Happy Friday! This week's puzzle is extra easy! But do read the article from which the words in the puzzle are taken. Some folks clearly knew how to live!   Read the rest of this entry »

Hamilton and Madison draw on their study of ancient history to show that even the wisest confederacies are prone to dissension and dissolution. They conclude that there is more to fear from the anarchy of its members than from the tyranny of its federation.   Read the rest of this entry »

This week's crossword puzzle is derived from a short article that caught my eye as I was leafing through the first issue of the Niles Weekly Register. As it is reprinted from the Georgia Journal, it evidently caught the attention of the venerable Mr. Niles as well. According to Wikipedia, Opechanchanough was a tribal chief of the Powhatan Confederacy of what is now Virginia in the United States, and its leader from sometime after 1618 until his death in 1646. It was he who captured John Smith of Jamestown. This was the same John Smith famous for being rescued by Pocahontas’ intervention on his behalf. Apparently, he was a pretty tough customer.   Read the rest of this entry »

Hamilton may have allowed his enthusiasm and optimism get the best of him in some of his assessments as to the risks involved in investing too much power into the central government. His desire to replace the Articles of Confederation is laudable, but some of his arguments make the reader reflect ... "methinks [he] doth protest too much."   Read the rest of this entry »

In this essay, Hamilton cites the experience of other confederacies as an argument for a strong central government and dismisses fears that the central government could become abusive. It now appears that those fears were well founded.   Read the rest of this entry »

Jay Sexton's new book on American expansionism and diplomacy in the 19th Century makes for an interesting study. In a time when most Americans know very little of the history of this interesting piece of political parlance, his book is enlightening and packed with research.   Read the rest of this entry »

Hezekiah Niles doesn't lose a moment to castigate the British, even while reporting a French atrocity. This brief article appeared in the Niles Register in 1811.   Read the rest of this entry »

An interview with Marc Leepson, author of Lafayette, Lessons in Leadership From The Idealist General.   Read the rest of this entry »

If you have a couple minutes, read through this interesting chronology of letters between George Washington and some of the luminaries of Virginia Society. Washington had only recently returned from the Constitutional Conventions, at which he had served as "impartial" president, lending his prestige to the gathering. He did such a good job of being fair, that even people who were fellow participants weren't entirely sure where he stood! Unless, that is, you were part of the inner circle, as was James Madison. Oh, and yes, it's Friday so there's a crossword puzzle with words taken from these letters! It's pretty easy this week. Good luck!   Read the rest of this entry »

Federalist No. 16 is the second of six essays on the inability of the Confederation to preserve the Union. Amazingly enough, Hamilton finds a way to come up with new and interesting things to say which offer insights into what he and his fellow writers had in mind for the federal government. It's no wonder that the anti-Federalists were concerned with a Constitution that had no bill of rights.   Read the rest of this entry »