How was this ever constitutional?
Was this the first major violation of the constitution leading to where we are today?
> How was this ever constitutional?
Never was.
> Was this the first major violation of the constitution
> leading to where we are today?
Not hardly.
Our constitution has been and remains mostly ignored by all branches and levels of government and is only trotted out from time to time to justify yet another usurpation or perversion thereof.
Once in a great, great while an actual constitutional victory emerges, but the rule and trend since the nation’s founding has been to undo the constitution.
No the first step was in the 1780's when Hamilton decided the US treasury would accept privately issued bank notes as valid for payment of taxes (as opposed to specie) without any congressional or constitutional authority to do so.
It wasn't constitutional. Leftists don't abide by the constitution. They're low-life two-bit theives. And stealing the private property of individuals (gold, e.g.) constitutes theft.
I think that if they try this again, there will be some violence. The people are sick of being robbed by the politicians.
Lincoln suspended habeus corpus and had members of congress that didn't support him arrested and held without charge.