Filter by:

Filter by published date

Viewing 181–210 of 425 results. Go to first page

James Madison Understood Religious Freedom Better than Jefferson Did

One emphasized the freedom to think; the other, in effect, the freedom to pray.
George Washington is depicted in the 1856 painting "George Washington Addressing the Constitutional Convention" by Junius Brutus Stearns.

‘The President Himself May Be Guilty’: Why Pardons Were Hotly Debated By The Founding Fathers

The Mueller report raised the issue the Constitution’s framers feared in 1787: abuse of presidential power.

Here’s Every Defense of the Electoral College — and Why They’re All Wrong

Most of the arguments for preserving our insane system are morally odious, unsubstantiated, and/or factually incorrect.

Manly Firmness: It’s Not Just for the 18th Century (Unfortunately)

The history of presidential campaigns shows the extent to which the language of politics remains gendered.

How Did the Constitution Become America’s Authoritative Text?

A new history of the early republic explores the origins of originalism.

AOC and the American Founding

The problem with progressive intellectuals looking to the nation's founders for progressive models.

AOC Thinks Billionaires Are a Threat to Democracy. So Did Our Founders.

The idea that democracy and billionaires are incompatible might seem radical to conservatives. But to America’s founders, it seemed like common sense.

The Case for Impeachment

Starting the process will rein in a president undermining American ideals—and bring the debate into Congress, where it belongs.

America’s Original Sin

Slavery and the legacy of white supremacy.
Political cartoon lampooning Thomas Paine and his beliefs

America and Other Fictions: On Radical Faith and Post-Religion

Thomas Paine, the most radical of American revolutionaries, perhaps most fully understood the millennial potential of the new Republic.

George Washington Was a Master of Deception

The Founding Fathers relied on deceit in championing American independence—and that has lessons for the present.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall; painting by Henry Inman, 1832.

Hail to the Chief

“John Marshall...exhibited a subservience to the executive branch that continues to haunt us.”

America’s Struggle for Moral Coherence

The problem of how to reconcile irreconcilable values is what led to the Civil War. It hasn’t gone away.

What Did the Founders Mean by “Democracy”?

The main issue they were debating was how democratic a representative body should be. And their answer was “not very democratic at all.”
Painting of the Roman Senate.

Rome's Heroes and America's Founding Fathers

Why the statesmen of the Roman Republic had such an influence on the patriots of the Revolutionary era.
Voters casting ballots in 2008.

Why the Right to Vote is Not Enshrined in the Constitution

How voter suppression became a political weapon in American politics.

America Is Living James Madison’s Nightmare

The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. They didn’t anticipate how strong the mob could become.
Title page of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense."
partner

Anonymous Criticism Helped Make America Great

Trump’s critic is utilizing a practice employed by many of the Founding Fathers to protect truth from power.
Cartoon drawing of George Washington reading the Declaration of Independence to his militia army.

What You Might Not Know About the Declaration of Independence

July 4th celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but we don’t even have the original!
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.

Hamilton, Madison, and the Paradox at America’s Heart

The tension between nationalist ambitions and republican principles goes all the way back to our nation’s founding.

The Issue on the Table: Is 'Hamilton' Good for History?

In a new book, top historians discuss the musical’s educational value, historical accuracy and racial revisionism.

How the American Revolution was Made on Honor and Sold on Merit

A review of "American Honor: The Creation of the Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary Era."

Standing Armies: The Constitutional Debate

Why did Alexander Hamilton and James Madison take up the cause of the very thing that revolutionaries had vehemently opposed?

"The American People": Current and Historical Meanings

The Founders feared democracy and didn't think too highly of "the people".

The United States & 'The Young and Fearless of Heart'

The March for Our Lives organizers are not an anomaly, but follow in a long tradition of youth activism in America.

Separation of Power

To make a more perfect union, don’t look to the Founding Fathers.

James Madison Would Like a Few Words on Trade Wars

The fourth president tried all kinds of sanctions to open markets, but still ended up in the War of 1812.

What America Gets Wrong About Three Important Words in the Second Amendment

The NRA misquotes George Mason to support its own view of "well-regulated militia."

Assault Weapons Preserve the Purpose of the Second Amendment

Banning them would gut the concept of an armed citizenry as a final, emergency bulwark against tyranny.
original

How We Learned to Love the Bill the Rights

A new book argues that the fetishization of the first ten amendments is a recent thing – and that it comes at a cost.

Filter Results:

Suggested Filters:

Idea

Person