Ep. 441
This collection of texts argues for the enduring sovereignty of individual states within the United States, presenting historical evidence from the nation’s founding through the mid-20th century. It contends that the states, not the people as a unified mass, were the parties to the constitutional compact, delegating specific sovereign powers to the federal government while retaining ultimate sovereignty. The author asserts that the states possess the right and duty to interpose and resist federal actions deemed unconstitutional or dangerous encroachments on their retained powers, highlighting instances such as the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, New England’s resistance to embargoes and militia calls, and Southern opposition to Reconstruction-era policies and court rulings. The work critiques the expansion of federal authority, particularly through judicial interpretation and the Commerce Clause, and emphasizes the Tenth Amendment and the amendment process as crucial safeguards of state autonomy.