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The Founders Anticipated ‘Fake News.’ Here’s What They Did About It.
Following the presidential election, numerous stories surfaced about how “fake news” influenced the results. This prompted a reaction from the media and a concerted effort by the social media giant Facebook to crack down on the phenomenon—announcing that it would in part by using liberal fact-checkers to distinguish the “real” from the “fake” news. The…Jarrett Stepman -
Here’s What the Founders Thought About Term Limits
With the sudden dominance of Republicans in Congress, state legislatures, and, of course, the White House, conservatives have an incredible opportunity to restore constitutional principles to government. Several lawmakers have brought back the old idea of congressional term limits to “drain the swamp” on Capitol Hill. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.,…Jarrett Stepman -
What the Founders Thought About the Value of a ‘Classical’ Education
The generation that produced the U.S. Constitution lived at a time when liberal education was being rethought, redefined, stretched, and challenged. The Founders lined up on different sides of that debate. They argued over whether or not a liberal education worthy of the name had to be a classical education based on instruction in the…Richard Gamble -
How This Man Pushed Courts to Respect the Founders’ Constitution
Three decades ago, then-Attorney General Edwin Meese III initiated a spirited national debate about the proper application of our most important governing document—the U.S. Constitution. His goal was to persuade judges, even Supreme Court judges, to agree they should respect the text of the Constitution and the intent of the Founders who wrote it. Meese,…Lee Edwards -
Meet 7 of the Most Interesting Founding Fathers You’ve Never Heard Of
When reading the Declaration of Independence over the holiday weekend, it’s easy to skip over the names of the signers and focus instead on the sweeping language of the second paragraph. This overlooks the fact that the signers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in order to found a country upon self-evident truths rooted…Mike Sabo -
The Founders’ Model of Welfare Actually Reduced Poverty
Which approach to welfare policy is better for the poor: that of the Founders or that of today’s welfare state? The more we spend on the poor, the harder it seems for them to attain decent, productive lives in loving families. The federal government has spent $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs since the beginning of…Thomas West -
From Founding Father to Broadway Star
Alexander Hamilton is often credited with being the most far-sighted of the founders, since he, more than anyone else, saw America’s potential to become a manufacturing and commercial powerhouse among the nations. Not even a man of Hamilton’s vision, however, could have foreseen that he would one day be the subject of a hit stage…Carson Holloway -
What Our Founders Feared: Lawmakers Now Empower Non-Elected to Make Laws
At the close of the Constitutional Convention, when an elderly Benjamin Franklin hobbled out of the hall where delegates had debated the fate of the young nation for the length of the hottest Philadelphia summer in thirty-seven years, he was asked by a curious bystander, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—republic or a monarchy?” “A…Sen. Mike Lee -
Tom Cotton Is Right: Founders Wanted Both Senate and President to Sign Off on Treaties
In a letter written by Sen. Tom Cotton and 46 other senators to Iran’s leadership—but also, of course, intended for President Obama—the signatories state that without Senate ratification, a deal between the United States and Iran is unlikely to outlast the current president. This letter perfectly showcases the intelligence beneath our constitutional design. For America’s…Arthur Milikh
