Founding Fathers
Thomas Paine’s Return to America
Many people know Paine as the author of Common Sense, The Crisis, and The Rights of Man. Fewer know him as an unapologetic opponent of slavery, paper money, and aristocratic privilege. Fewer still know he spent considerable time in both England and France – escaping...
A Republic. But They Didn’t Keep it
A Republic, if you can keep it. We’ve all heard this phrase – it’s almost legendary. People have used it in campaigns, slogans, as a book title, in support or against all kinds of things. First of all, considering the fact that we live under the largest...
The Founders and the Constitution: George Washington
Historian Forrest McDonald itemized some of George Washington’s constitutional contributions in American National Biography Online: “His role in working out the details of the Constitution was minimal, but Washington was important to the success of the convention...
The Founders and the Constitution: Alexander Hamilton
It’s easy, if not entirely fair, to explain Alexander Hamilton’s relentless search for fame and power as the outcome of a life begun under very unfavorable conditions. He was born on Jan. 11, 1757, an illegitimate child on the Caribbean island of Nevis, then a...