Leadership
Top 10 Government Showdowns
In honor of the debt-ceiling drama playing out here in Washington, Time Magazine has put together a list of Top 10 Government Showdowns in American history. I was initially delighted…
Read MoreBurr v. Hamilton: 207 years ago
The New York Times today commemorated the 207th anniversary of the Burr-Hamilton duel with an account of a journey to Weehawken that I took with the Times reporter, James Barron. …
Read MoreThe Fourth and Thomas Jefferson
What better way to prepare for the Fourth of July, which celebrates Thomas Jefferson’s brilliant Declaration of Independence, than to reflect on the never-ending dispute over whether Jefferson fathered from…
Read MoreThe (Ab)Uses of History
As we enter the presidential campaign season, pity the Founding Fathers. Among the recent incantations of the Founding Fathers by Republican hopefuls, we find: Mitt Romney, with characteristic vagueness, launched…
Read MoreFive Amendments That Would Surprise the Framers
Yesterday, after I delivered a talk on the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a gentleman in the book-signing line asked an interesting question: “Which of the constitutional amendments would be most…
Read MoreBlagojevich and the Founders
It’s open season on the Founders. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), who is looking at a run for president as an Extreme Right-wing choice, has already revealed that she became a…
Read MoreMessing Around With Your Votes, Part I
Two recent developments illustrate how the democracy we enjoy here in the Citadel of Liberty is both flawed and fragile. First, a movement is gathering force for a back-door change…
Read MoreJudging a Book By Its Title: Forgetting The Forgotten Founder
In my experience, choosing a book title is an agonizing process. The title must perform several functions at once: It must give the reader some idea what is inside the…
Read MoreHollywood History
I was both pleased and disappointed with the new Robert Redford-directed movie about the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, The Conspirator. I need to lower my expectations about such treatments,…
Read MoreStill Looking for Alexander
I applaud those who try to bring history to life and share it with the largest possible audiences. But it’s not an automatic pass. You still need to tell the…
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