Founding Era Executive Salaries: Thoughts by Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, June 2, 1787 Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money.
Federalist The Necessity of Virtue among the People as a Safeguard of Good Government. Thoughts by James Madison, Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 20, 1788. Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation.
Federalist Suffrage and Majority Rule: Thoughts by James Madison, 1829. The essence of government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.
Founding Era "A Candid State of Parties." Thoughts by James Madison, September 26, 1792. It will be equally their true policy to weaken their opponents by reviving exploded parties, and taking advantage of all prejudices, local, political, and occupational, that may prevent or disturb a general coalition of sentiments.
Founding Era The People, The States, The Federal Government & Militias: Thoughts by James Madison, Federalist 46. Let us not insult the free and gallant citizens of America with the suspicion, that they would be less able to defend the rights of which they would be in actual possession, than the debased subjects of arbitrary power would be to rescue theirs from the hands of their oppressors.
Founding Era Three Species of Government: Thoughts by James Madison, February 20, 1792. Such a government, wherever to be found, is an imposter.
Founding Era The Benefits of a Large Republic: Thoughts by James Madison, April 1787. The society becomes broken into a greater variety of interests, of pursuits of passions, which check each other, whilst those who may feel a common sentiment have less opportunity of communication and concert.
Anti Federalist The Effects of Limited or Absolute Government in Historical Context: Thoughts by Agrippa, November 23, 1787 If we examine the present state of the world we shall find that most of the business is done in the freest states, and that industry decreases in proportion to the rigor of government.
Classic Civilizations Advice for Augustus: Thoughts by Maecenas The truth is that the supposed freedom of the mob proves in reality to be the bitterest servitude, under which the better elements suffer at the hands of the worse, until in the end both are destroyed.
Political Philosophy Of the Ends of Political Society and Government: Thoughts by John Locke Thus Mankind, notwithstanding all the Privileges of the state of Nature, being but in an ill condition, while they remain in it, are quickly driven into Society . . . and therein seek the preservation of their Property.
Political Philosophy The Law of Nature vs. Political Society: Thoughts by John Locke But because no Political Society can be, nor subsist without having in it self the Power to preserve the Property, and in order thereunto punish the Offenses of all those of that Society; there, and there only is Political Society . . .
Founding Era The Middling Classes. Thoughts by Anti-Federalist, Melancton Smith, on the topic of Representation and the Constitution of the United States The circumstances in which men are placed in a great measure give a cast to the human character.
Civil War The Origins of the Civil War: Thoughts by Walt Whitman, 1875. Such, I say, form’d the entire personnel, the atmosphere, nutriment and chyle, of our municipal, State and National Politics—substantially permeating, handling, deciding and wielding everything—
Civil War The Real Factions of the War: Thoughts by Alexander H. Stephens, 1868 The contest was between those who held it to be strictly Federal in its character, and those who maintained that it was thoroughly National. It was a strife between the principles of Federation, on the one side, and Centralism, or Consolidation, on the other.
Civil War The Institutions of a People: From Alexander Stephens' Union Speech, November 14, 1860 And when once the Institutions of our people shall have been destroyed, there is no earthly power that can bring back the Promethean spark, to kindle them here again, any more than in that ancient land of eloquence, poetry and song!
Civil War Despotism & Civil Liberties in the North Compared with the Confederacy: Thoughts by Edward Alfred Pollard, 1865 The unholy passions of this war, its hate, its greed, its dire revenge, its desperation, induced the people of the North to compromise their constitutional rights.
President James Buchanan Addresses Secession: December 4, 1860 President James Buchanan has been criticized, sometimes scathingly so, for not dealing with secession. It was a difficult conundrum that is still argued about today. This post will highlight an extract from Buchanan's last Annual Message. It would be helpful to readers to investigate the Kentucky and Virginia Resolves, the
Mayor Wood's Recommendation of the Secession of New York City, January 6, 1861 Many may be unaware that Mayor Fernando Wood of New York City recommended that the the city secede from the State of New York and declare itself a free city so as to carry on its profitable trade with the South. New York's shipping and commerce were in a large
Anti Federalist Book Ends: Richard Henry Lee & Alexander Stephens on the Consolidation of the States It's interesting to read two eras of history that address, in relative terms, the same subject. In this case, the topic is the consolidation of the several States into one centralized government. Those who became known in history as the Anti-Federalists routinely predicted that the Constitution would lead to the
C Chauncey Burr The Failure of the Crittenden Compromise & The Inauguration of War. In his work, The Old Guard, C. Chauncey Burr addressed myriad issues related to the development and prosecution of the Civil War. In this case, he addressed the Crittenden Compromise. The Crittenden Compromise proposed a series of constitutional amendments proposed in Congress in 1860 to ameliorate friction between proslavery and
C Chauncey Burr The Weapons of the Administration: The Boston Courier, Civil War Era. The national narrative of the Civil War often excludes the critics of President Abraham Lincoln. Copperhead, C. Chauncey Burr, had plenty of maledictions for the President. In this case, Burr lets the Boston Courier do the work. August Glen-James, editor The Boston Courier thus paints the face of Lincolnism: The
C Chauncey Burr "Nations, once fallen, seldom rise again." Thoughts by C. Chauncey Burr during the Civil War. Copperhead, C. Chauncey Burr, saw in the Civil War the potential of a fundamental decay of the nations principles. This was alarming for Burr since, quoting an unidentified source, he wrote that "there is no resurrection" for nations. Of interest in this post are the lessons Burr draws from Rome
Founding Era Obligations to Posterity: Thoughts by Cato, 1787. This is a short but interesting view about obligations that a generation has to posterity. The occasion of these remarks is the fight over the ratification of the Constitution. Cato, being among the Anti-Federalists, distrusted the Constitution vis-a-vis the Articles of Confederation. August Glen-James, editor . . . your posterity will find that
Civil War General Robert E. Lee's Policies in Pennsylvania: Thoughts by Edward Alfred Pollard, 1865 The effect of his moderate warfare on such a people was to irritate them without intimidating them. . . .
"The Trap History Had Set for Us." Thoughts by Elie Wiesel, Memoirs It seems that life is largely composed of two veins of thought: what should be and what is--i.e., theory and reality. In his memoirs, Elie Wiesel relates a moment where theory and reality collided. The overall history of WWII, the setting for Wiesel's work, is well known; however, his
