The Atlantic is running another fascinating piece of political journalism from Ron Brownstein. Conservatives know they have no chance of shaping national policy, so they are appealing to localism. While I am certainly supportive of cultivating local culture, as an...
federalism
What Would Madison Think?
Over The Atlantic, Jeffrey Rosen offers a nice primer on how America is now living “James Madison’s worst nightmare.” Here is a taste: Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms have accelerated public discourse to warp speed, creating virtual versions of the mob....
The Author’s Corner with Kate Brown
Kate Brown is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Huntington University. This interview is based on her new book, Alexander Hamilton and the Development of American Law (University Press of Kansas, 2017). JF: What led you to write Alexander Hamilton and the Development...
The Author’s Corner with Carol Berkin
Carol Berkin is residential Professor of History at Baruch College and a member of the history faculty of the Graduate Center of CUNY, Emerita. This interview is based on her new book, The Bill of Rights: The Fight to Secure America’s Liberties (Simon...
On Writing a History of the American Bible Society: Update #25
Theodore Frelinghuysen, ABS President 1846-62 Want to get some context for this post? Click here.Week two in the ABS archives is in the books. I have pushed myself through the anti-Catholic years of the Bible Society Record and I am now ready...
On Writing a History of the American Bible Society–Update #2
Want to get some context for this post? Click here. On Saturday afternoon I got about three or four free hours to work on the American Bible Society (ABS) project in my Messiah College office. I spent most of the...
Virtual Office Hours: U.S. History Survey Edition–Episode 16 and Bonus Track
“The Federalist Vision” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWb_KDQ27zw] and for clarification… “What is a Federalist?” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7L3jYCjdig]...
Kazin: “If Republicans Love States’s Rights So Much, Why Do They Want to Be President?
Interesting question from Georgetown’s Michael Kazin. He discusses briefly the history of federalism and states rights and points out some major historical flaws in the logic of the GOP candidates for president. Here is a taste of his article in […]
Federalism in America
Federalism can be a confusing topic for undergraduates. The first Federalists were people like Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay–the authors of the “Federalist Papers” and the men who, in the late 1780s, wanted to replace the Articles of […]
Maybe America Was Meant to be a Christian Nation After All
This morning I was reading an old news story about a newly elected councilman in Asheville, North Carolina who refused to say “so help me God” or place his hand on the Bible during his swearing in ceremony. The man...
John Jay: Christian Providentialist
This morning I read an excellent essay by Jonathan Den Hartog on the religious beliefs of John Jay–Founding Father, Federalist, diplomat, Supreme Court justice, and promoter of Christian voluntary societies. I have been talking a bit about Jay in my...
Boca
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am in Boca Raton for a few days conducting a Gilder-Lehrman workshop on the early American republic for American history teachers from Palm Beach County Schools. The administrators asked me to spend two...
History and the Republican Convention
Here are a few thoughts about the use of the past from the “first night” of the Republican National Convention. First, the evening started with the playing of GOP Convention 2008 Video. I thought the video was very well-done, but […]