Constitution: The Founders on the Limits of Parchment Barriers
The Founding Fathers understood that written laws alone cannot protect liberty. They warned that the Constitution could, like other documents before it, become a mere “parchment barrier,” easily ignored by those in power. Leading figures like Roger Sherman, John...
The Forgotten Declaration that Explained the War for Independence
We are “resolved to die freemen rather than live slaves.” These powerful words, penned by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, hold a prominent place in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, approved unanimously by the Second Continental...
Pursuit of Happiness: “We Cannot be Happy without Being Free”
The “pursuit of happiness” is a foundational principle enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. In the Founders’ view, this was inextricably linked to individual liberty and property rights. John Dickinson explained it this way in the last of his 12 Letters from...