Category — Thomas Jefferson

“There is also a constitutional right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness…”

Hillary Clinton

Huh? Where to even start with this statement by Hillary Clinton? Let’s begin with the fact that the erstwhile prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic …

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This is an absorbing book that will enlighten many and shock some. Much has been written about Thomas Jefferson’s clash with Alexander Hamilton, but the differences between George Washington and Jefferson have received little attention. The Great Divide rectifies that neglect and more.   Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Newmyer's recent book on the treason trial of Aaron Burr is a densely packed, extremely well-written analysis of one of the most important trials in American history. Ironically, it is a trial that the vast majority of Americans probably have absolutely no knowledge of.   Read the rest of this entry »

President Eisenhower was among the faithful who listened to a powerful sermon by Presbyterian minister George Docherty, in which he argued for adding the phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.   Read the rest of this entry »

In Golden Valley, Minnesota, Obama recently repeated his refrain that, "We are still fighting our way back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." Except this excuse is nonsense—the more severe the downturn, the more robust the recovery. Obama should have the wind at his back. Rapid recovery has been true throughout our history except under the first two terms of Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt followed the same policies of bashing business, raising taxes, restricting trade, and trying to goose the economy up pouring borrowed money into the public sector. It didn’t work then and it is not working now.   Read the rest of this entry »

On this day in 1792, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson made an inconspicuous announcement concerning a crucial part of the Constitution, The Bill of Rights.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Founders distrusted overly strong governments. That’s why they engineered a limited republic. Today, Americans seem to turn to their government to validate and protect real and presumed rights, and increasingly rely on government to guarantee the substance of life. Many modern Americans embrace national authority and fight to enlarge governmental powers. The Founders would be appalled. What would the Founders think about growing government power? Here is what they said in their own words.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Founders feared an overly powerful government. Governments govern ... which means they exercise power. George Washington may have said it best, “Government is not reason: It is not eloquence, it is Force, like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” James Madison chimed in by adding, “The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.”   Read the rest of this entry »

An incredibly prescient letter from Madison to Jefferson, in which Madison offers his observations on the dangers of a tyrannical majority in a democratic system. Madison explains his views on the proposed Bill of Rights and one of the reasons for his reticence was simply because he didn't care for all those who supported it! "At the same time I have never thought the omission [of a Bill of Rights] a material defect, nor been anxious to supply it even by subsequent amendment, for any other reason than that it is anxiously desired by others."   Read the rest of this entry »

In 1934 with the Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell ruling, the Supreme Court arbitrarily overrode the Constitution and gave the states permission to violate private contracts. In setting this precedent, the FDR courts and those that followed now had license to ignore the wording and intent of the Constitution.   Read the rest of this entry »