Irvine. He has argued several cases at the US supreme court and written extensively about it. His last book, Worse Than Nothing, was a broadside against originalism, the doctrine touted by rightwing justices as they take an axe to hard-won rights. In his new book, Chemerinsky...

Chris Hayes called the Electoral College “a wildly dangerous institution that undermines democracy' MSNBC host Chris Hayes fumed over new poll results showing former President Trump as the favorite to win the Electoral College and therefore the presidency in November. On his X account Friday, the "All in With Chris Hayes" anchor blasted recent poll results from famed pollster Nate Silver showing that Harris would most likely beat Trump in the national popular vote if the election were held today, though Trump would win the Electoral College. "It’s clear as day the Electoral College is, to quote the great Justice...

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution undisputedly protects the individual right to own and carry firearms for self-defense, sport, and other uses. But the amendment actually says nothing about guns; it refers to "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms," of which firearms are just one example of what dictionaries define as "a means (such as a weapon) of offense or defense." In Massachusetts, last week, that resulted in a decision by the state's highest court striking down a law against switchblade knives.Protected by the Second Amendment "We conclude switchblades are not 'dangerous and unusual'...

No matter the outcome of the November elections, it is urgent that there be a widespread recognition that American democracy is in danger and that reforms are essential. No form of government lasts forever, and it would be foolhardy to believe that the United States cannot fall prey to the forces that have ended democracies in many other countries.

From curbside abortions to gender-neutral prayer rooms, so much insane stuff unfolded at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. One of these abhorrent moments apparently snuck under the radar — until now. It turns out that a top Kamala Harris surrogate bashed the Bill of Rights as "that little piece of paper" and urged Democrats to "reimagine democracy" on Day 1 of the DNC. Kelley Robinson, president of the far-left Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and a prominent supporter of Kamala Harris, made the appalling comments during a daytime session addressing "how defeating Donald Trump and the Project 2025 agenda rests on...

It is absolutely astounding to me that suddenly so many people have forgotten why Roe vs. Wade was unconstitutional from the start. The federal government, state governments and local governments NEVER had the authority to deny anyone the inherent right to live without due process and equal protections under the law. THAT is why Roe vs. Wade was unconstitutional. Abortion is NOT a "right" for any government in any capacity to grant. Understand this. Life is a natural right, inherent by the creator and protected by every founding document in our country. As an American, I am a HUGE supporter...

(Aug. 16, 2024) — On or about August 4, 2024, Zach DeGregorio, host of the program, “Wolves and Finance,” uploaded a video to his YouTube channel titled, “Who is Kamala Harris?” which, among other things, questioned whether Harris is a “natural born Citizen” as required by the U.S. Constitution for the president and commander-in-chief. Harris became the presumptive 2024 Democrat presidential nominee almost immediately after Joe Biden on July 21 withdrew from the race and endorsed her. To that point, according to NBC News, Harris was the least popular person to hold the office since its polling began. On Wednesday,...

Today I am happy to show off another audio book release, Arthur J. Stansbury's Elementary catechism on the Constitution of the United States: for the use of schools, a book as it says, was always intended for young children in schools. This book is written as a catechism form, which for those Christian readers need no introduction here, a catechism form is often used in religious instruction. The book's author, Arthur Stansbury was an American Presbyterian minister and newspaper reporter who was also a noted lithographer, poet, and children's author. It's important to understand the context here. This is a...

Did the people accept or reject the Constitution when offered for ratification?

“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” – Amendment VIII, The U.S. Bill of Rights Americans argue today about whether or not capital punishment is, in and of itself, cruel and unusual. The Founders would not have recognized it as so. In fact, “cruel and unusual” punishments to them referenced the torturous and disfiguring punishments which were going out of fashion even in their day, but were not too distance of a memory – things like branding, for example. This Amendment also ensures that you receive reasonable bail and are not...