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

Judgment of historical figures should be made in the context of the times in which they lived. Evil and virtue, right and wrong, do not change, but understanding of them does.

Read the rest of this entry »

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the United States was blessed with numerous renaissance men and several geniuses. Benjamin Franklin was both.

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine a welfare program without legions of bureaucrats making rules and ordering people's lives. Imagine a program that draws on citizens' voluntary generosity and the opportunity to do well by doing good. No imagination necessary. It happened in 1781.

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 »

General Washington's Christmas Farewell is a quick read and contains enough interesting things to be of interest to the aficionado as well as the novice.

Read the rest of this entry »

Roger Sherman was the only Founder to sign all the major documents of the era, and he was on the final committees for the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Admired by his contemporaries, political friends and enemies alike, "the old puritan" was an omnipresent patriot during our founding who wasn't afraid to stand up for his beliefs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Who are we as a people? What do we believe in? Societies which fail to transmit their core beliefs to the next generation can expect those beliefs to erode, sometimes by design, sometimes by default or by carelessness. Standards not reinforced whither away. Liberty, independence and equality under the law give way to less demanding ideals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have some spare time? Here are some interesting things we've happened on this week. Good reading from good people.

Read the rest of this entry »