Sparks Commentary

How did the War of 1812 begin? Why did we fight it? Was it worth fighting? These are questions that people have asked ever since the war hap...

“The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this constitution , or on the applica...

“I propose, in a series of papers, to discuss the following interesting particulars : The utility of the Union to your political prosperity;...

“Resolved. that the right of suffrage in the first branch of the national Legislature ought not to be according to the rule established in t...

“[The Congress shall have the power] To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers,...

“And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alterat...

When the Founding Fathers wrote the original Constitution in 1787, they were creating a document that would change everything in America, ...

“It is well known that in the Roman republic the legislative authority, in the last resort, resided for ages in two different political b...

"The political liberty of the [citizen] is a tranquillity of mind, arising from the opinion each person has of his safety. In order t...

"The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union, a  republican  form of government ... " -  Article 4, Section...

"As the perusal of the political papers under the signature of Publius has afforded me great satisfaction, I shall certainly conside...

"The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services , to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Tre...

Most women who marry heads-of-state seem forever destined to languish in obscurity. They are usually known by those who study their husban...

"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to ...

"The ratification of the conventions of  nine states , shall be sufficient for the establishment of this constitution between the sta...

"No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave , And the star-spangled banner in...

"[The Americans] accomplished a revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society. They reared the fabrics of governmen...

"The enumeration [or "listing"] in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others ...

"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union , establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide...