Christmas, 1776. Summer had begun with strong declarations of noble ideals, but by winter the cause of liberty seemed to be at low ebb. Having suffered defeat after defeat, many had all but given up hope. It looked like freedom would succumb yet again, as it had throughout history, to the forces of authoritarianism and tyranny. Then, on Christmas Day, 1776, a small band of colonial forces under the command of Gen. George Washington, having retreated all the way from New York, again crossed the Delaware River and brought battle …
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 …
Lunch With Heritage Chat feat. Matt Spalding
Topping the list of reforms in the Tea Party’s Contract From America is “Protect the Constitution.” Additionally, as part of their pledge to America, House Republicans will require all bills to cite specific constitutional authority. While some criticize such emphasis on the founding document, branding it “constitution-worship,” the fervor is not without substance. Because both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence contain core principles that are the foundation of America’s success, understanding the meaning of these documents and principles they contain is absolutely imperative. A Citizen’s Introduction to the …
For more than 200 hundred years, America’s first principles—liberty and equality, natural rights the consent of the governed, private property, religious freedom, the rule of law and constitutionalism—have defined us as a nation and united us as a people. America’s founding principles are not just ideas fit for the 18th century. Just watch our new film, We Still Hold These Truths, featuring citizens who think about the founding principles in their daily lives. Through these one-on-one interviews with parents, entrepreneurs, young professionals, and a very wise Texan, we understand how …
What author wouldn’t cherish a plug of his book by an attractive, poised public speaker who really knows how to excite and inspire a crowd? And we don’t mean President Barack Obama citing “The Defining Moment,” Jonathan Alter’s book on FDR. This was Rep. Michele Bachmann, revving up CPAC with a speech that wound up quoting, um, liberally from “We Still Hold These Truths,” Heritage scholar Matthew Spalding’s book on America’s founding principles. The Minnesota Republican, as this clip shows, apparently likes how Spalding describes a very different defining moment: the …
This season’s snow falls and Snowpocalypse presents a great opportunity to remember our president who also suffered through the cold to save the Republic. Happy William Henry Harrison Day! No wait. That is not right. Failing to wear a coat in cold weather is not the same as defeating the British during a blizzard. The third Monday in February has come to be known—wrongly—as President’s Day. But, this is not a day to celebrate every president in our Nation’s history: like one who served only a month in office. This …
Forget George Washington, James Madison, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln—nothing meaningful happened in America before 1877. That’s the lesson North Carolina public high schools may start teaching. Under proposed changes in their high school history curriculum, the U.S. History course (which seniors take) will cover events from 1877 forward only. It will be as if the American Founding never happened. According to Rebecca Garland, the chief academic officer for North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the goal of this change is to teach what students will feel connected to, “where they …
Christmas, 1776. Summer had begun with strong declarations of noble ideals, but by winter the cause of liberty seemed to be at low ebb. Having suffered defeat after defeat, many had all but given up hope. It looked like freedom would succumb yet again, as it had throughout history, to the forces of authoritarianism and tyranny. Then, on Christmas Day, 1776, a small band of colonial forces under the command of Gen. George Washington, having retreated all the way from New York, again crossed the Delaware River and brought battle …
This is the final video on Matt Spalding’s new book, We Still Hold These Truths. The battle against Progressivism is not lost, counsels Spalding. Properly educating our children to know and appreciate both the founding principles of America and the importance of the free enterprise system are two ways to combat the growing threat to personal liberty and freedom. “If we intend to govern ourselves from this point forward, we have to go back to these principles. Otherwise, someone is going to govern us.” Watch:
