The 16th Amendment Fundamentally Changed the Republic

When the states ratified the Sixteenth Amendment, they did more than just help the feds collect income taxes; they fundamentally changed the republic for the worse.Show more

In 1787, when the Constitution was drafted and ratified, the framers of this country understood the need to collect taxes. So they delegated the power to tax to Congress, but with some very specific restrictions.

The income tax didn’t start with the 16th amendment; it started in 1862 to fund the Civil War. Since it was a consistent revenue stream, the income tax was sold to the people with a warning that it was necessary, the promise that it would be limited by a person’s income, and was scheduled to expire in 1870. However, that did not make it constitutional. Most likely due to the urgencies of the war, though, this tax was never challenged in court.

The constitutional republic created by the Framers saw not only that the power was vested in the people, but that it would remain as close to them as possible. That is why the United States was given limited and enumerated power. When the states ratified the Sixteenth Amendment, they fractured that most fundamental aspect of self-government in America.

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