Five Myths of the Constitutional Convention

Two hundred twenty-five years ago today, several dozen worried Americans met in Philadelphia to change the American government.  Some of the delegates to that 1787 convention intended only to rewrite the Articles of Confederation, which had been in effect for only six years but already were failing.  Others aimed to scrap the Articles entirely and…

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The Problem of Intellectual Theft

What can a writer do when someone else takes his work without admitting it?  That’s the question posed in a poignant and measured piece posted today by Richard Labunski at the History News Network. In 2006, Labunski published James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights.  As part of that book, he addressed…

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A "Forever" Stamp for Thaddeus Stevens!

I agree with Don Gallagher of Lititz, PA:  It’s time to honor Thad Stevens. While working on Impeached, my book about the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, I developed a powerful respect and affection for Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, the “Radical” Republican from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Even though he was never Speaker of the House of…

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