How do the myths of “coequal” branches and of “checks” and “balances” between them subvert our fundamental understanding of the framers’ work at Philadelphia in 1787?

Which of the three branches of the government of the United States is “predominant” and which is “beyond comparison, the weakest?”

What error in the Gettysburg Address has contributed to the widespread misunderstanding of the nature of the United States and, consequently, of their Constitution?

What early – and infamous – violation of the Tenth Amendment has returned to prominence today?

Why were the framers reluctant to include a “bill of rights” in the original Constitution and how does the framers’ pronounced aversion to the addition of one inform us of the most fundamental precept of a written constitution?

In this book former Congressman John Hostettler reveals the Constitution that Madison, Hamilton, Washington, and Franklin originally gave us and the limited expansion which later Congresses made to the “general government.” Without the application of the principles provided within that document and elucidated on the pages herein, it will be impossible to realize the framers’ vision of the blessings of liberty which may only be secured by the plan they Ordained and Established.

"America's aspiration for self-government requires citizens to understand constitutional principles and participate in an informed manner in public debate. John Hostettler, with his twelve years serving in Congress, has organized the fundamental documents to permit students and the general public to appreciate what the framers produced and how the Constitution has evolved. This type of primer is very important because constitutional issues have become so arcane and hyper-technical that democracy is weakened. A commitment to civic literacy is needed to prevent citizens from being alienated from their own government."

– Louis Fisher, PhD, former Specialist in Constitutional Law and Senior Specialist in Separation of Powers, Library of Congress. Author of American Constitutional Law (Tenth Edition); On Appreciating Congress: The People's Branch; and Defending Congress and the Constitution.

“John Hostettler’s well-researched book explains in a clear and interesting manner the intended meaning of the Constitution and shows how little today’s constitutional law has to do with the Constitution.”

– Prof. Lino A. Graglia, A. W. Walker Centennial Chair in Law, University of Texas School of Law.