Article 1 Section 10
Posted in Article I, Constitution as Written on December 21st, 2009 by admin – Be the first to comment“No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it’s inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.”
The above section of Article 1 is actually quite fascinating considering what occurred this year in California. California paid debts not with gold or silver, and not with Federal Reserve notes, also known as Dollars. Could it be argued that the State of California violated the Constitution of the United States when they satisfied their debts with I.O.U’s?
Also it is important to understand that the founders were interested in trying to maintain a careful balance between State’s rights and Federal rights. The founders were weary of totally independent states, which was the case leading up to the formation of the Constitution. However, it is important to understand that the best kind of government is local government, where the people who make the decisions are close to those for whom they make the rules.