Oath vs Censorship: Jefferson on the Duty to Stop Unconstitutional Laws

Jan 22, 2025

28:16

forum

Ask episode

view_agenda

Chapters

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

An act against the Constitution is no law at all – it’s void. This principle, rooted in the American Revolution and the debates over the Constitution’s ratification, was central to President Thomas Jefferson’s response to the Sedition Act of 1798. In this episode, we explore how Jefferson’s adherence to his oath to the Constitution led him to treat this attack on freedom of speech as null and void – regardless of whether Congress, the courts, or anyone else agreed.

Path to Liberty: January 22, 2025

SHOW LINKS:
JOIN TAC

Show Archives

Thomas Jefferson – Letter to Abigail Adams (22 July 1804)

James Otis – Arguments against the Writs of Assistance (1761)

John Adams – Argument before Governor Bernard and the Council in Favor of Opening the Courts

Thomas Jefferson – Summary View (1774)

Boldin – Thomas Jefferson’s Solution from the Revolution

Episode – Null and Void: Thomas Jefferson’s 1774 Radical Declaration

Roger Sherman (8 Dec 1787)

Oliver Ellsworth – Connecticut Ratifying Convention (7 Jan 1788)

Alexander Hamilton – Federalist 78 (28 May 1788)