Today's Politicos vs The Words and Deeds of The Founders

This week's puzzle, a word search, is derived from a brief account of a duel that took place in 1812 between an Englishman and a Kentuckian. As it turns out the Englishman didn't have such a stiff upper lip after all.

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Michael Prell coins a new term to describe the self-destructing tendency of many in the west to inherently favor the underdog and scorn the successful. Underdogma is a logical, well-written, fast-paced book which documents and describes this phenomenon. It's also a tad bit snarky at times!

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American Insurgents, American Patriots offers a different perspective on the American Revolution. While the celebrated men of the Continental Congress are rightly revered, Breen contends that the ordinary men who took up arms before the Declaration of Independence, should be honored more.

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The Heritage Guide To The Constitution is a reference that no home should be without. James explains why you need it and what it's for.

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Today's post is a review of a new collection of essays entitled, Revolutionary Founders written by 22 different historians. From the outset, it is clear that this is not going to be your run-of-the-mill popular biography/history. This is more an academic and esoteric work. Notably absent are authors like Wood, Unger, Fischer, Ellis, and Chernow. Notwithstanding some embedded political agendas here and there, overall this is an interesting collection of ideas.

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This weeks puzzle, a word search, is taken from a speech delivered by John Hancock on the 4th anniversary of the Boston Massacre. Clearly, by 1774, the gloves were off. To those who heard or read the speech, Hancock’s position was no longer ambiguous. It’s a pretty good piece of political rhetoric, eulogizing those in the slain mob as “guiltless.” However, there are also some interesting warnings against valuing luxury and comfort over freedom. We hope you enjoy the puzzle.

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Here's something you might want to download and listen to on your way to work. It's the first (and possibly last) of its kind, a podcast of our earlier post on Federalist No. 10.

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George Mason was one of three attendees present at the close of the Constitutional Convention who refused to sign. He couldn't be bought. He stood on principle because of his serious doubts about a Constitution lacking a bill of rights. He was right to be concerned.

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Jay Sexton, author of the new book, The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in 19th Century America, was kind enough to submit to an interview by WWTFT. This Kansas-raised author now finds himself teaching across the pond at Oxford!

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This new documentary on Alexander Hamilton was full of missed opportunities. While there were some interesting bits and even some thoughtful insights, the producers tried too hard and many of the scenes felt utterly contrived.

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