Historically, the interpretation of the Constitution has been a bit of a running joke. Consider the Louisiana Purchase; it was probably unconstitutional.
This is why the whole wagon train of Federalist reconstruction is a farce. The Founders themselves were literalists when such suited them; when it did not, they were happy to "interpret" the Constitution to suit the purpose of the moment, even though they were the ones who had written it!
This is why the whole wagon train of Federalist reconstruction is a farce. The Founders themselves were literalists when such suited them; when it did not, they were happy to "interpret" the Constitution to suit the purpose of the moment, even though they were the ones who had written it!
