U.S. Politics
A 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…
Read MoreThe First 18th Century Domino to Fall
By 1789, Louis XVI, the French King who came to our aid against the British was in trouble. His rule was viewed as corrupt and was very unpopular. France was…
Read MoreMadison’s Blueprint
The Articles of Confederation were drafted and passed on November 1st, 1777, almost a month after the Battle of Saratoga had been won in October 1777. It would take four…
Read MoreJefferson’s Big Land Buy
Even before the U.S. had “digested” the land the fledgling United States acquired from England through the Treaty of Paris, its third president, Thomas Jefferson wanted more land. Known as…
Read MoreOrigin of the Scope of the First Amendment
During the years before the American Revolution and throughout the nine year-long conflict, our Founding Fathers had the support of most of the newspapers in the Thirteen Colonies. The Stamp…
Read More