Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Last time, we covered the sordid history of American slavery, up though the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. I talked about all the ways – some pretty apparent, some more subtle – in which the "peculiar institution" of slavery shaped the U.S. Constitution. Today I&
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! We left off last time on an ominous note. There's something missing from my discussion of the Constitution so far, something lurking in the shadows. You can see the same thing, the same shadowy presence, in the Constitution itself. Scattered throughout the document
Constitutional Perspectives
Hello and welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! We're in the home stretch of Level One now. Last time, I canvassed federalism and the federal Union. That concluded the discussion, for Level One purposes, of the structure of government. But there is, of course, another side to our constitutional
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Today I'm continuing my discussion of federalism, one of the great defining structural features of the American constitutional system. Last time, I gave you a brief primer on what these things called "states" are, exactly. Today, therefore, I'll be
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Over the last few installments, I covered the three branches of the federal government – legislative, executive, and judicial – as well as the overall dynamic between those branches. That just about wraps up the structure of the federal government, at least for our purposes here in
Constitutional Perspectives
Happy Constitution Day, y'all (if it is a happy Constitution Day, which I doubt...) and welcome to another installment of Constitutional Perspectives! Over the last few lessons, I've covered each branch of the federal government in sequence: Congress, the Presidency, and the judiciary. This is a
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to a special bonus edition of Constitutional Perspectives! The last installment covered the power, structure, and character of the federal judiciary. But I realized that I left something out. I told you all about the judges. But our country has another kind of judicial body as well: the
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Over the last few installments, I've (briefly) canvassed the structure and powers of the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Today, then, it is time to tackle the third branch: the federal courts, also known as the judiciary. I suspect the
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! This is the second of two lessons in Level One about the Presidency. Last time I covered the structure of the Presidency; today, I'll be discussing the powers of the office. At the outset it is helpful to observe that presidential powers fall
Housekeeping
Hi all! This is a small housekeeping note accompanying today's Constitutional Perspectives lesson. When I published my two lessons on the structure and powers of Congress, their titles began with "Article I:" You might therefore have expected today's lesson to be titled "Article
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Last time we talked about the powers of Congress. That means today it is time to discuss the executive branch and the presidency. As with Congress, this will be split into two lessons, the first of them covering the structure of the institution, the second
Constitutional Perspectives
Welcome back to Constitutional Perspectives! Last time, I canvassed the structure and composition of the United States Congress. Today I'll be looking instead at the powers of Congress. This will round out our examination of Article I, at least for the purposes of Level One. (There will, of