The States & Sovereignty

The concept of the states and their sovereignty is essential to any discussion of the union, the Constitution, or America as a whole. It is crucial to determine whether the United States is a union of individual sovereign countries or whether the states are merely glorified counties. The videos provided below explore this topic in detail, covering the original creation of the union’s setup and the organizational structure established during the Constitutional Convention and State Ratifying Conventions. Understanding the role of the states and their relationship to the federal government is fundamental to understanding the history and evolution of the United States.

Part 1 –

Nation Or Sovereign States?  Which Came First?

The question of whether the states were independent sovereignties before the adoption of the Constitution is a subject of controversy and fundamental to States’ Rights claims. Therefore, it is crucial to closely examine this issue. The video provided below offers a brief examination of the status of the 13 colonies before the ratification of the Constitution, as described by the ratifiers and representatives of the people to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Understanding the perspective of the Framers and those who ratified the Constitution is essential to understanding the nature of the federal system of government established by the Constitution.

Part 2 –
National Supremacy Or Dual Sovereignty

There is a common misconception that the federal government is supreme in all things and that the states are little more than irrelevant boundaries on a map. However, this is not what the Constitution established, nor was it what the Founders envisioned when constructing it. Despite what some may say today, the State Governments retained sovereignty and powers that could not be encroached upon by the Federal Government. The following video provides an overview, using the Founders’ own words, of how powers were to be distributed between the Federal and State Governments under the Constitution. It is crucial to understand the distribution of power and sovereignty between the federal and state governments to fully appreciate the nature of the federal system of government established by the Constitution.