Founding Fathers
1761: When American Independence was Born
“American Independence was then & there born.” John Adams wasn’t talking about July 4, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence. He was referring to the beginning of the real American Revolution that kicked off years earlier on February 24, 1761. That’s when...
Writs, Riots, and Redcoats: Hancock’s Spark of the Revolution
In an early confrontation between the customs officials and John Hancock, the British hoped that flexing their muscles would teach the colonists a lesson and cow them into submission. They were wrong. Instead, the crackdown sparked a willingness to physically resist...
John Taylor’s Forgotten Warning about Judges Rewriting the Constitution.
“It is … the natural enemy of our home-bred form of government, and ought to awaken the resistance of all legislative and judicial departments, and the detestation of every person not enriched by this ruinous commerce.” That warning came from John Taylor of...
First State of the Union: George Washington’s Blueprint Betrayed
“A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined.” January 8, 1790. George Washington walked into the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City and delivered his first annual message to a joint session of Congress. Today, we call it the State of the...