|, , , , , , ,

Joseph Ellis’s American Monologue

by |28 Comments

Junius Brutus Stearns, "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention," 1856 (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts).
In Joseph Ellis’ view, it’s just fine for us to love the Founders, but not for anyone to understand them in ways that might derail the march of progress.

|, , , , , , , ,

Refreshing and Disturbing: Anthony Peacock on Thucydides and The Federalist

by |2 Comments

Peacock’s rediscovery of the lost Federalist is a much needed corrective to contemporary scholarship.

|, , , , ,

McClay’s Master Work: A History for Citizens

by |1 Comment

Finally, a narrative account of the United States for students that comprehends the flaws, but also the greatness, of a self-governing nation.

|, , , ,

Originalism Protects the Timelessness of the Constitution

by |1 Comment

Photo by andrey_l (shutterstock.com)
Originalism was the way Constitutional law was done until the progressive era came up with the idea of the living constitution.

|, , , , , , , , , ,

Fear God. Honor the Emperor. A Conversation with Robert Louis Wilken

by |1 Comment

St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City.
Robert Louis Wilken discusses his new book Liberty in the Things of God.

|, , , ,

How to Rebalance Power Between Congress and the Executive Branch

by |8 Comments

U.S. Capitol (Tono Balaguer/Shutterstock.com)
Congress faces an inherent collective action problem relative to the President, one that means legislators underinvest in the institution itself.

|, , , ,

A Corrupt Republic? Hamilton, Madison, and the Rise of Oligarchy

by |1 Comment

Federal Hall on Wall Street, New York, New York (Image: oneinchpunch/shutterstock.com).
Jay Cost asks his readers to reconsider the ways that corruption all too easily flows from the federal government, in every era.

|, , , , , ,

James Madison: A Great Political Theorist, But Not A Great Lawyer

by |3 Comments

Federalist 9 and 10 (Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com).
For all his contributions to the convention, Madison was not put on the Committee on Detail that provided the penultimate draft of our fundamental law.

|, , , ,

Peter Onuf’s Jefferson

by |Leave a Comment

A great historian shows us how much there is still to learn about the nation’s third President.

|, , , , ,

Centinel’s Argument Against Bicameralism

by |4 Comments

An undated Anti-Federalist Broadside, "Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! A scheme has been discovered," Library of Congress Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 134, Folder 32.
It would be ironic if American politicians were insufficiently ambitious to sustain a system predicated on “ambition counteracting ambition."

About

Law & Liberty’s focus is on the classical liberal tradition of law and political thought and how it shapes a society of free and responsible persons. This site brings together serious debate, commentary, essays, book reviews, interviews, and educational material in a commitment to the first principles of law in a free society. Law & Liberty considers a range of foundational and contemporary legal issues, legal philosophy, and pedagogy.

The opinions expressed on Law & Liberty are solely those of the contributors to the site and do not reflect the opinions of Liberty Fund.

© 2019 Liberty Fund, Inc.