Civics: “Consent of the Governed” – When States Reject the Compact
The Constitution was built on a deliberate compact between the people and the states. What happens when significant portions of that compact are no longer accepted?
The Constitution was ratified by the states as a binding compact. The original 13 states consented through their legislatures. Every state admitted afterward explicitly accepted the same framework. This was never meant to be a temporary or easily discarded agreement.
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was originally a restraint on the federalgovernment. The 14th Amendment changed that by incorporating most of those protections and making them binding on the states as well.
Yet today we see sustained, deliberate resistance in multiple states to core Bill of Rights protections:
- First Amendment (speech, religion, assembly)
- Second Amendment (the current “assault weapon” cases are only the latest example)
- Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment protections in criminal justice and regulatory contexts
When states treat the Bill of Rights as optional, they are rejecting a central part of the constitutional settlement.
Federal Supremacy and Enumerated Powers
