All Posts Tagged With: "John Adams"

Fear-Mongering and Servitude

In his 1776 essay, “Thoughts on Government,” John Adams observed, “Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be likely to approve of any political institution which is founded on it.” The [...]

22Jun2011 | James Bovard | 33 comments | Continued

The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) is among the most famous in its history. Shrouded in myth and featuring a cast of historical demigods, the story of the case is a staple of biographies of the second, third, and fourth presidents, as well as Chief Justice John Marshall. Constitutional law courses commonly [...]

25Aug2010 | Kevin Gutzman | 1 comment | Continued

The Constitutional Republicanism of John Taylor of Caroline

“Great power often corrupts virtue; it invariably renders vice more malignant . . . . In proportion as the powers of government increase, both its own character and that of the people becomes worse.” —John Taylor of Caroline, 1814 John Taylor of Caroline has a secure place in the history of American political thought. Charles [...]

1May2008 | Joseph R. Stromberg | 0 comments | Continued

Lee’s Legion of Lessons

The state is a harsh taskmaster with a taste for eating its own. A man may devote much of his life to its violence only to find himself on the receiving end one day. The Bible warns that “all those who take up the sword perish by the sword.” Yet distressing numbers of folks try [...]

1Sep2007 | Becky Akers | 1 comment | Continued

Democracy or Republic?

Walter Williams is the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University. How often do we hear the claim that our nation is a democracy? Was a democratic form of government the vision of the Founders? As it turns out, the word democracy appears nowhere in the two most fundamental founding documents [...]

1Jun2007 | Walter E. Williams | 0 comments | Continued

States’ Rights Revisited

Lamenting the Supreme Court’s recent batch of pro-federalism decisions, the New York Times termed the Court’s newfound affinity for states’ rights “Supreme mischief,” “deeply disturbing” to right-thinkers everywhere. One expects such talk from dedicated cheerleaders for centralized power. What’s more disturbing, however, is the extent to which the Times’s perspective has gained credence among advocates [...]

1Dec1999 | Gene Healy | 7 comments | Continued

The Long Affair: Thomas Jefferson and the French Revolution, 1785-1800 by Conor Cruise O’Brien

University of Chicago Press • 1996 • 385 pages • $29.95 Dr. Skoble is Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Southeast Missouri State University. Although Thomas Jefferson is popularly known as a great statesman, historians have long been aware that he, like everyone else, was not as purely good as his popular image would suggest. [...]

1Jul1997 | Aeon J. Skoble | 1 comment | Continued

Risk

Who should decide how much risk you should take? Proponents of government safety regulation think that the government has the expertise to decide this issue for you. Professor John Adams of University College London presents a case for more individual autonomy. While the government may have the manpower and the budget to commission numerous studies, [...]

1Feb1996 | John Semmens | 0 comments | Continued

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