Nondelegation: The Constitutional Principle Almost Everyone Ignores
By: Michael Boldin “The very definition of tyranny.” That’s how James Madison described the consolidation of legislative, executive, and judicial power in the same hands. This wasn’t just a warning. ...
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Not Just Bad Policy: The Founders Called it Treason and War
By: Michael Boldin Treason. Invasion. Conquest. That’s how the Founders and old revolutionaries described usurpation – power stolen, not delegated. And it wasn’t just rhetoric. It was a foundational, and ...
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A Positive Feedback Loop of Power-Grabbing
By: Rudolph Kohn The classical liberal philosophy expounded by John Locke and many of the American founders was a brilliant attempt to abolish government by the principle of “might ...
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Life, Liberty, and Property: The Influence of John Locke
By: Joe Wolverton, II Despite attempts by educrats and those who would have us ignorant of history to remove him from general public knowledge and conversation, John Locke remains a ...
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Six Must Read Sources from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
By: Michael Boldin Most people today have little to no familiarity with any of the principles that influenced the founders. Below, you’ll find 6 important resources hand-picked by Thomas Jefferson and ...
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Cicero on the State, Property, and Invasion
Sounding like John Locke and Frederic Bastiat by Marcus Tullius Cicero Cicero, De Officiis (published 44 BC): The man in an administrative office… must make it his first care that every one ...
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Cato’s Letters Explained “the Glorious Principles of Liberty” to the American Founders
by Dan Sanchez In the twilight of his life, John Adams reflected on the American Revolution in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, writing: “What do We mean by the Revolution? ...
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What the American Founders Meant by Equality
By: Dan Sanchez The Declaration of Independence famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.” Thanks in part to that prestigious endorsement, “equality” has become a widely held social ideal. But ...
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What Are Rights? This Is What the Founders Believed
By: Dan Sanchez In 1776, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that everyone is endowed with “unalienable Rights.” Years later, the Bill of Rights elaborated on those rights. Subsequently, the rights of ...
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