One of my readers suggested I treat the ‘relativity theory of truth’ that many generation Y people have adopted. This morality “theory” is often expressed this way, “What works for me is true for me and what works for you is true for you.” It strikes me first of all as a simple, true statement. We […]
Today in 1632, John Locke was born. One of the most influential political philosophers and Enlightenment thinkers, his theories on natural law, social compact theory, property, monetarism, and republicanism have had a profound effect on the development of the western world. Locke believed that humanity was inherently cooperative and tended to work for the mutual…
The true spirit is based on a resistance to centralized power
Eleven of the thirteen original States drafted constitutions before the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. This may seem trivial, but it is an important legal consideration.
Constitutional commentators who are ignorant of Latin and its effects on 18th century English have done a great deal of interpretive damage.
In 2016, during a period of about a year when it seemed possible — even likely — that Shelli would win her battle with cancer, she and I plotted out an article for the GiN website that would explain to our readers what had been going on in our lives to cause our extended hiatus […]
Under the 10th Amendment, you’ll almost certainly find states that do things you disagree with. That’s the point. In a large country with a wide range of political, economic & religious viewpoints, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that “works.” Federalism gives people a choice. What’s right for people in California might not be right for…
Were the Articles the Articles of Confederation really that bad? Did the Constitution fundamentally change the Union? What are the similarities between the Constitution and the Articles? Did the States secede from the Articles? I get emails asking questions like these about the Articles of Confederation at least once a week. It is not much…
Historian Dr. Kevin Gutzman recently appeared on episode 38 of the podcast, The Liberty Chronicles hosted by Dr. Anthony Comegna to discuss a variety of topics, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, the Revolution of 1800, the Louisiana Purchase, and the War of 1812. Gutzman pointed out that the election of 1800 brought a bloodless revolution to…
Yesterday in 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address, a speech commonly considered one of the most recognized and commonly recited pieces of English text. Truthfully, Lincoln’s oratory served as an erroneous reinvention of the union that conflicted greatly with the widespread understanding reached during the time of the founding generation. While Lincoln declared…