What explains such passionate philosophical disagreement between the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tea Party? The seemingly insurmountable divide between left and right is perhaps most clearly understood by their respective concepts of human nature. As understood by our Founders, human nature is innate. In the words of the Declaration of Independence, individuals are “endowed by their creator” with “natural rights,” among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Beyond that, individuals are born with different faculties and talents. Government should allow individuals to freely cultivate these …
You camped out by Best Buy for Black Friday, perused the neighborhood shops on Small Business Saturday, crashed the computer on Cyber Monday, but still didn’t get a gift for your father-in-law, stocking stuffers (that aren’t socks), or a good book to survive that four-hour layover in Atlanta. You need the First Principles gift list. We have collected the top 10 books from our list: Religious Liberty in the American Republic by Gerard V. Bradley: Whether your celebrations involve a menorah, a manger scene, or performing feats of strength for …
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, Julia Shaw discusses Occupy Wall Street. Click here to listen. Are there any similarities between Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party? What are their differences? Do they share any common ground? Be sure to click the above link to get answers to those questions and more! To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to more Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our podcast page.
America publishes roughly 288,000 books every year, more than any other country in the world. Although this is a wonderful reflection of our country’s thirst for knowledge, such a tidal wave of publications is a nightmare for people looking for top quality works. Where on earth do you begin to sort through the piles and piles of books? Here at Heritage, we have done the hard work for you and narrowed down the ocean of books into a condensed list of sources so you can spend less time searching and …
Our country is at a tipping point, yet the last thing we need to do is start anew. “We don’t need to remake America or discover new and untested principles,” says Heritage’s Matt Spalding. At times like these, we should return to our First Principles, which provide us with the wisdom and guidance we need to get our country back on the right path. The new First Principles section of the Heritage website is a one-stop shop to access the lessons of American political thought. The place to start (especially if you …
Knowing America’s history well is one of the first steps to becoming a well-rounded and knowledgeable conservative. It’s not always easy to remember the many dates, speeches, people, and events from the past 235 years, and The Heritage Foundation knows that. As a result, we have created a new one-stop shop for America’s first principles and historical inquiries on the newly designed Heritage First Principles website. With Congress in constant battles over tax policy and budgetary issues, the key questions underlying nearly every issue can be answered by America’s first …
The Constitution of the United States of America has endured over two centuries. It remains the object of reverence for nearly all Americans and an object of admiration by peoples around the world. Unfortunately, the assault by 20th century liberal theorists and activist judges has seriously undermined respect for America’s core principles, denigrating some constitutional rights they disagree with and making up others. Fortunately, there has been a renewed interest in the Constitution in recent years, as Americans seek to understand the founding principles and enduring truths that form the bedrock …
The Constitution of the United States of America has endured over two centuries. It remains the object of reverence for nearly all Americans and an object of admiration by peoples around the world. Unfortunately, the assault by 20th century liberal theorists and activist judges have seriously undermined respect for America’s core principles, denigrating some constitutional rights they disagree with and making up others. Clearly, the future of liberty depends on America reclaiming its constitutional first principles. Join us for an extraordinary series of events as we do our part to …
Today we celebrate Memorial Day, and in a special Heritage in Focus podcast, The Heritage Foundation’s vice president of American Studies, Matt Spalding, fills us in on the history and importance of this day. “If you want to get a sense of what Memorial Day is, the great poet is Lincoln,” Spalding says. “Lincoln was able to connect the death of soldiers to what America means.” As we honor our soldiers, it’s important to recall the timeless principles that have enabled us to enjoy our freedoms and flourish as a …
It is that time of the year again: Christmas gift list guides are out. (Find out which book made both the Claremont Institute’s book list and Virginia State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s reading list!) If you are looking for the perfect gift, a good book for the airplane, or something to do while the in-laws are visiting, check out the New Common Sense book list. In addition to our First Principles perspective on the issues of the day, the weekly e-newsletter New Common Sense features a book of interest on …
