Guarantee Clause: Information and Much More from Answers.com

The Guarantee clause refers to a provision in Article IV, Section 4, Clause 1, requires the United States to provide a republican form of government for every state.

Text

Article IV, Section 4, Clause 1:

“

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government...

”

History

The Framers inserted these words into the Constitution to prevent states from transforming into autocracies or mobocracies, seeking to preserve republican values throughout the Union.

Interpretation

The first major interpretation of the Guarantee clause emerged from the Dorr Rebellion, an insurrection in Rhode Island in 1841 and 1842, led by Thomas Wilson Dorr in an attempt to change the states electoral policy. In that case, Dorr argued that Rhode Island's requirement that a person have at least $134 of property to vote was un-republican and violated the Guarantee Clause. This Rebellion led to the case of Luther v. Borden, in which the Supreme Court established the political question test in controversies arising under the Guarantee Clause and declined to rule on the case because the issue was political and outside the purview of the Court. The Court decided that it was up to the President and Congress to enforce this clause.

External links

• List of popular names of sections and clauses of the US Constitution

Sources

• "Guarantee Clause." Encyclopedia of American History. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 29 September 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/guarantee-clause

United States Constitution
Text	(at Wikisource): Preamble and Articles · Bill of Rights · Subsequent Amendments
Formation	History · Articles of Confederation · Mount Vernon Conference · Annapolis Convention · Philadelphia Convention · New Jersey Plan · Virginia Plan · Connecticut Compromise · Three-fifths compromise · Signatories · Massachusetts Compromise · Federalist Papers (list)
Amendments	Bill of Rights · Ratified · Proposed · Unsuccessful · Conventions to propose · State ratifying conventions
Clauses	Appointments · Appropriations · Case or controversy · Citizenship · Commerce · Compact · Confrontation · Contract · Copyright and Patent · Due Process · Emolument · Equal Protection · Establishment · Exceptions · Ex post facto · Extradition · Free Exercise · Fugitive Slave · Full Faith and Credit · Guarantee · Impeachment · Militia · Natural–born citizen · Necessary and Proper · No Religious Test · Origination · Presentment · Privileges and Immunities (Art. IV) · Privileges or Immunities (14th Amend.) · Speech or Debate · Supremacy · Suspension · Takings Clause · Taxing and Spending · Territorial · Trial by Jury · Three-fifths · Vesting · War Powers
Interpretation	Theory · Congressional enforcement · Double jeopardy · Dormant Commerce Clause · Enumerated powers · Executive privilege · Incorporation of the Bill of Rights · Nondelegation · Preamble · Preemption · Separation of church and state · Separation of powers