Nullifying Federal Tyranny | Tenth Amendment Center

Clyde Wilson connects to the historical relevance of nullification. American History textbooks have worked hard to attach the principle of nullification to slavery and segregation. While nullification was used to protect those less savory institutions, the idea was largely introduced to the American political system by Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence) and James Madison (also known as "The Father of the Constitution"). In other words, the notion that states have the authority to reject unconstitutional actions of the federal government is grounded in the ideals of the Founders.


Nullifying Federal Tyranny Tenth Amendment Center

A Patriot Stands: Tennessee State Representative Susan Lynn Defends Federalism

Tennessee state representative Susan Lynn is the latest American Patriot to take a stand for federalism and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. Lynn wrote a letter to the other 49 state legislatures, urging them to follow the Volunteer State's lead in passing a state sovereignty resolution. In other words, rather than licking the federal government's boots, the states need to draw a line in the constitutional sand and just say "no."

Representative Lynn's letter is a great history refresher for all Americans. She set the stage by recounting the circumstances that prompted the move for independence in 1776 and the principles that provided the bedrock of our Constitution. Masterfully, she points out the dangerous path that our nation now walks:

So there are clear limits to the power of the federal government. However, today the simple and clear expression of purpose has turned into the modern expectation that the national government has an obligation to ensure our life, to create our liberty, and fund our pursuit of happiness. The national government has become a complex system of programs whose purposes lie outside of the responsibilities of the enumerated powers and of securing our natural rights; programs that benefit some while others must pay.

Today, the federal government seeks to control the salaries of those employed by private business, to change the provisions of private of contracts, to nationalize banks, insurers and auto manufacturers, and to dictate to every person in the land what his or her medical choices will be.

Forcing property from employers to provide healthcare, legislating what individuals are and are not entitled to, and using the labor of some so that others can receive money that they did not earn goes far beyond securing natural rights and the enumerated powers.

The role of our American government has been blurred, bent, and breached. Adherence to the specific powers and the fundamental American ideal that our government is based on the theory of natural rights expressed ever so simply as
the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that no government can deny these rights; the rights endowed to us by our creator must be restored.

To be sure, the People created the federal government to be their agent for certain enumerated purposes only. The Constitutional ratifying structure was created so it would be clear that it was the People, and not the States, that were doing the ratifying.

The Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that which has been delegated by the people to the federal government, and also that which is absolutely necessary to advancing those powers specifically enumerated in the Constitution of the United States. The rest is to be handled by the state governments, or locally, by the people themselves.

The Constitution does not include a congressional power to override state laws. It does not give the judicial branch unlimited jurisdiction over all matters. It does not provide Congress with the power to legislate over everything. This is verified by the simple fact that attempts to make these principles part of the Constitution were soundly rejected by its signers.

With this in mind, any federal attempt to legislate beyond the Constitutional limits of Congress’ authority is a usurpation of state sovereignty - and unconstitutional.

Amen, sister! As the federal government attempts to erase all remnants of legitimate federalism it is the duty of the state governments to demand their sovereignty. The 10th Amendment is a powerful statement on the limits of the federal government in the united States of America. It is time each state erect a giant middle finger and direct it at the Kremlin on the Potomac.

Representative Susan Lynn's letter is also posted at the Tenth Amendment Center website. If you need more information about the 10th Amendment, how it has been abused, and how "we the people" can reclaim it, spend some time at the Tenth Amendment Center.

An Update on States Rights (i.e., The United States Constitution)

Those who have not read the United States Constitution and those who pretend it doesn't exist come down with the vapors at the thought of the word "states rights." The reason, of course, is that the textbooks used in our mandatory indoctrination factories (public schools) use the term only in the context of a last-ditch effort to protect slavery and later to justify segregation. They generally fail to include The Federalist Papers, the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, and the U.S. Constitution itself in explaining the concept of "states rights."

Now that creeping socialism has morphed into sprinting Marxism under President Barry Vladimir Hussein Soetero Obama, Czarina Pelosi, and Court Jester Reid some states are starting to remember that they have every right to tell the Kremlin on the Potomac to pound sand. The New York Times reports on the growing 10th Amendment movement across America. It seems the trigger for many is the Democrats' desire to make it a criminal offense to not purchase health insurance. Funny, but the Constitution does not seem to provide such authority to Congress.



Congress' powers are clearly outlined in Article I of the Constitution. And what of those things not mentioned in the Constitution? See the 10th Amendment:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Got it? Members of Congress who introduce bills or vote for bills that fall outside the parameters of the Constitution are violating their oath of office. The government does not belong to them. The Constitution is still in effect and "We The People" have every right to demand that these arrogant tyrants remain within their lawful boundaries. During the town hall meetings in August, more than one Congressperson and many Statist pundits talked about legislators living in fear. My response? Good! We are citizens not subjects. When they seek to take away individual liberty and freedom from American citizens we should be loudly engaged. If they want to "turn down the temperature" they can start by recognizing their authority is limited by the Constitution. But, as long as they desire to rule over the people they cannot expect politeness and civility from their victims.



The 10th Amendment is the ultimate trump card for the states against an abusive and invasive federal leviathan. However, that powerful statement was unnecessary in the eyes of Founding Father James Madison, who wrote in Federalist No. 45:

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce. ... The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State."

No constitutional amendment has changed that principle. It has been attacked by successive waves of legislators who do not wish to abide by the constraints of limited government. But, there it remains. As long as liberty's flame flickers in the hearts of Americans, it is never too late to reclaim the birthright bequeathed to us by the Founders and protected by successive generations of brave soldiers.



Hopefully, a new awareness of the precarious state of American liberty will lead to a revitalized and committed Republican party that will wrest the federal government from the clutches of the Statists who currently hold the keys. In the meantime, it is our duty to support courageous state legislators and governors who are willing to fight for their legitimate powers. If you want to learn more about the 10th Amendment in action, check out the Tenth Amendment Center and their on-going fight for the rights of the states and of the people.

States May Flex Their 10th Amendment Muscles on ObamaCare

Finally. After a century of constant usurpations of state authority by the greedy three-headed monster known as the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government, it seems some states may be poised to stand up to the tyrants. In an interview with talk show host Mark Davis, Texas Governor Rick Perry threw down the gauntlet. Perry had earlier supported a pro-10th Amendment which failed in the Texas legislature. At some point, states need to tell the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court to pound sand when they attempt to rule as an autonomous national government rather than function as the limited government DEMANDED by the United States Constitution.

The Constitution says what it says and doesn't say what it doesn't say. Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas have tried to point this out to their colleagues over the years. Arizona Congressman John Shadegg has introduced The Enumerated Powers Act (HR450 in the current Congress) for many years which would require that any bill introduced in Congress include a specific reference to where the Constitution allows for the legislation. Much of the on-going Tea Party movement is focused on the general notion that the federal government has exceeded its legitimate functions and has become a tyranny.

One step American Patriots can take against ObamaCare and much of the other nonsense emanating from the Beltway is to let their legislators know that they expect them to follow the Constitution. Tell them to support Shadegg's bill. Emphasize the Constitution's limit on the federal government when you email or call your legislator. Fill letters-to-the-editor and op-ed pages with commentaries about the Constitution. Challenge Leftists-Liberal-Socialist-Democrats to cite the Constitutional legitimacy of their Marxist ideas. The times they are a changin' for the the arrogant Leftists who thought 2008's election was a mandate for socialism. They were wrong and we need to keep the pressure on.

Arizona To Impose 10th Amendment On Dr. Barack Mengele's ObamaCare

I get a tingly feeling up and down my leg when I see a state invoking the federalism component of the United States Constitution. It appears Arizona intends to do just that as a preemptive strike against Barry Vladimir Hussein Soetero Obama's scheme to nationalize American health care. A measure will be placed on the ballot in November, 2010 for Arizona voters to decide whether or not they want to submit their bodies to government control. It appears the 10th Amendment is again in vogue for states trying to avoid federal encroachment.

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite."

James Madison, Federalist No. 45, January 26, 1788