States' Rights and American Federalism: A Documentary History (Primary Documents in American History and Contemporary Issues)

The debate over states' rights versus federalism in America is one that has raged since our country's founding. Arguments over the interpretation of the Constitution and the meaning of power and its distribution among the states' governments echoes in governmental chambers even today. Students can trace the history and development of issues surrounding this debate, as well as the reactions to them, through this unique and comprehensive collection of over 65 primary documents. Court cases, opinion pieces, speeches and many other documents bring to life the controversies surrounding the debate. Explanatory introductions to documents aid users in understanding the various arguments put forth in deliberations over different governmental matters, while illuminating the significance of each document. Drake and Nelson trace the origins and changes in the nature of states' rights and American federalism using carefully chosen documents to reflect the fact that the tension and interaction between the states' governments and the national government define the ideals and provide the means for realistic achievement of these ideals. Documents can be easily accessed through five different sections, each section exploring a specific period in history and contributing to the understanding of the debate. The introductory and explanatory text help readers understand the nature of the conflicts, the issues being contested, the social and cultural pressures that shaped each debate, and the manner in which the passions of individual government officials, justices, and our presidents affected the development of policies concerning states' rights and federalism. Contents......Page 6 Series Foreword......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 Chronology of Key Events in States’ Rights and American Federalism......Page 28 PART I: States’ Rights and American Federalism in the American Founding Era, 1620–1789......Page 32 Document 1: The Mayflower Compact, 1620......Page 43 Document 2: The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639......Page 44 Document 3: Organization of the Government of Rhode Island, March 16–19, 1642......Page 47 Document 4: On Liberty, 1645......Page 48 Document 5: Penn’s Plan of Union, 1697......Page 50 Document 6: Albany Plan of Union, 1754......Page 52 Document 7: Declarations of the Stamp Act Congress, October 2, 1765......Page 54 Document 8: From a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies, Letter II, 1767......Page 55 Document 9: Thoughts on Government, Letter of John Adams, January 1776......Page 57 Document 10: Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, July 1776......Page 62 Document 11: In Defense of State Sovereignty, Thomas Burke, 1777......Page 66 Document 12: James Madison’s ‘‘Vices of the Political System,’’ April 1787......Page 68 Document 13: The Virginia Plan Presented to the Federal Convention, May 29, 1787......Page 74 Document 14: John Dickinson of Delaware on Federalism at the Constitutional Convention, June 7, 1787......Page 77 Document 15: The New Jersey Plan Presented to the Federal Convention, June 15, 1787......Page 78 Document 16: James Madison of Virginia Compares the Virginia and New Jersey Plans at the Constitutional Convention, June 19, 1787......Page 81 Document 17: James Wilson of Pennsylvania on Federalism at the Constitutional Convention, June 25, 1787......Page 84 Document 18: The Northwest Ordinance, July 13, 1787......Page 85 Document 19: Federalist Number 10, Publius and the Extended Republic, November 22, 1787......Page 89 Document 20: Agrippa Writes a Letter to the People in Opposition to an Extended Republic and the Constitution of the United States, December 3, 1787......Page 95 PART II: Federalism and the Meaning of the Tenth Amendment, 1789–1835......Page 98 Document 21: George Mason’s Objections to the Proposed Constitution, October 1, 1787......Page 104 Document 22: James Madison’s Proposal to Congress for a Bill of Rights, June 8, 1789......Page 105 Document 23: The Sedition Act, July 14, 1798......Page 110 Document 24: The Kentucky Resolutions, November 16, 1798......Page 112 Document 25: United States v. Peters, 1809......Page 117 Document 26: Report and Resolutions of the Hartford Convention, January 1815......Page 120 Document 27: Barron v. Baltimore (1833)......Page 122 PART III: States’ Rights in the Antebellum Period and the Civil War, 1828–1865......Page 126 Document 28: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable, January 1830......Page 132 Document 29: John C. Calhoun’s Fort Hill Address, 1831......Page 135 Document 30: John C. Calhoun against the Force Bill, February 15, 1833......Page 136 Document 31: Andrew Jackson’s Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1833......Page 138 Document 32: Abraham Lincoln’s Address before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, January 27, 1838......Page 140 Document 33: The Seventh of March Speech: Daniel Webster and the Compromise of 1850......Page 143 Document 34: John C. Calhoun, the Compromise of 1850, and State Autonomy, First Session of Congress, 1850......Page 145 Document 35: William H. Seward, the Compromise of 1850, and an Appeal to a Higher Law, First Session of Congress, 1850......Page 149 Document 36: William H. Seward and the Declaration of Independence: An Appeal to Higher Law, 1856......Page 152 Document 37: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Roger B. Taney and States’ Rights......Page 154 Document 38: James Buchanan’s Fourth Annual Message: States and Withdrawal from the Union, December 3, 1860......Page 156 Document 39: Resolutions of Secession: Mississippi (January 11, 1861), South Carolina (December 20, 1860), and Virginia (April 17, 1861)......Page 158 Document 40: Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861......Page 163 Document 41: The Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863......Page 166 PART IV: Changes Involving States’ Rights and Federalism from the Civil War to the New Deal, 1865–1940......Page 170 Document 42: Women’s Suffrage Petition to Congress, December 1871......Page 178 Document 43: Booker T. Washington, Atlanta Exposition Address, 1895......Page 180 Document 44: An Episcopal Priest Challenges Enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment, 1905......Page 182 Document 45: Theodore Roosevelt on Lincoln and the Race Problem, February 13, 1905......Page 186 Document 46: Elihu Root Calls for the Preservation of Local Self-Government of the States, December 12, 1906......Page 188 Document 47: Wilson Rejects the Old Ideal of Limited Government, October 30, 1909......Page 190 Document 48: Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom Changes the Old Order, 1913......Page 191 Document 49: Kate Gordon’s Letter to the Governors of the Southern States, 1913......Page 193 Document 50: Petition from Women Voters, Anti-Suffrage Party of New York, 1917......Page 194 Document 51: State of Tennessee Approves Nineteenth Amendment, August 1920......Page 195 Document 52: President Calvin Coolidge on the Responsibilities of the States, May 30, 1925......Page 196 Document 53: President Calvin Coolidge’s Fourth Annual State of the Union Message, December 7, 1926......Page 197 Document 54: Herbert C. Hoover’s Fourth Annual State of the Union Message, December 6, 1932......Page 198 Document 55: FDR’s First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933......Page 200 PART V: States’ Rights and American Federalism from the New Deal to the Present, 1940–1999......Page 204 Document 56: Governor Fielding Wright of Mississippi, Statement to Democratic Party Leaders, January 1948......Page 212 Document 57: The Civil Rights Message of Harry S Truman to the U.S. Congress, February 2, 1948......Page 216 Document 58: Governor J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina Speaks to Southern Governors, February 7, 1948......Page 221 Document 59: States’ Rights Platform of 1948, Southern Democratic Convention, Birmingham, Alabama, July 17, 1948......Page 224 Document 60: Eisenhower’s First Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union, February 2, 1953......Page 227 Document 61: President Eisenhower Writes South Carolina Governor James F. Byrnes, August 14, 1953......Page 228 Document 62: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)......Page 230 Document 63: The Southern Manifesto, 1956......Page 234 Document 64: President Johnson Urges Enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965......Page 236 Document 65: U.S. Commissioner of Education Harold Howe II on the Relationship of the Federal Government to State and Local Education, December 17, 1966......Page 237 Document 66: A Journalist Reports on the Effects of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, January 12, 1967......Page 238 Document 67: Press Interview with George Wallace, 1968......Page 239 Document 68: Reagan Resurrects States’ Rights, January 1981......Page 242 Document 69: Contract with America, 1994......Page 244 Document 70: The Devolution Tortoise and the Centralization Hare: The Slow Process in Down-Sizing Big Government, 1998......Page 247 Document 71: U.S. Supreme Court Expands States’ Rights......Page 249 Document 72: Minority Opinion Challenges State Immunity from Law Suit......Page 252 PART VI: Conclusion......Page 254 Index......Page 256 The Debate Over States Rights Versus Federalism In The United States Is One That Has Raged Since The Country's Founding. Arguments Over The Interpretation Of The Constitution And The Meaning Of Power And Its Distribution Among The State Governments Echoes In Governmental Chambers Even Today. Students Can Trace The History And Development Of Issues Surrounding This Debate, As Well As The Reactions To Them, Through This Unique And Comprehensive Collection Of Over 70 Primary Documents. Court Cases, Opinion Pieces, Speeches And Many Other Key Documents Bring To Life The Controversies Surrounding The Debate. Explanatory Introductions To Documents Aid Users In Understanding The Various Arguments Put Forth In Deliberations Over Different Governmental Matters, While Illuminating The Significance Of Each Document.--jacket. States' Rights And American Federalism In The American Founding Era, 1620-1789 -- The Mayflower Compact, 1620 -- The Fundamental Orders Of Connecticut, 1639 -- Organization Of The Government Of Rhode Island, March 16-19, 1642 -- On Liberty, 1645 -- Penn's Plan Of Union, 1697 -- Albany Plan Of Union, 1754 -- Declarations Of The Stamp Act Congress, October 2, 1765 -- From A Farmer In Pennsylvania To The Inhabitants Of The British Colonies, Letter Ii, 1767 -- Thoughts On Government, Letter Of John Adams, January 1776 -- Unanimous Declaration Of The Thirteen United States Of America, July 1776 -- In Defense Of State Sovereignty, Thomas Burke, 1777 -- James Madison's Vices Of The Political System, April 1787 -- The Virginia Plan Presented To The Federal Convention, May 29, 1787 -- John Dickinson Of Delaware On Federalism At The Constitutional Convention, June 7, 1787 -- The New Jersey Plan Presented To The Federal Convention, June 15, 1787 -- James Madison Of Virginia Compares The Virginia And New Jersey Plans At The Constitutional Convention, June 19, 1787 -- James Wilson Of Pennsylvania On Federalism At The Constitutional Convention, June 25, 1787 -- The Northwest Ordinance, July 13, 1787 -- Federalist Number 10, Publius And The Extended Republic, November 22, 1787 -- Agrippa Writes A Letter To The People In Opposition To An Extended Republic And The Constitution Of The United States, December 3, 1787 -- Federalism And The Meaning Of The Tenth Amendment, 1789-1835 -- George Mason's Objections To The Proposed Constitution, October 1, 1787. Edited By Frederick D. Drake And Lynn R. Nelson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.