Founding Fathers & American History
Essays and features on the Founding Fathers, constitutional principles, and how America’s heritage informs today’s political and cultural debates.
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breaking
An Inside Look at Daily Signal Documentary ‘Sacred Honor: The Declaration That Defines a Nation’
The Daily Signal has released a new trailer for its latest documentary titled “Sacred Honor: The Declaration That Defines a Nation.” “Sacred Honor” takes the audience inside the years and months leading up to America’s Declaration of Independence and invites viewers to think like the great statesmen of our Founding. It premieres on the Daily… -
opinion
What America Can Learn From Alexis de Tocqueville
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pennsylvania—Over the Flag Day weekend in Pennsylvania, crowds gathered, and communities were formed in the most unlikely of places, under viaducts, along gravel-filled tracks, and at the base of some impressive Appalachian mountains, all just to watch as Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 rolled through northeastern Pennsylvania. The sheer presence of the… -
opinion
Our Favorite Patriotic Tunes, Part 1: ‘God Bless America’ vs. ‘This Land Is Your Land’
As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the skies will be filled with not only fireworks but song. Those great patriotic tunes we all know by heart, even when we can’t hit all the notes. (Yes, “Star-Spangled Banner,” I’m thinking of you.) Though the songs may be as familiar as the red, white, and blue, the… -
opinion
World Cup Tourists See What Too Many Americans Have Forgotten
Americans are routinely told that our nation is hopelessly divided, irredeemably flawed, and perhaps even in terminal decline. Public polling reflects this pervasive frustration, pessimism, and anomie. If someone halfway around the world only followed the polls, he might be forgiven for believing our republic is all but over. But something remarkable is happening during… -
news
Bradley Devlin Joins ‘The Sean Hannity Show’ to Discuss Daily Signal’s New Documentary
Daily Signal Politics Editor Bradley Devlin joined “The Sean Hannity Show,” hosted by Jason Chaffetz, on June 26 to discuss the Daily Signal’s new documentary titled Sacred Honor: The Declaration That Defines a Nation.” “Sacred Honor: The Declaration That Defines a Nation” premieres on the Daily Signal’s YouTube on July 2, 2026. The following radio… -
opinion
250 Years Later, Charleston Celebrates Carolina Day
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Charleston, South Carolina, marks the 250th anniversary of Carolina Day on June 28, 2026. This day commemorates the American victory at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, the first major Revolutionary War success in South Carolina. The triumph boosted patriot morale, rallied support for independence, and helped pave the way… -
opinion
Gordon Wood and the Historians Who Told the Real Story of the Founders
The sudden death of the historian Gordon Wood, just weeks before the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is one more mark of the closure of a golden age of the historiography of the revolutionary era. It’s an occasion to reflect on the uniqueness, indeed the idiosyncrasy, of the emergence of… -
opinion
America at 250: The Roots of America’s Greatness
If you want to find out why our country has been so successful, you should study the people who built it. America is about to turn 250 years old. It should be easy to celebrate America. Aside from the healthy patriotic pride anyone should feel, we are the greatest country in the history of the… -
opinion
5 Things to Know About the SPLC’s Incoming CEO
The Southern Poverty Law Center has announced its next president and CEO amid a federal indictment into alleged fraud regarding payments to members of the Ku Klux Klan. Ryan P. Haygood, who serves as president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, will formally join the SPLC in August, the center announced… -
news
What Does It Mean to Be American? 3 Defining Beliefs
What makes an American an American? Hillsdale College professor Matthew Spalding joined Heritage Foundation Executive Vice President Derrick Morgan on Monday to answer this question and to discuss Spalding’s new book, “The Making of the American Mind.” The Declaration of Independence offers a unique answer to this question, Spalding told Morgan. He laid out certain… -
opinion
The Left Gears Up for US 250th Anniversary by Dialing Up the America-Hating
Rolling into the 250th anniversary of the United States, liberals, leftists, Democrats, and democratic socialists are united behind one message: America stinks. At the counterprogramming to the White House UFC match over the weekend, a bunch of miserable-looking, aging celebrities held a “#resistance” rally or something like that. Robert De Niro, an aging Hollywood gazillionaire… -
opinion
Tall Ships Bring the Spirit of ‘76 to Virginia
Richmond SailFest kicked off last weekend as three sailing ships—Oosterschelde, Pride of Baltimore II, and Virginia—docked in the state capital. Richmond’s portion of the event was co-hosted by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and featured reenactors, history and art exhibits, cultural performances, and live music, plus a fireworks and drone show. “This summer… -
opinion
Honoring the Declaration in Richmond
For the next month, Virginians can see a vital piece of our shared national history. A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on display at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. It should serve as a living reminder of the first 250 years of American history. Virginia has been central to… -
opinion
D-Day at 82: An American’s Experience at Normandy
This week, I had the honor of visiting Normandy, France, with Young America’s Foundation. Led by combat veteran Lt. Col. Allen West, our cadre of student leaders walked the five beaches of Normandy, which were hallowed 82 years ago by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s soldiers, sailors, and airmen. After commemorating the anniversary of the D-Day landings, and… -
opinion
Lawsuit Exposes Virginia’s Neo-Confederate Approach to Immigration
Democrats of 2026 bear an uncanny resemblance to Democrats of 1861 when it comes to seeking to nullify federal law. In 1861, Democrats led efforts to “secede” from the Union to oppose Abraham Lincoln, a Republican who opposed the expansion of slavery into the Northern Territories, an expansion expressly forbidden by Congress in the Missouri… -
analysis
Catholic Bishops Consecrate US to Sacred Heart of Jesus for America 250
On the eve of the Catholic Church marking the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops honored America’s 250th birthday by consecrating the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What Is the Sacred Heart and Why Consecrate? As Louisville Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre shared, the Sacred Heart is… -
news
‘Young Washington’ Is Angel Studios’ Superhero Movie for American Youth
Before he became a general in the American Revolutionary War and the first president of the United States, George Washington was a young Virginian colonist who could not enlist in the British army because he was not a qualified English gentleman. Angel Studios’ film “Young Washington,” set to release in theaters July 3, captures how… -
exclusive
Daughters of the American Revolution to Vote on Definition of ‘Woman’ Amid Criticism of Transgender Policy
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Daughters of the American Revolution currently allows men who identify as women to join, but the group will vote on a resolution to reverse that policy and formally define “woman,” the Daily Signal has learned. “Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution will take an historic vote to define… -
opinion
We Owe American Security to Those Boys on the Beaches of Normandy
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. This past week was June 6, 2026. That’s the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II that took… -
opinion
Jonathan Mayhew and the Biblical Source of the American Revolution
John Adams once said the American Revolution began not on a battlefield but “in the minds and hearts of the people.” Among those who lit the fuse was the influential Boston preacher, Rev. Jonathan Mayhew. His 1750 sermon on the limits of obedience to government became, in Adams’ view, one of the founding texts of…