Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins by noting Bill of Rights Day, a little-known holiday on December 15 that this year celebrates the 231st anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. “The Bill of Rights protects some of the most basic freedoms we enjoy as Americans,” writes Bill of Rights Institute President David Bobb. He notes that though “Bill of Rights Day may not be widely commemorated throughout the United States,” we can honor it by thanking our “local civics and history teachers.” And they deserve our thanks and gratitude: “They have some of the most important – and often underappreciated – jobs in our country today,” Bobb concludes. Robert Curry, a writer who focuses on the common sense philosophy of politics underlying the American Founding, writes two pieces, the first of which calls the Right to stay true to the classical liberal foundations of America. As Curry notes, “Classical liberalism ‘advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech.’ In short, it's the political philosophy of the American founders.” He argues that Americans in the Founders’ day “were dedicated to liberty at home and peace abroad,” which he contends is opposed to the ends of Progressive domestic and foreign policy. As Curry explains in a separate but related piece, classical liberalism “gave the founders a clear understanding of the purpose of the American military”: “Minding our own business among nations and having military strength sufficient to prevent other nations from meddling in our business are the two sides of the commonsense foreign policy of the founders." Essential Reading David DesRosiers, RealClearFoundation As you make your year-end charitable giving, please consider supporting trustworthy, independent journalism. RealClear Media... In the News David O. Stewart, Wall Street Journal Moira Warburton, Reuters Michael Levenson & Chris Cameron, New York Times E.J. Panaligan, Variety Stockton University Jeffrey Day, Rappahannock News Roger Pilon, RealClearMarkets Kerry J. Byrne, Fox News David Bobb, Gazette Glenn Moots, Law & Liberty Robert Curry, The Federalist Stephen Davies, Big Think Cynthia Howell, Texarkana Gazette Nate Hochmann, National Review Ray Bogan, Straight Arrow News 1600 Podcast White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin hosted a town hall featuring Jon Meacham at St. John’s Episcopal... Sherif Girgis, PragerU Did you know that freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to bear arms were not in the original Constitution... EconTalk In our highly polarized times, everyone seems obsessed with the truth: what is it, who has it, and which side's got it all wrong... American Idea Jeff is joined by Dr. John Moser of Ashland University to discuss the concept of turning points in history, particularly war... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories One fateful autumn day 288 years ago, the colonial governor of New York ordered the arrest of John Peter Zenger, ... At some point every December, I dust off my copy of "A Christmas Carol" to impart some of Charles Dickens' ... It's Friday, the day of the week when I pass along quotations intended to be uplifting or thought-provoking. Today, I ... |