Our Constitution

What Are Unalienable Rights

May 4, 2025 John Barrett 0

Exploring the Source of Our Rights…and Why No Entity Can Take Them From You Thomas Jefferson was very clear as to the source of our rights and why that was important.  No matter what you may have heard about Thomas Jefferson –  I know when I was in high school, we were taught that Jefferson was an atheist – he spent a good portion of his life crediting God for our country and promoting that idea that our rights are the gift of God. In Rights of British America (1774), Jefferson wrote, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.” […]

Sources

Constitution and Founding Resources

January 3, 2025 TFP Staff 0

The Constitution and Founding Resources Consistently reliable resources for information about the Founding of the United States and the U. S. Constitution can be difficult to find.    In particular, if you seek reliable interpretation of the Constitution in keeping with the original intent, those resources can be more difficult to find. Dedicated to the Founding Principles and the U. S. Constitution The Founding Project seeks good sources for our members to use when exploring our nation’s laws and documents. With that purpose in mind, outlined in this article are some good resources for our members to use, when your needs go beyond those offered on our website. The Library of Congress The most simple […]

Our Founders

Bradford: The First Constitution of the New World

December 15, 2024 Clay Blanche 0

Bradford, Plymouth and The Mayflower Compact Preface:  William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth colony, and his famous and moving diary, a History of Plymouth Plantation, one of the great works of New England literature, will be drawn on heavily in this article. Bradford, The Pilgrims of Plymouth and the First Constitutional Government in the New World Bradford was not only a gifted writer, he would also become one of the heroic pioneers of Western history, laying the cornerstones that made possible the building of the American Republic. On August 5, 1620, the Pilgrims set sail, encountering, according to Bradford, “many fierce storms in which the ship was soundly shaken.” Amazingly, only two died on the […]

Our Founders

Richard Henry Lee and Independence

December 5, 2024 Margo Louis 1

Richard Henry Lee and America’s Steps to Independence Richard Henry Lee was a prominent statesman from Virginia.  Though not a firebrand, like Patrick Henry, or quite as prolific as Thomas Paine, Lee became known as a quite the powerful orator and writer.  His words, spoken and in print, were important cogs in the wheels that churned toward America’s independence from England. Early Life Lee was born in Virginia and following home tutoring and then schooling in England, he returned to America and served as a Justice of the Peace for Westmoreland County.  In 1758, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was later a delegate to Continental Congress. The Steps Toward Independence […]

Our Constitution

Why The Electoral College

September 22, 2024 John Barrett 0

The Electoral College and the Vote…Why An Electoral College? Americans have no constitutionally protected right to vote in a federal election. We have the right to not be discriminated against in voting, based on race, color, previous condition of servitude (15th amendment), sex (19th amendment), failure to pay a poll tax (24th amendment) or age, if at least 18 (26th amendment).  But there is no right to vote in a federal election. How the electors for President are chosen is determined by each state’s legislature Following the 2000 presidential election, there was a dispute as to how votes were to be counted and recounted in Florida.  The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, twice. […]

The Amendments

The 14th Amendment and Rights

September 1, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Why The 14th Amendment? After the Civil War, the United States needed to swiftly deal with several aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. Three amendments were ratified in July of 1868 and were collectively known as the “Reconstruction Amendments”.  The 14th Amendment was intended to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people, but has continued to play a role in constitutional politics. In response to the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, the first step to free slaves, and The 13th Amendment, which freed slaves, some Southern states enacted laws known as “Black Codes”.  These “Black Codes” targeted recently freed slaves and restricted their ability to travel widely, own certain types of property and-or […]

Our Founders

America ~ Historic Founding Timeline

August 27, 2024 TFP Staff 2

The Founding of the First Government of the United States…a Timeline. The Founding of The United States of America did not begin with a single event.  Our Founding was prompted by a series of events that spanned decades.   The Experience of Our Founders Founding Fathers and Mothers of the U.S.A. were learned citizens with great knowledge of European governance and considerable experience with self-government before the writing of the Constitution.  Perhaps more importantly, the Founders were grounded in a knowledge of humankind and the forces of both good and bad government. Their combined experiences and knowledge and human truths, along with the well-documented strong grounding in their faiths, coupled with the trials handled as […]

Our Country

Opportunity and Absence of Coercion

August 17, 2024 Guest Writer 0

Building a Great Nation, Part 4 Freedom: Opportunity and Absence of Coercion Freedom is the opportunity to apply free will in personal goals and religious worship.  Freedom allows the ability to try, but it no way offers a guarantee of success. And for those who do not succeed or try in a free society, the government is not authorized to redistribute the wealth which comes from the labors of others. The Founders left that individual charity, families and churches be at the local levels. From the earliest colonial days, local governments took responsibility for their poor. However, able-bodied men and women generally were not supported by the taxpayers unless they worked.  Opportunity and Help for Those […]

The Founding Principles

Natural Law: Our Founders were Trouble Makers

July 16, 2024 Tony Wyman 0

Our Founders Really Were Trouble-Makers Natural Law: If causing trouble was the goal of the Founding Fathers in 1776, attacking the notion that rulers derived their authority to govern from the Divine Right of Kings was certainly the way to go. The ruling establishments of the most powerful nations on Earth pushed the idea that their kings were chosen directly by God and that their authority, therefore, could not be questioned, nor could the people hold their kings accountable for their actions.  Kings, as alleged representatives of God, therefore, were not subject to any earthly authority, certainly not to the people or even the aristocracy of their kingdoms.  They were, in a very real sense, […]

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