Jeffrey Boutwell is a retired independent historian with a B.A. in History from Yale and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This interview is based on his new book, Boutwell: Radical Republican and Champion of […]
U.S. Constitution
Oaths matter
On Monday, Donald Trump will put his hand on the Bible and say: âI do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability preserve, […]
Albert Mohler is free to advance his Christian nationalism, but he should be more careful when using American history to do it.
Albert Mohler believes that the United States was built, and should continue to be built, on a Christian foundation. Read his entire argument here. The piece stems from his 2024 speech to the National Conservatism Conference. Let’s see how Mohler […]
What is a recess appointment?
Here is Stephen Groves at the Associated Press: As President-elect Donald Trump moves to set up a more forceful presidency than in his first term, he is choosing loyalists for his Cabinet and considering a tool known as recess appointments to skip […]
Former federal justice J. Michael Luttig endorses Kamala Harris
I remember when conservative legal scholar J. Michael Luttig was on the short list of judges considered for a Supreme Court nomination. Then Donald Trump came along and started playing fast and loose with American institutions and the United States […]
The Author’s Corner with Ralph Young
Ralph Young is Professor of Instruction in History at Temple University. This interview is based on his new book, American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent (NYU Press, 2024). JF: What led you to write American Patriots? RY: What inspired […]
Thomas Jefferson said our rights come from the “Creator.” Was he right?
Christian nationalism was in the news again this weekend. As we noted in today’s Roundup, a lot of evangelicals (and others) are upset about Politico journalist Heidi Przybyla’s claim that anyone who believes that their rights come from God is […]
The Author’s Corner with Peter Radan
Peter Radan is Honorary Professor of Law at Macquarie University. This interview is based on his new book, Creating a More Perfect Slaveholders’ Union: Slavery, the Constitution, and Secession in Antebellum America (University Press of Kansas, 2023). JF: What led you to write […]
Is it time to make major changes to the U.S. Constitution?
The Atlantic is running an excerpt from a new book by Harvard political scientists Steve Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt titled, Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point. They write: “Born of compromise and improvisation, the U.S. […]