Totally Dissolved: The Forgotten Vote for Independence
We celebrate Independence on the Fourth of July. But the actual vote to secede from the British Empire and become “free and independent states” – happened on July 2nd, 1776. Twelve colonies voted in favor. None opposed. New York abstained because its delegates...
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,...
Arbitrary Power: The Definition of Tyranny
“The curse and scandal of human nature.” That’s how James Otis, Jr. described arbitrary power. It wasn’t just a sign of tyranny, or a step toward it. It was the very definition of tyranny. It is power without right. And that principle pervades the Declaration of...