5/16/2022

This past week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with the latest piece in our ongoing “Making Citizens Series,” which explores a surprising place where free speech is being threatened: Saint Vincent College in rural Pennsylvania. Due to a single presentation in a recent conference hosted by the Center for Political and Economic Thought, which promotes the study of the American constitutional order, the College’s administration took away the center’s institutional independence. The center’s director, Bradley C. S. Watson, reports a chilling effect on its future ability to host speakers and its financial stability going forward.

At Law & Liberty, Titus Techera marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great American general, Ulysses S. Grant. Techera writes, “Here is a serious man who loves his country and hopes the institutional bulwarks against civil war will suffice; a man who does not encourage by word or deed outbursts of passion. Caution is his watchword, not least because he trusts ordinary Americans and elite politicians to put the constitutional way of life above anything else.” Techera argues that Grant’s great lesson for us today is that we need to reverse the growing separation between republican government and the military – an issue that requires the attention of leaders who understand the American notion of justice.

Chris Burkett examines the various issues with the Articles of Confederation as part of the 2022 90-day study essay series at Constituting America. He argues under the Articles, Congress lacked meaningful powers and, like the Holy Roman Empire, the Articles lacked any way to require states to act within its framework. “The framers of the Constitution remedied these defects,” Burkett contends, “by creating an independent executive with a large degree of discretionary power, especially in the area of foreign affairs.” The framers also added a house of Congress – the House of Representatives – and gave it the power to tax, which would counter the ability of a single state to thwart the Constitution.