The Hewitt Ledger

  Madison, Hamilton, Jay—Why Their Cautionary Tales Still Matter “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” — James Madison, Federalist No. 10 Most Americans have never read The Federalist Papers . That’s not just a missed opportunity—it’s part of the reason our government feels broken. These essays, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pen name Publius , weren’t academic exercises. They were urgent arguments for ratifying the Constitution—and clear-eyed warnings about what would happen if we let the system drift. We’ve let it drift. Factions: The Original Political Disease Madison’s Federalist No. 10 warned about the danger of factions—groups driven more by passion and self-interest than by reason or the common good. He didn’t believe factions could be eliminated. He believed they had to be contained through a large republic, representative government, and a system that slowed down mob rule. What do we see today? Not just factions—bu...

  “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” — James Madison , Federalist No. 51 Structure, Separation of Powers, and What Happens When We Ignore Them The Declaration gave us purpose. The Constitution gave us structure. One without the other is unstable. Purpose without structure is passion without restraint. Structure without purpose is tyranny in disguise. The Founders knew that liberty would not survive without form—and that form was the Constitution of the United States. This wasn’t just a governing document. It was a revolutionary blueprint for how to preserve freedom through order , not force. Why Structure Matters Most governments in history relied on power concentrated in one place—a monarch, a council, or a military strongman. The Constitution broke that mold. It created a government designed not to act swiftly, but to act deliberately —through checks, balances, and divided authority. The Founders weren’t interested in making government efficient. They wanted ...

  Natural Rights, Consent of the Governed, and the Moral Case for Liberty “Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?” — Thomas Jefferson Before there was a Constitution, before there were political parties or a Supreme Court, there was a simple but radical statement: “All men are created equal.” The Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, was more than just a list of grievances against King George III. It was a clear articulation of first principles—truths that would define the American experiment. And we’ve forgotten them. Natural Rights: Not Granted, but Recognized Jefferson didn’t claim that governments give us rights. He said our rights exist before government —and that governments are formed to secure them. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness weren’t policy goals. They were birthrights. And to the men who signed the Declaration, these rights were not negotiable. That’s the foundation: Right...

In the chaos of modern America—culture wars, political gridlock, collapsing institutions—it’s easy to forget we were never meant to function this way. The noise of today distracts us from the clarity of yesterday. The founders of this nation didn’t leave us a blank slate or a vague suggestion. They left a framework—detailed, deliberate, and rooted in enduring truths. This blog series, The Forgotten Foundations , is about revisiting that framework. Not to admire it from a distance, but to reclaim it. We’ll walk through the key documents, debates, and decisions that shaped the Republic—beginning with the Declaration of Independence and ending with a hard look at what we've lost, and what we can still recover. Why post this? Because I believe the average American no longer knows—or cares to know—how their own government is supposed to work. Because we can’t defend freedoms we don’t understand. And because restoring any semblance of national unity or direction requires first returning ...

  Imagine a single federal judge in one state issuing a ruling that halts immigration reform, stops pandemic response measures, or freezes student loan relief for the entire country. Sound extreme? It's already happening. This growing judicial tool is called a nationwide injunction—a court order that blocks a federal law or executive action across all 50 states. In recent years, lower court judges have used this power to halt presidential actions under Obama, Trump, and Biden. These rulings didn’t come from the Supreme Court or even appellate courts, but from district-level judges, often appointed to serve a single region. That’s not how the judicial branch was designed to work. Lower Courts Have a Job—But It’s Not to Govern the Country Under Article III of the Constitution, federal courts have the power to interpret laws and resolve disputes. Lower courts (district and circuit courts) are essential to this process. They hear cases, apply precedent, and enforce rights within their ...

  The framers of the United States Constitution constructed a government grounded in the separation of powers, seeking to prevent the concentration of authority in any one branch. Over time, however, the executive branch has significantly expanded its influence through the use of executive orders. These presidential actions, while not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, have become a central mechanism of modern governance. Early presidents such as George Washington issued proclamations to assert neutrality, and Abraham Lincoln used executive authority during the Civil War to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. As these historical uses evolved, executive orders began to extend beyond administrative guidance and entered the realm of significant policy-making. This development has prompted ongoing debate about the legality of executive orders and their alignment with constitutional principles. Although the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly grant the president the power to ...