| Beginning this week’s curation is our latest 1776 Series essay, “The Right of Revolution in the American Founding.” In this richly informative essay, Kevin Portteus explains a central but often overlooked principle in the Declaration of Independence: the right of revolution. He contends that revolution need not entail overthrowing all of civilization. Instead, through words and actions, the American Founders prudentially exercised this right, which they understood to be based on an unchanging standard of justice. Governments, the Declaration declares, should not be challenged or overthrown for “light and transient causes.” To clarify his argument, Portteus contrasts the success of the American Revolution with its bloody alternatives in France and Russia, which had disastrous consequences for the citizens of both countries. Peter Wood takes on critiques of America’s principles and practices launched by the 1619 Project and practitioners of critical race theory such as Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. Wood counters those various critics by arguing that America’s “long traditions of antislavery, abolition, and dedication to a civic equality that transcends race” has made it “one of the least racist countries in the world,” as “citizens of all races have achieved extraordinary prosperity and liberty.” Walter McDougall explains the foreign policy that animated the American Founders, which is commonly (and wrongly) thought to be isolationist. Instead, the Founders were concerned with keeping other nations from influencing the U.S. in order to preserve the nation’s freedom of action to protect and preserve its interests. As McDougall argues, U.S. foreign policy in the early republic was guided by four core tenets: “liberty at home, but no foreign crusades; neutrality dictating no entangling alliances; a separate American system of states codified in the Monroe Doctrine; and continental expansion on the principle that the Constitution follows the flag.” Original Posts Kevin Portteus, RealClearPublicAffairs According to the American Declaration of Independence, people enter into political society for the sake of protecting their... Essential Reading Walter A. McDougall, Modern Age Who are we, we Americans? Are we champions of liberty, both civil and religious, both at home and abroad? Are we a nation of... In the News Robert F. Turner, Minding the Campus Stanley Kurtz, National Review John Maxwell Hamilton & Bruce Sanford, RealClearPolitics Emilie Kao, Daily Signal Brad Lips, RealClearPolicy Tyler Olsen, Fox News Ciaran O'Connor, Deseret News Lindsey Burke, Mike Gonzalez, & Jonathan Butcher, Sacramento Bee Matt Vasilogambros, Pew Thomas Berry, The Hill Jeffrey S. Solochek, Tampa Bay Times Jesse Turner, Arkansas Democrat Gazette Randall Trammell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Stephen Sawchuk, Education Week Natalie Wexler, Forbes Kirk Higgins & Stephen Tootle, Bill of Rights Institute Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower? While perhaps not discussed as often as other 20th century presidents, Eisenhower led the... Richard Wolff & Arthur Brooks, Abigail Adams Institute This is a recording of the second annual Great Ideas Debate in conjunction with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the... Richard Pickering, CSPAN At Plimoth Patuxet in Plymouth, Massachusetts, we explored the recreated 17th-century colonial village and spoke with interpreters... John McWhorter & John Wood, Braver Angels John McWhorter is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, the author of many books, a witty and passionately independent... Allen Guelzo, Fox News Allen Guelzo joined The Story with Martha MacCallum on Fox News to discuss the dangers of using critical race theory in school... Chris Flannery, American Story Twenty-Twenty seems to have spread like a virus into 2021. A third of the way through the year and still across the country citizens... Eric Nelson, James Stoner, Jack Rakove, et al., National Association of Scholars In 1787, fifty-five delegates from the states met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to chart a new course for the nation. The Articles of... Jeffrey Sikkenga & Nino Scalia, Madison's Notes Why is education so important in a democracy? Are democracies capable of producing the citizens they need? What do John Locke... Braver Angels Hundreds of liberal and conservative Americans gathered on May 13th to debate whether or not they believe non-discrimination laws... U.S. Constitution Scholarship Foundation The U.S. Constitution Bowl provides an opportunity for teams from all Nassau County (Florida) School District high schools and home school... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories On this date in 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first public message via telegraph. It went over the newly installed wire on Capitol ... Good morning, it's Friday, May 21, 2021, the day of the week when I reprise quotations intended to be uplifting ... Forty-eight years ago today, racetrack announcer Chic Anderson had a very good day. So did the star of his television ... | 
