by Martin
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!
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by Edward J. Witek
It's interesting what you find out when you follow the trail of an old document. A humble private in the the Revolutionary war ends up with a surprising link to George Washington.
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by Martin
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.
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by James D. Best
In less than three hundred words, the convention delegates instructed Congress on ratification and the mechanics for starting a brand new government from scratch. They far exceeded their mandate and it's a good thing they did.
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by Martin
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.
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by Martin
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."
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by Martin
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.
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by James D. Best
Gouverneur Morris was quite a writer. It was Morris who gave us the magnificent style and beautiful prose of the Constitution. But, he was much more than an editor. He had quite a lot to say during the convention.
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by Martin
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.
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by Martin
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.
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The posts are coming!
