In Power Divided is Power Checked, Lewis reminds us that the concept of states’ rights, as bequeathed by the Founding Fathers to a grateful nation, was about a constitutional framework intended to limit the missteps of government and provide the greatest amount of freedom and decision-making power to the citizens of the “several states.” He defines the essence of our constitutional republic and highlights the legal history of the relationship between the states and the federal government. Lewis sounds the alarm for states’ rights and offers a way out of the constitutional malaise the nation finds itself in. And, if his prescription for returning power to the states seems radical, Lewis would argue that this is only because we are unaware of just how far America has drifted from our limited government tradition. He calls upon us to understand what it means to live in America, recognize how fragile our republic has become, reclaim our tradition, and in doing so, reclaim our freedom.
