Aug 20, 2021
James Madison wrote in Federalist 55, “Had every Athenian been a Socrates; every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.” What did he mean? The Founders knew representation was central to the American experiment so it was no accident that the Constitution created our legislative branch before any other. They were also wary of that branch having too much law-making power so they split that authority into a bicameral legislature. While the Federalists wanted to give more power, like taxation, to Congress, the Anti-Federalists were wary of such “enlargement.” Unsurprisingly, that debate continues today. Please join our panel and special guest Tony Williams from the Bill of Rights Institute as we deep dive into the structure of the “first branch.”