Newly Rediscovered: The 1889 St. Louis Convention of States
A frequent argument against a convention for proposing constitutional amendments is that there are “no precedents” for determining the rules and procedures for such a […]
Rob Natelson
State Lawmakers! Don’t Put Extraneous Matter in Your Article V Application
by Robert G. Natelson State lawmakers sponsoring an Article V convention application often find that other lawmakers want to add extraneous matter to the application. […]
Constitutional Convention: John Jay Letter Shows Its Power Came from State Legislatures, not Congress
A persistent constitutional myth has it that (1) Congress called the Constitutional Convention under the Articles of Confederation, (2) the convention drew its power from […]
Did Congress Approve the Constitution? A Member’s Letter Says “Yes”
Some people argue the Constitution was adopted illegally. They assert that the Confederation Congress needed to approve the document, but never did. But principles of […]
This Resolution Suggests Congress Did Agree to a Broad Constitutional Convention
On April 23, 1787, the Confederation Congress extended the post office franking privilege to all commissioners about to attend the Constitutional Convention. In other words, […]
May state legislative applications limit an Article V convention? Subject, yes; specific language, probably not
Originally posted Sept. 12, 2013; amended and reposted Oct. 20, 2016. Some constitutional scholars believe state applications for a convention for proposing amendments may limit […]