Free Republic

The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” It is the much-maligned Second Amendment which secures and makes possible all of the other rights guaranteed in the Constitution. This undoubtedly explains why the Amendment is under constant attack by those who lust after power and control. It is also the only part of the Bill of Rights that defines a specific purpose in its introductory clause. David Deming writes in the April 2016 issue of American Thinker...

By now you should be seeing a trend in our study of the Constitution. The Articles set up the form and intent of the Federal Government along with the powers relegated to each branch. But many of the Framers believed this was inadequate for their peace of mind in ratifying this first-ever document. They believed eventually the Federal government would encroach on individual rights, as had happened throughout world history; a history they had intently studied for years before creating our constitutional republic. So in order to get on board with ratifying the Constitution, many of the signers demanded the...

Article V is one of the most important parts of the Constitution, setting forth the amendment process. In the past, changes to a form of government in most countries were accomplished by revolution. The amendment process allowed for change to the Constitution in a peaceful manner. An amendment must be passed by two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate. Then it goes to the people, who must pass it through their state legislature. The process was made deliberately difficult to prevent changes without a lot of forethought, and required a great deal of deliberation by the Congress and...

If you approach the study of our Constitution with the mental image of building a house, it’s easier to comprehend and retain what you are learning. The original four short pages that make up the seven Articles of the Constitution provide the concrete foundation and the framework. The authors were literally called the “framers” of the Constitution. The Articles are short, to the point, and critically important in understanding the foundation of our republic. Patrick Henry said, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people. It is an instrument for the people to restrain the...

The Constitution was written with the intent that it must endure for ages to come and be adaptable to the various crises of human affairs. Edmund Randolph, one of the five men charged with drafting the document, observed that it was necessary to stick to basic, “essential principles only; lest the operations of government be clogged by rendering those provisions permanent and unalterable.” The Framers knew that principles of liberty remain constant throughout time, so they provided this foundation for altering future law. Let’s continue our study of the U.S. Constitution with Article I. Article I, Sec 1 basically set...

The Ninth Amendment, also known as the “silent” Amendment, says “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” What does this mean? What makes the Ninth Amendment unique is that it guarantees protection of all our rights even though they may not be specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Just because the document is silent on some natural rights does not mean they do not exist. The Ninth Amendment closes the loophole. James Madison was concerned that any attempt to enumerate fundamental liberties would be incomplete and might...