Our Constitution

A Republic Versus A Democracy, Why?

June 13, 2024 John Barrett 1

A Republic Versus A Democracy… The Details: My bet is that virtually all of you have been taught that the U.S. is a democracy. That is wrong. The U.S. is a republic. And the difference is extremely important. The Constitution only refers to a form of government in one place. Article 4, Section 4, states, “The United States shall guarantee to each State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” What is the difference between a republic and a democracy? When I was in school, I was taught that the use of representatives made us a representative democracy or republic, as opposed to a direct democracy. That is certainly in line with current dictionaries. […]

Civics

Only In America: Dr. Huyler’s Introduction

June 6, 2024 Guest Writer 2

Welcome Dr. Huyler and the “Only in America” Series! Dr. Jerome Huyler joins The Founding Project website to bring our members his publication, Only In America. Huyler’s work is a study of America and also on civics education in America and will be presented on The Founding Project website in a series of articles.  In particular, Dr. Huyler responds to one author’s book, which has come to influence a version of civics education that does not coordinate or coincide with the full civics education programs once prevalent in our schools. In Dr. Huyler’s introduction, he begins to contrast the message of this one book and its conflict with prior decades of teaching.  And, in his […]

Economics

Government’s Debt Ceiling, Defined

April 25, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

What is the Debt Ceiling Limit? The debt ceiling is a limit imposed by Congress on how much debt the federal government can carry at any given time. When the debt ceiling is reached, the US Treasury cannot issue anymore treasury bills, bonds or notes. It can only pay bills as it receives tax revenues. In other words, each time the debt ceiling is increased, it essentially allows the federal government to pay bills above its means. Average Citizen Comparison We can compare this practice to a personal credit card issued by a bank in your name. At issue, you were given a credit limit of $3,000.00 with an interest rate of 21% per year. […]

Our Founders

Abigail, The First Feminist

April 14, 2024 Clay Blanche 0

Abigail Adams – First Lady and First Feminist Abigail was born Abigail Smith in Weymouth, Ma on Nov. 11, 1744 to Elizabeth Quincy Smith and William Smith. Young Abigail Smith was romantic, energetic and intelligent, at the same time shy and very determined, a mix that seemed to always lead to her being in trouble and causing mischief. Young Abigail She was educated at home, only young men were given formal training but, she overcame this minor setback by the use of her maternal grandfather’s extensive library.  Miss Smith excelled in academics with a preference for math, philosophy, and government. With no formal education, she was very self-conscious about her inability to spell and punctuate […]

Our Constitution

What Are Unalienable Rights

April 4, 2024 John Barrett 0

Exploring the Source of Our Rights…and Why No Entity Can Take Them From You Thomas Jefferson was very clear as to the source of our rights and why that was important.  No matter what you may have heard about Thomas Jefferson –  I know when I was in high school, it was we were taught that Jefferson was an atheist – he spent a good portion of his life crediting God for our country and promoting that idea that our rights are the gift of God. In Rights of British America (1774), Jefferson wrote, “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot […]

Shays Rebellion and the Constitution

April 3, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Shays Rebellion was an uprising in Massachusetts that took place in 1787. It was in response to dire economic conditions after the Revolutionary War and Government indifference to the plight of rural Massachusettsans.  Shays Rebellion highlighted deficiencies of the weak central government under the Articles of Confederation. As a result, many historians consider it a catalyst to the adoption of our current Constitution.  Economic Problems  In 1780, Daniel Shays retired from service in the Revolutionary War after he became injured. The Fledging United States of America operated at that time under the Articles of Confederation. This first effort to organize a Government in the new World gave almost no power to the Central Government. Although […]

Our Founders

The Revolutionary Love Story: The Adams Family

February 14, 2024 Maggie Dine 0

Love, Freedom and a Revolution: The Story of John and Abigail Once upon a time, a boy met a girl.  Their love story unfolded amidst the backdrop of a revolution and the founding of a new nation… They met when Abigail was only 15 years old and John was a young man (reports vary as to whether he was 23 or 24) and neither was at all impressed with the other.  Abigail was a lithe girl, when society only found women of more weight to be attractive, and John was noted to be a bit round in the middle and already showed the promise of baldness.  John noted in a diary that he didn’t particularly […]

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