Declaration of Independence
The Men Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence
In June 1776, Great Britain and its North American colonies had been fighting for over a year. The Americans desperately needed foreign help, particularly from Great Britainโs principal rival, France. Many members of the Second Continental Congressโthe assembly the...
John Dickinson and the Case Against Independence
July 1, 1776, witnessed one of the most consequential debates in American history. The venue was the floor of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The topic was whether America should declare independence. The principal participants were theย passionate...
The Runup to the Declaration of Independence
In the years before 1763, the British Empireโalthough in theory a unified entityโwas really a federation. The central government in London controlled foreign affairs and the imperial post office. It also regulated trade with foreign countries and among units of the...
It’s Not Just a Right. It’s a Duty.
Alter or abolish. Despite those words in the Declaration of Independence, the establishment would have you believe that any effort to resist their power is anti-American. But they have it backwards. Under the foundersโ framework, the right to โprovide new guardsโ is a...