Historical Documents

I’ve put several of our country’s more important historical documents here:

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution of the United States of America
• The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1-10 of the Constitution
• Amendments 11-27 of the Constitution

In this election year, we face some of the toughest challenges we have ever had to as a nation. We are hounded again and again by ads touting one candidate or another, who will return America to her greatness, yet want to gut the military, grant amnesty to illegals, give away to the farm to pay for universal health care.

“The Greatest Democracy in History”

Fallacious statement, this. The US is NOT a democracy. It is a federal republic. Simply look at Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution.

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.

Then read what James Madison had to say about it:

‘Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.’ – James Madison

From Wikipedia:

No explanation is offered in the Constitution as to what constitutes a republican government, however the Federalist Papers give us a keen insight as to the intent of the Founders. A Republican form of government is meant to distinguish its institutional function from a pure democracy, which our Founders abhorred (Federalist #49). A pure democracy is unwieldy, dangerous in its passion, and subject to mob rule thereby lending itself to instability and violence.

“Separation of Church and State”

Could someone point out where in the 1st amendment the doctrine of “Separation of Church and State” is spelled out?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now I’m no constitutional scholar, but I can read. The words “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” does not say THOU SHALT NOT ALLOW WORSHIP IN PUBLIC. Call me silly or stupid, but it doesn’t, does it? What it says is that Congress shall not pass any laws establishing a STATE RELIGION, one that is “preferred”, if you will. Nor shall it prevent the citizenry from practicing their faith. No establishment. No impediments.

“The Growth of and intrusion by Big Government”

The 10th Amendment says the following:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Here we go back to one of the central issues that resulted in the Civil War – States Rights. What can the Fed lawfully dictate to or mandate the States to do? What powers can the Fed lawfully exercise at the expense of the State governments? According to Amendment 10, if it ain’t in the Constitution, neither house of Congress, nor the Executive, nor the Judiciary can usurp States’ power and authority. It is similar in nature to what was found originally in the Articles of Confederation.