The Founders warned us—in their own words—that power would be stretched.

In this video, Clifford Ribner walks through the Founders’ text on the Guarantee Clause, the General Welfare Clause, the Commerce Clause, and the rare two-thirds supermajority rules—showing how Madison and Hamilton expected Congress to try to break past constitutional limits, and how the Constitution itself was designed to stop it.

Watch the video and use the on-screen pause-to-read cards for the Constitution and The Federalist quotes. You’ll come away with a practical map of what Washington can—and can’t—do.

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Key Topics Covered

• Majority rule vs. minority veto — why the Founders treated two-thirds votes as narrow exceptions (treaties, impeachments, veto overrides).

• “General Welfare” is not a blank check — Madison’s plain-language explanation in Federalist 41 (the clause qualifies the enumerated powers; it doesn’t replace them).

• What “Commerce… among the several States” was written to prevent — Madison’s Federalist 42 focus on blocking state protectionism and retaliation, not creating a federal police power over individuals.

• The Guarantee Clause — why the Constitution commits the United States to republican government in every state (and what that means for majority rule).

• The enumerated powers — a clean, pause-and-read sequence of Article I, §8 so you can see the limits for yourself.

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Why this matters to you

• It clarifies when Congress can spend and regulate—and when it can’t.

• It explains why most “emergency” shortcuts in D.C. collide with written limits.

• It shows where supermajority hurdles are supposed to be—and why they’re rare.

• It gives you the exact text to cite: Constitution + Federalist passages, on screen.

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Constitutional References You’ll See On-Screen

• U.S. Constitution

• Art. I, §8 (Enumerated Powers; Tax & Spend; Commerce).

• Art. IV, §4 (Guarantee Clause).

• The Federalist Papers • No. 22 (Hamilton) — majority rule, dangers of minority veto.

• No. 41 (Madison) — why “General Welfare” isn’t unlimited.

• No. 42 (Madison) — what the Commerce Clause was for.

• No. 73 (Hamilton) — the President’s qualified veto and two-thirds override.

• Nos. 65–66 (Hamilton) — Senate trials of impeachment; two-thirds to convict.

• No. 75 (Hamilton) — two-thirds in the Senate for treaties. 

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Watch, Learn, and Share

If you were never shown these passages in school, that’s the point of this video. See the text, understand the design, and spot the shortcuts when you hear them.

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