With those unforgettable words, Thomas Paine lit a fire in the hearts of patriots during one of the darkest moments of the American Revolution. First published on December 19, 1776, The American Crisis was more than just an essay - it was a rallying cry that turned despair into victory. And it was filled with timeless wisdom that we can all find inspiration from today. The post These Are the Times That Try Men’s Souls: Words That Saved the Revolution first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Dec 16, 2024•31 min
The natural right of self defence is one of our most essential rights, part of the first law of nature. But that hasn’t stopped governments from violating it. So the founders told us over and over that it’s up to us - the people of the states - to protect and defend our own constitution and our own liberty - whether the government likes it, or not. In this episode, we’re applying their principles and strategy to protect and defend the 2nd Amendment from federal violations. The post 2nd Amendment...
Dec 13, 2024•23 min
"Tyrants care nothing for discussions that are to end only in discussion." Lysander Spooner didn’t pull any punches. He knew that words without action were meaningless in the fight against tyranny. In this episode, we’ll dive into some of his most radical and powerful takes on the Constitution - his ideas matter now more than ever. The post Lysander Spooner: Radical Truths on Tyranny and the Constitution first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Dec 11, 2024•31 min
Liberty is doomed where power is united - consolidated in the same hands. That’s the warning Montesquieu gave us about separation of powers. This was one of the biggest battles between Federalists and Anti-Federalists But here’s the twist: both sides used the exact same words to support opposite arguments. In this episode, we’re diving into this critical debate over the ideas of the most-cited political writer of the ratification debates The post Anti-Federalist vs Federalist CLASH: Montesquieu ...
Dec 09, 2024•43 min
Rights don’t come from a constitution, a bill of rights, or any document at all. Your natural rights - come from your creator - and you have them by the nature of your humanity. Even civil rights - are built on the foundation of natural rights. These were widely-held views from the founders and old revolutionaries. The post Rights Are Not Gifts from Government: The Founders’ View first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Dec 06, 2024•25 min
Division of power, precedent, the right to resist, and more - essential - and totally forgotten - principles that fueled the American Revolution. They’re all drawn from John Dickinson’s 1767 Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. Totally forgotten and ignored today, but they were the most widely-read writings on American liberty prior to the War for Independence. The post 4 Forgotten Principles That Fueled the American Revolution first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Dec 04, 2024•34 min
The founders knew that an armed society was essential to preserving liberty - because they lived it first hand. In fact, this was one of the most critical lessons they passed down to us. In this episode, learn some powerful views from leading founders and old revolutionaries on the right to keep and bear arms as a natural right, on the role of the militia as a defence against both foreign and domestic danger, and the goal that everyone be armed to preserve liberty. The post 2nd Amendment: Everyo...
Nov 22, 2024•21 min
The Founders warned us - over and over again - that power always expands, no matter who holds it. So, you can’t trust anyone with power, no matter how much you like them or what they do, because that same power will eventually fall into the hands of someone hell-bent on destroying your liberty. In this episode, you’ll learn some of the most powerful warnings from the Founders about the dangers of power - warnings we can’t afford to ignore any longer. The post Trust No One with Power: Forgotten a...
Nov 20, 2024•20 min
His writings had far more influence on the debates over the Constitution than the Federalist Papers we hear so much about today. In this episode, learn his top-4 arguments for ratification, including a clear line in the sand on delegated and reserved powers, the true source of government power, the militia, and much more. The post Forgotten Founder Tench Coxe: The “Other” Federalist Papers Revealed first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Nov 18, 2024•23 min
“I would wish the debt paid tomorrow; he wishes it never to be paid, but always to be a thing wherewith to corrupt and manage the legislature.” This slapback from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson was aimed squarely at Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. These two - along with Edmund Randolph and Henry Knox - made up Washington’s first cabinet, a group filled with some major ideological clashes. In this episode, we’ll explore how their divisive views on issues like the national debt ...
Nov 15, 2024•36 min
"We cannot be happy without being FREE." Those words come from John Dickinson, who saw LIBERTY as the foundation of everything else. Once almost as famous as Benjamin Franklin, Dickinson is almost totally forgotten today. Known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” he was a fierce defender of natural rights, the father of the Articles of Confederation, a leading opponent of the Stamp Act, a supporter of the Constitution, and much more. To honor his birthday, we’re diving into the life and legacy of...
Nov 13, 2024•31 min
"A nullification of the act is the rightful remedy." That’s how Thomas Jefferson put it in his draft Resolutions against the Alien and Sedition Acts. On November 10, 1798, the Kentucky legislature passed resolutions based on his principles. They not only reaffirmed the Constitution’s structure a strict line between delegated and reserved powers, but also laid out how to defend it against violations of the constitution by the federal government. The post Nullify: Thomas Jefferson’s Radical Declar...
Nov 11, 2024•41 min
It’s time to walk the walk. Right now, the Constitution is treated as little more than an optional guide - at best. Or toilet paper. In this episode, learn the top-5 most crucial steps an oath-keeping president should take to radically protect and defend the Constitution - starting now. Path to Liberty: November 8, 2024 The post President OATH to the CONSTITUTION: 5 Steps to Protect and Defend NOW first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Nov 08, 2024•25 min
This principle - central to the American Revolution - has been almost totally forgotten and ignored. On this episode, we’re uncovering powerful warnings from leading Founders and Old Revolutionaries about the dangers of compliance with usurpations of power. And a century later, the radical Lysander Spooner took up the same cause, fiercely defending these principles of resistance to defend liberty. These are lessons we can’t afford to ignore any longer. The post You Can’t COMPLY Your Way Out of T...
Nov 06, 2024•21 min
"If their duty, their honor, and their oaths will not bind them, let us not put into their hands our liberty, and all our other great interests." Those are the words of Gouverneur Morris, the penman of the Constitution. Today, despite that warning - politicians ignore that oath every day - and the people keep letting them get away with it. The price is our liberty. The post Oath to the Constitution: Ignored and Betrayed Daily at the Cost of Liberty first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Nov 04, 2024•33 min
Refuse to comply. That’s exactly what the people did to bring down the Stamp Act once it went into effect on November 1, 1765. We’ve all heard about the fiery protests and the bold resistance, but there was so much more to the story. On this episode, learn their hidden strategies of defiance - the methods they used that government-run schools never talk about. These are the same strategies the founders told us to use to nullify unconstitutional acts today. The post REFUSE TO COMPLY: How the Stam...
Nov 01, 2024•36 min
Repealing the 17th Amendment is the right move to help restore federalism - but is it enough? The Anti-Federalists warned us about dangers in the Senate’s structure long before the 17th came along, and without understanding those warnings, we could still end up with the same problems: corruption, power grabs, and more centralized control. The post Repeal the 17th Amendment: Ignored Anti-Federalist Warnings on the Senate first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 30, 2024•32 min
On his very last day in office, James Madison shocked Congress by vetoing an infrastructure bill - even though he supported the idea behind it. Madison refused to sign off on the measure, saying it didn’t follow the strict limits of the Constitution, even if it aligned with his own political goals. This might be the most important - and most ignored - veto in history. The post Most Important (and Ignored) Veto in History: James Madison’s Last Stand first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 25, 2024•32 min
A deep dive into six key differences that demonstrate how the Articles were much closer to a pure system of federalism than the Constitution for the United States. We’ll cover topics like representation, the executive branch, the taxing power - and more. The post Articles of Confederation vs Constitution: 6 Key Differences You Need to Know first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 23, 2024•31 min
This government “will swallow the liberties of the people, without giving them previous notice.” That’s the stark warning Patrick Henry gave us in 1788. In a series of fiery speeches, he laid out some of the most powerful anti-Federalist arguments against the Constitution—predicting all kinds of abuses of power and the eventual destruction of liberty. In this episode, we’re breaking down six categories of his most urgent warnings, each filled with powerful quotes we can’t afford to ignore any lo...
Oct 18, 2024•33 min
“The active business of the American Revolution began in Philadelphia.” That’s what Benjamin Rush and John Adams believed - because the spark that ignited the Boston Tea Party wasn’t in Boston. It was lit in Philadelphia on October 16, 1773. This forgotten piece of history involves fiery protests, bold resolutions, and even letters from the Committee on Tarring and Feathering. The post Boston Tea Party? It Actually Started in Philadelphia! first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 16, 2024•31 min
“To these grievous measures, Americans cannot submit.” That’s the bold declaration that helped spark a coordinated resistance across the colonies in 1774. On this episode, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress, we’ll dive into what turned out to be not only a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, but the bill of rights too. The post Forgotten 1774 Declaration: Precursor to Independence and Bill of Rights first appeared on Te...
Oct 14, 2024•43 min
"A vile and arbitrary aristocracy or monarchy" - that's what the Anti-Federalist writer Cato warned we'd get. In a series of seven essays, he laid out his strongest arguments against ratification of the Constitution, predicting all kinds of abuses of power, and the destruction of liberty. In this episode, we’ll break down his forgotten warnings - which just might be more important than ever today. The post Cato vs the Constitution: Forgotten Anti-Federalist Arguments first appeared on Tenth Amen...
Oct 11, 2024•32 min
Thomas Jefferson called the trial by jury as the only anchor ever imagined by man that can hold a government to the constitution. And jury nullification is how to get that done. In this episode, learn what it is, the history behind it and how it works. Plenty from the founders and old revolutionaries all the way to Lysander Spooner. The post Jury Nullification: The People’s Secret Weapon Against Tyranny first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 09, 2024•30 min
Everyone's heard of the Federalist Papers - Hamilton, Madison, Jay - but the most important Federalist speech in the entire ratification debate didn’t come from any of them. It came from James Wilson - a name most people have never even heard of. His 1787 State House Yard Speech laid the foundation for the entire Federalist playbook. In this episode, we’ll explore why he gave the speech, why it had such a huge impact, and dive into Wilson’s key arguments for the Constitution. The post Most Impor...
Oct 04, 2024•31 min
Most of what they teach about the Bill of Rights completely skips over much of the real history. From the reason the Federalists opposed it, to Madison’s flip-flop, and the totally ignored preamble - on this episode, I’ve got 5 key - and mostly hidden - truths about that just might change the way you view the Bill of Rights. The post Bill of Rights: 5 Hidden Truths They Never Teach first appeared on Tenth Amendment Center ....
Oct 02, 2024•44 min
“A nullification of the act is THE rightful remedy.” That’s how Thomas Jefferson said we should respond to any federal act that goes beyond the limits of the Constitution. But here’s the thing - Jefferson wasn’t inventing something new in 1798. He was reminding us of principles that were at the heart of the American Revolution - ideas the people used to resist tyranny. And today, those principles are more important than ever. The post NULLIFY THEM: Jefferson’s Rightful Remedy from the American R...
Sep 30, 2024•31 min
Nearly five years before the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams wrote an essay urging the people to resist tyranny - not tamely submit and hope for the best. For Adams, it was a moral imperative to stand up for what’s right, even against the most powerful government in history. Unfortunately, his bold call for liberty has been almost entirely forgotten. Today, in commemoration of his birthday, we’re uncovering what Adams warned us about - his message is more urgent than ever. The post RES...
Sep 27, 2024•19 min
“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Just after the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, a committee of Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin worked to design a great seal for the United States - and it included that powerful phrase on the reverse. While we don’t know who originally wrote it, we can trace its roots to Jonathan Mayhew’s widely read but mostly forgotten 1750 sermon on resisting tyranny. In it, he laid the moral and philosophical foundation for the Revolution - and in t...
Sep 25, 2024•42 min
Before the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin had a bold idea to unite the colonies - an idea most people have never heard of. In 1754, just before the Albany Congress, he published his famous “Join or Die” cartoon, symbolizing his forgotten call for colonial unity. Although it was rejected, Franklin believed this plan could have changed the course of American history. The post Join or Die: Benjamin Franklin’s Forgotten Call for Uni...
Sep 23, 2024•44 min
