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Tag Archives: history
Federalist Nos. 26 – 28
These papers encapsulate the central issue being tackled win the constitution – namely the balance of powers between branches of government. Of course these are concerned specifically with the authority to raise a standing army, but the central point is … Continue reading
Federalist Nos. 24 – 25
Federalist No. 24 shows the lack of logic behind the arguments to prohibit the government from having a standing army. It is relatively unremarkable except that I was surprised to discover that the writing style differed so greatly from other … Continue reading
Federalist No. 23
Federalist No. 23 uses the experience of the Articles of Confederation – specifically the experience related to the arrangement whereby the central government could request men and arms for the defense of the nation but did not have the power … Continue reading
Posted in National
Tagged Articles of Confederation, defense, documents, federalism, federalist, history
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Vietnam
This morning I was surprised to read the assertion (written in 1994) that many students who were too young to remember Vietnam are confused by the protests against that war. I am among those too young to remember Vietnam but … Continue reading
We Can Do Better
It seems that both parties have been parroting this message all through the 2008 campaign. While they are absolutely right that we can do better, I am not talking about 2008, the Bush administration, or any other recent phenomenon. As … Continue reading
Patriot Day
I appreciate the idea of Patriot Day as a way to mark our modern “day of infamy.” It is unfortunate that the event has been used so effectively to manipulate our politics. Once upon a time, America represented more to … Continue reading
Posted in culture, National
Tagged connections, history, holidays, international, patriotism
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Original Intent
While I fully agree that the Electoral College was not an arbitrary decision and should not be abolished, I also think that we need to articulate the arguments in favor of the Electoral College better than simply stating: Our Forefathers … Continue reading
Articles of Confederation
In the midst of my efforts to evaluate all the Federalist Papers, I realized that I had never read the Articles of Confederation which was the basis against which the Constitution was written and against which the Federalist Papers were … Continue reading
Posted in General
Tagged Articles of Confederation, Constitution, documents, European Union, government, history
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The Declaration of Independence
I doubt that I could add any new commentary on The Declaration of Independence but in reading it again I was reminded of why there are only three paragraphs with which most people have any familiarity (the first two and … Continue reading
Liberty Or Death
How many people, like me, are only familiar with little more than the final sentence of this speech by Patrick Henry? It contains very little in the way of political policy or ideas, but a very good sketch of the … Continue reading