Checks and Balances
Checks and balances embody an enduring piece of wisdom: power should check power. Separate centers of authority make it harder for tyranny to take root.
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Law
The Law & Liberty Timeline
The Social Contract
30 Phil, Chapter 24, Locke, Touchstone 61: The Social Contract. The social contract emerges out of natural rights and civil government. A government formed by the “collective will” of the people specifically to protect these rights. Citizens consent to be governed, but this consent comes with the stipulation that their inalienable rights must be respected
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Law
Legal power is not the same thing as legal truth but when a claim carries legal force, pay attention to it, evaluate the legal process, if fair, the judgment deserves weight.
Law of the Twelve Tables
A good legal system slows judgment so public claims can be tested fairly. Think well by asking not only what was ruled, but how the claim was tested.
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All States “allow” Native Americans to Vote
Basic Timeline: 1787 – Article 1, S2, P3 of the Constitution states, “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be … determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons…excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.” 1868 – 14th Amendment passed, it declared all persons “born or naturalized in the United States, and
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Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi shows one of humanity’s early attempts to turn power into public law: written rules, visible standards, and punishments tied to social order.
Bartholomew Legate Burned at the Stake
Bartholomew Legate was the last man burned at the stake in Smithfield where Roger Williams grew up. Just like Roger’s father, Bartholomew was in the clothing industry and may have interacted with Roger’s father at his shop. Either way, Roger Williams was about ten years old when Bartholomew was burned at the stake for simply
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Native Americans Citizenship
Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. Until 1924, Native Americans were not citizens of the United States. Many Native Americans had, and still have, separate nations within the U.S. on designated reservation land. Even after the Indian Citizenship Act, some Native Americans weren’t allowed to vote because the right to
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24th Amendment
Outlawed poll taxes as a voting requirement in federal elections. Conservatives used poll taxes to disenfranchise black voters in several states.
18th Amendment
Prohibition started with the 18th Amendment and lasted for just 14 years until the 21st Amendment repealed it in 1933.
15th Amendment
Granted African American men the right to vote, but not Native Americans nor women, by declaring that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
13th Amendment
After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment ended slavery as a legal institution in the United States.
11th Amendment
One state cannot sue another. US courts cannot hear cases nor make decisions against a state if it is sued by someone who lives in another state or country. 12th Amendment: Procedure to elect a president and VP, then updated in 20th Amendment.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Common Sense is a pamphlet published by Thomas Paine in early 1776 advocating independence for the thirteen colonies from England. It was sold and distributed widely and read aloud at taverns and meeting places. Per capita, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. the distinction between kings and
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14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was passed after the Civil War in 1866 and ratified by the states in 1868. It provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws.” The 14th Amendment bans states from depriving citizens of life, liberty, or property without “due process of law” making the Constitution including the Bill of Rights the