• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • James Madison

    PBS Constitutional Road Trip: Smooth Ride with a Few Bumps

    This week, PBS premiered part one of a four-part series on the Constitution. In it, Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, rode around America astride a decked-out flag motorcycle to investigate the Constitution in modern America. And the first leg of his journey was surprisingly good. … More

    Security and Liberty: How to Maximize Both

    The horrific terrorist attack in Boston this week, and the ensuing investigation to find the person or persons responsible, once again highlight the age-old question: How must America balance security and liberty? We at The Heritage Foundation cherish both individual liberty and security and have written about both before and … More

    The Diversity of the Founding

    In the latest paper in the Makers of American Political Thought series, Colleen Sheehan looks at the long career of James Madison. In it, we see that “diversity” was a key component of the American Founding. Of course, Madisonian diversity had nothing to do with tallying up racial, ethnic, or … More

    Senator Orrin Hatch on Robert Bork’s Legacy and Role of the Supreme Court

    Everyone ascending the steps of the National Archives building sees these words chiseled in stone: “Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty.” No one was more vigilant than Judge Robert Bork, who passed away in December, in courageously defending principles that make our liberty possible. In 1968, then a Yale … More

    Constitutional Countdown

    What can someone accomplish in four months? It’s possible to play an entire NFL football season, but you’d need another full month to complete the playoffs. You could try to build a new home. But you’d need plenty of cooperation from your contractor to get it finished on time. Or … More

    James Madison: Father and Defender of the Constitution

    George Washington has a monument; Jefferson has a memorial; and even James Buchanan has a spot in Washington, D.C., dedicated to his legacy. But there’s no slab of marble in honor of James Madison. Yesterday was James Madison’s birthday, so today let us then remember his legacy as the father of … More

    Three Cheers for Mr. Madison

    If forced to enter a duel with a Founder, James Madison would be an easy opponent—slender, diminutive, and painfully shy. But if you were to engage in any sort of intellectual debate with “little Jimmy,” you would indeed suffer a cerebral defeat. Today we celebrate Madison’s birthday, and though he … More

    Madison’s Factions in Wisconsin

    The future of democracy is at stake in Wisconsin.  According to Paul Krugman, “what Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to do is to make Wisconsin — and eventually, America — less of a functioning democracy and more of a third-world-style oligarchy.” Thousands stormed the Wisconsin state capitol to … More

    Hungary’s New Constitution: Ideas have Consequences

    In what will surely be a publicity boon for Apple, especially among political scientists, Hungary’s new constitution is being written on an iPad. Thus far, this is one of the best known bits of information concerning Hungary’s current constitution drafting process. But lovers of liberty should take note of Hungary’s … More

    Morning Bell: A Capitol Travesty

    Like everything else that comes out of Congress, the initial intentions were good: to build a visitors center that shields citizens from extreme heat and humidity and provides greater security for people working in or visiting the U.S. Capitol. But what began as a $265 million project in 2000 ballooned … More