| We begin this week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal by highlighting the Woodson Center’s 40th anniversary celebration. In a panel discussion, Bob Woodson and other esteemed guests highlighted the Center’s successes in working to rebuild crumbing communities in our nation’s major cities. They also discussed 1776 Unites, a series of essays written by prominent black scholars and writers that combat the New York Times’s 1619 Project, and its growing civic education curriculum that celebrates black heroes in American history. On a related note, noted linguist and scholar John McWhorter, a friend of the Woodson Center who has written multiple essays for 1776 Unites, recently appeared on Firing Line and spoke about the historical origins of critical race theory and modern “antiracist” teachings. Mark Hemingway highlights an important point that the 1619 Project all but avoided: exploring racism and the Democratic Party. As withering critiques of the Republican Party featured frequently in 1619’s various essays, the Democratic Party was mentioned in passing only three times. Hemingway argues that this obvious imbalance gives plausibility to the claim that the 1619 Project is a partisan ideological tool whose purpose is to secure a specific political outcome rather than an honest assessment of race and American history. Daniel J. Mahoney reviews Mark Blitz’s new book, “Reason and Politics,” noting that its “humane and fruitful dialectical search for wisdom about politics, the human soul, and the whole of things” is much needed today. Mahoney writes that Blitz’s analysis is grounded in the permanent things of human life and seeks to create healthy political communities through the study of political philosophy. Essential Reading Mark Hemingway, RealClearInvestigations Democrats who advanced a bill in June to remove statues of white supremacists from the U.S. Capitol ignored a central fact about those figures: All of them had been icons of their pa... In the News Philip Wegmann, RealClearPolitics Joseph Mendola, Concord Monitor Nate Hochman, American Mind John Sailer, City Journal Brian Clancy, The Fulcrum Erec Smith, City Journal Malcolm Jones, Daily Beast Charles Lipson, RealClearPolitics Kelly Field, Hechinger Report Jesse Wegman, New York Times John Berlau, Law & Liberty Thomas O'Rourke, The New Center Claire Low, Press of Atlantic City Daniel J. Mahoney, Law & Liberty Aaron Sibarium, Washington Free Beacon Bob Woodson, Kelly Wright, et al., Woodson Center Join the Woodson Center as it celebrates 40 years of renewing and restoring communities across America and empowering ordinary... James Archer Abbott, Elaine Rice Bachmann, & Stewart McLaurin, 1600 Sessions In February 23, 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy launched the most historic and celebrated redesign of the White House in its history. In this episode, Jonathan Rauch & Russ Roberts, EconTalk Journalist and author Jonathan Rauch talks about his book The Constitution of Knowledge with EconTalk host Russ Roberts... John McWhorter & Margaret Hoover, Firing Line Columbia University linguist and race commentator John McWhorter explains the origins of critical race theory, what the decades-old Amity Shlaes & Richard Reinsch, Liberty Law Talk Is it true what they say about planning and centralized government power? Award-winning author Amity Shlaes in her new book... Chris Flannery, American Story Israel Beilin was five years old when he and his family arrived in New York and, like the rest of the family, he spoke only Yiddish... Gary Schmitt, American Enterprise Institute In crafting the presidency, the Constitution’s architects imbued it with independence, unity, and the duty to “faithfully” execute the laws... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories Switching gears, 20 years ago today, George H.W. Bush, the retired 41st president of the United States, sent a poignant email ... It's Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, the day of the week when I reprise quotations intended to be uplifting or educational. ... Today is the 160th anniversary of the first federal income tax in the United States. It's not a date that gets ... | 