This is a test of the new Open Society sending address.
about 7 hours ago • 1 min read
“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society.”— James Madison, Federalist No. 57 Dear Friends, Over the years, I’ve learned to enjoy not just reading about the Sons of Liberty and the 18th-century Founders; I often explore the lives of more recent presidents as well. I’m mainly interested not only in their major achievements upon reaching the White House...
about 19 hours ago • 6 min read
“By degrees, the people are brought to consider the soldiery not only as their protectors, but as their superiors.”—Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 8, 1787. Dear Friends, I was following the back-and-forth this week between members of the United States Senate and our civilian defense leadership when one exchange stopped me cold in my tracks. In a government built on checks, competing powers, and occasionally sharp political confrontation, Senators ask difficult questions of cabinet...
8 days ago • 5 min read
“The censorial power is in the people over the Government, and not in the Government over the people.”— James Madison, U.S. House of Representatives, 1794 Dear Friends, I want to tell you about a story that begins on January 31 of this year, in a public library in Minneapolis. Fellow Americans gathered to discuss protests against ICE in their city. They discussed sit-ins, de-escalation, safety marshals, and designating someone to communicate with police. Sitting among those Minneapolis...
12 days ago • 5 min read
“Those who hold, and those who are without property, have ever formed distinct interests in society.”—James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787 Dear Friends, Let’s imagine ourselves traveling to Philadelphia together in January 1776, exploring the rich history of the City of Brotherly Love and thrilling moments of our Revolution. The American revolt against British occupation was already underway, with skirmishes at Lexington and Concord and at Bunker Hill, involving both Colonial militias and...
20 days ago • 8 min read
“I will to my dying day oppose, with all the powers and faculties God has given me, all such instruments of slavery.”—James Otis, arguing against the writs of assistance, 1761 Dear Friends, Every American who has spent time abroad likely recalls a particular special moment. The aircraft touches down softly, and the cabin buzzes with the cheerful sound of seat belts clicking and phones reconnecting. Passengers quickly grab their coats, passports, and small keepsakes they brought from across...
26 days ago • 6 min read
“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”—Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, drafted principally by John Adams, 1780 Dear Friends, For many families across our country, Monday morning usually starts with simple arithmetic. A parent usually reviews the bank balance, packs the remaining food into a school lunch, and stops by to...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
“When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.”—George Washington, 1775 This article began with an idea from my friend and fellow Substack historian Rob Bauer of Rob’s History Notes, who believed the story of the GI Bill deserved a closer look. As the story developed, we began to see something larger: another piece of the long national failure to complete Reconstruction following the Civil War. Black veterans returned from defending democracy abroad only to find that the...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
“Those who are taxed without their own consent, given by themselves, or their representatives, are slaves.”John Dickinson, Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, 1767 Dear Friends, Most Americans are familiar with the amendments we often discuss. The First Amendment safeguards speech, religion, the press, assembly, and the right to petition. The Second Amendment continues to spark ongoing debate about guns. The Fourth Amendment remains important whenever police, courts, phones, privacy...
3 months ago • 5 min read
