United States Flag (1860)

United States Flag (1860)

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

United States Capitol Building (1861)

United States Capitol Building (1861)

The Promised Land

The Promised Land

The United States Capitol Building

The United States Capitol Building

The Star Spangled Banner (1812)

The Star Spangled Banner (1812)

The United States Capitol Building

The United States Capitol Building

The Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention

The Betsy Ross Flag

The Betsy Ross Flag

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at Valley Forge

Washington at Valley Forge

The Culpepper Flag

The Culpepper Flag

Battles of Lexington and Concord

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The Gadsden Flag

The Gadsden Flag

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

The Grand Union Flag (Continental Colors)

The Grand Union Flag (Continental Colors)

The Continental Congress

The Continental Congress

Sons of Liberty Flag (Version 2)

Sons of Liberty Flag (Version 2)

The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre

The Sons of Liberty Flag (Version 1)

The Sons of Liberty Flag (Version 1)

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party

Friday, March 2, 2012

The Upside-Down Constitution

From Harvard University:


by Michael S. Greve
Harvard University
February 24, 2012
Over the course of the nation’s history, the Constitution has been turned upside-down, Michael Greve argues in this provocative book. The Constitution’s vision of a federalism in which local, state, and federal government compete to satisfy the preferences of individuals has given way to a cooperative, cartelized federalism that enables interest groups to leverage power at every level for their own benefit. Greve traces this inversion from the Constitution’s founding through today, dispelling much received wisdom along the way. The Upside-Down Constitution shows how federalism’s transformation was a response to states’ demands, not an imposition on them. From the nineteenth-century judicial elaboration of a competitive federal order, to the New Deal transformation, to the contemporary Supreme Court’s impoverished understanding of constitutional structure, and the “devolution” in vogue today, Greve describes a trend that will lead to more government and fiscal profligacy, not less. Taking aim at both the progressive heirs of the New Deal and the vocal originalists of our own time, The Upside-Down Constitution explains why the current fiscal crisis will soon compel a fundamental renegotiation of a new federalism grounded in constitutional principles.

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