Book Review: Breidenbach, Michael, “Our Dear-Bought Liberty: Catholics and Religious Toleration in Early America” (Harvard University Press, 2021) Residents of Stafford County, Virginia, often drive past a large metal crucifix on Route 1. It is dedicated to the Brent family and boasts a plaque singing praises of their quiet work for religious freedom. The Brents […]
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The Founders’ Disappointments
On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered one last time in the Assembly Room of what is now Independence Hall to sign the charter that they had spent the past four months crafting. As the last of the thirty-eight signers affixed their names to the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin called attention to […]
Was the American Revolution a ‘Rich Man’s War but a Poor Man’s Fight?’
Historians have long found it easy to explain the reaction of colonial elites to Britain’s imperial reforms in the Revolutionary era. This is because scholars could point to the specific ways imperial reforms threatened elite families’ economic interests, commercial enterprises, and political dominance in the colonies. It is common, therefore, to hear that the American […]
Reflecting on the Declaration of Independence: A 4th of July Symposium
Aside from the Constitution itself, the Declaration of Independence is the most heavily interpreted document in American history. The exegetical attention afforded the Declaration follows from the multiple functions it plays as the most fundamental of our nation’s “Charters of Liberty,” including its roles as cornerstone of the American political tradition, a perennial defense of [...]
Agreeing to Disagree: Jefferson and Madison on Constitutional Issues
Adrienne Koch famously described Madison and Jefferson’s fifty-year political relationship as the “great collaboration.” Gordon Wood later called theirs the greatest collaboration in American political history. Few scholars would disagree with these assessments. The Federalists themselves were accustomed to refer to Madison as the General and Jefferson as the Generalissimo of the emerging Republican Party, […]
