The Winter 2011/2012 issue of the Claremont Review of Books was packed full of interesting reviews and essays (as they all are.) One of these provided the inspiration for this article, which examines the efficacy of international tribunals in changing the hearts and minds of those under their jurisdiction.   Read the rest of this entry »

James Best's latest book, Principled Action provides an excellent analysis of the American Founding and what made it unique. However, it also provides considerable insight into the motivations of the current grass-roots movement for a return to constitutionalism. Thus Principled Action is 9 parts history and 1 part political philosophy.   Read the rest of this entry »

The following is an excerpt from an essay written by Fisher Ames while Massachusetts was struggling with the Shays' Rebellion in 1786. The man could write!   Read the rest of this entry »

It is interesting to look at the Federalists through the lens of history. Hamilton, Madison and Jay were frequently spot on with their observations and predictions. Some of Hamilton's arguments are a little hard to follow in their logic, but in spite of his occasional rhetorical license, he was right more often than not.   Read the rest of this entry »

James Madison wrote the following letter in the interval between Constitutional Convention and its ratification by the States. It's interesting for a number of reasons. Historically, it provides insight into Madison's perspective on The Bill of Rights, why it was not included in the Constitution to start with, and his motivation for championing it after the Convention. By the time the Constitution was ratified, and the first Congress was in session, much of the political impetus behind it had dissipated. Madison persisted and mostly thanks to his efforts, the Amendments became part of the Constitution.   Read the rest of this entry »

In this essay, Hamilton continues his arguments for an empowered federal government. This time his argument revolves around the proposition that the dangers of federal forces are the same faced by governments of any size. Furthermore, the people are better off if they can play the federal government off against the state governments, siding with one or the other to prevent usurpation by either.   Read the rest of this entry »

Twitter is pretty good at making comparisons ...   Read the rest of this entry »

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you! Here is a quick look at some parts of the narrative.   Read the rest of this entry »

In this Federalist, Hamilton seeks to address concerns about the dangers of standing army. Many of his arguments are logical, but could also be applied to different ends. It is interesting to consider the connotations implied by some of the general principles that he lays out.   Read the rest of this entry »

In this essay, Hamilton continues his arguments for an empowered federal government, positing that a highly engaged and active government (within the bounds of its enumerated powers), would be more likely to keep the peace and not have to resort to exercising its power in order to enforce order.   Read the rest of this entry »