Opponents of the Founders' plan to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government have resorted to fear and misinformation to advance their anti-Article V agenda. One of their most common tactics is to confuse Americans by claiming that Article V's "convention for proposing amendments" is actually a "constitutional convention."
There are many reasons this is incorrect, as outlined in this video by constitutional scholar Michael Farris.
But anti-constitutionalists have also relied on another name game to confuse and mislead the American people. Sometimes they claim that Article V's amendments convention cannot truly be called a Convention of States.
That claim is just as false as the first. Prof. Rob Natelson, the nation's leading Article V expert and Senior Advisor to the Convention of States Project, published a policy brief that identifies the historical uses of the phrase "convention of the states" as it relates to Article V.
You can read the entire brief, but here are the highlights:
- Newly uncovered Founding-era official documents identifying an amendments convention as a “convention of the states.”
- The little-known U.S. Supreme Court case stating an amendments convention is a “convention of the states.”
- The two delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention who specifically called an amendments convention a “convention of the states.”
- How the first legislative application for an amendments convention—passed in 1788—identified an amendments convention a “convention of the states.”
- How leading Founders emphasized over and over again the state legislatures’ leading role in proposing amendments.
- Why the convention of states model remains the ONLY model in tune with modern realities.
As you can see, the name "Convention of States" is in line with historical realities and the intentions of the Founders.
Now that you have the truth, get involved! You can sign up for your state's Convention of States team here or sign the official Petition below!
