Understanding the Constitution: The Great Forgetting

A copy of the U.S. Constitution is seen in Washington on Dec. 17, 2019. Andrew Harnik/Pool/Getty Images

Commentary

Here are five frequent assertions about the Constitution. Their common characteristic is that they’re all false:

• “The Constitution left the states with no power to regulate commerce.”
• “The federal government has no power to regulate immigration.”
• “The Constitution forbids the federal government from issuing paper money.”
• “The Founders drew a sharp distinction between a republic and a democracy, and they created only a republic, not a democracy.”
• “A convention for proposing amendments is a constitutional convention that cannot be limited by law.”

All of these false assertions emerged from a historical process—primarily during the 19th century—that I’ve labeled “The Great Forgetting.”

Formative Influences on the Founders

Nearly all the leading American Founders were born and raised in the British Empire. The empire was a global entity that included England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, large parts of India and North America, and numerous other possessions.