U.S. Politics
The First’s First 15 Words
In the first 15 words, the writers of the Constitution prevented the government from establishing a national religion AND enabled any resident of the country to practice whatever religion they preferred. This had never been done in modern history.
Read MoreThe Origin of the U.S. Census
Asymptotic population growth during and after the American Revolution led the U.S. Constitutional Convention to include the clause requiring a census every 10 years.
Read MoreL’Affaire Genêt and the Washington’s 1793 Neutrality Proclamation
Leaders of the French send a new ambassador to the U.S. with the goal of convincing George Washington to support France in its wars against European powers. Instead, the ambassador’s actions force Washington to issue the Neutrality Proclamation of 1794.
Read MoreEnd of Close Friendships
The Jay Treaty resolved some of the remaining differnences between the new U.S. and the British. Ratification led to a divisive bitter fight between Jefferson and Washington that had nothing to do with the terms of the treaty. It was all about political power.
Read MoreA Well Regulated Militia and the Citizen Soldier
Today, the Army and Air Force National Guard are often called out by either the state’s governor or the President of the U.S. to help in domestic emergencies. The recall…
Read More“I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing …”
It’s 1786, two years after independence was won and in the western part of the Massachusetts, farmers scratched out a living. Barter was the economic model. Farmers would trade farm…
Read MoreWhiskey Tax Leads to Rebellion
Whiskey in the late 18th Century was not only a drink, but a commodity. Outside the towns along the Atlantic Coast, farmers turned surplus corn, wheat, barley, and rye into…
Read MoreImmigration First Became a Political Football in 1798
The fight for independence was almost 15 years in the rear view mirror. Elections under the newly ratified Constitution and Electoral College worked as designed, and George Washington handed over…
Read MoreProblems of Remaining Neutral in 1798
The French Revolution which began in 1789 presented a series of difficult foreign policy challenges for the United States. One of the clauses in the Franco-American 1778 Treaty of Friendship…
Read MoreSigning Day
We are all taught that on July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, was signed and promulgated. Well, not exactly. By the time the Declaration of Independence was approved by…
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