Founding Fathers
Virginia Declaration of Rights: The Legal Right to Alter or Abolish Government
Ask around today and you’ll find most people treat rebellion like a relic – something you read about in school, never something you do. That wasn’t how George Mason saw things. On June 12, 1776, he put the right to overthrow government into law – bold,...
Live Free or Die: Joseph Warren Meant Every Word
Live Free or Die! For Revolutionary War hero Joseph Warren, this was no mere slogan – it was a way of life – and death. Despite the fact that Dr. Joseph Warren is of the greatest American war heroes in history, he’s mostly ignored today – especially...
James Madison’s Speech that Set the Stage for the Bill of Rights
On June 8 1789, the “Father of the Constitution” James Madison rose on the floor of Congress to propose a series of significant amendments, setting the stage for what would become the Bill of Rights. FROM SKEPTIC TO ADVOCATE The occasion marked somewhat of a strong...
The National Bank That Breached the Articles of Confederation
Despite having no express authority to do so, Congress created a national bank under the Articles of Confederation by invoking an invented doctrine of “inherent sovereign authority.” The episode reveals that even under a framework built on explicit and limited...