UN Day of Shame |JBS News Analysis
Today is a somber day for American sovereignty and independence. If the Founding Fathers were still here, they would be in the town...
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Patriotic Self Reliance Beats FEMA Hurricane Rescue Efforts
While hurricane clean up continues in the Southeast, stories from boots-on-the-ground citizen journalists are helping to demonstrate the proper role of government and...
Lesson 1: State Sovereignty, Federalism, and the Right to Refuse Unconstitutional Federal Acts
In the United States, the balance of power between the federal government and the states is governed by the principles of federalism and state sovereignty. Federalism...
Lesson 2: Understanding State Sovereignty, Federalism, and States’ Rights
In the early years of the United States, the balance of power between the states and the federal government was a major issue....
Lesson 3: The Treaty of Paris and State Sovereignty in Early America
When the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, they asserted that each of the 13 colonies was not just breaking...
Lesson 4: Understanding State Sovereignty and Federalism Through the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, authored by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, are key documents for understanding the principles of state...
Lesson 5: The Constitution as a Compact Between Sovereign States
Understanding that the Constitution is a compact between sovereign states is essential for grasping the nature of American federalism and the limits of...
Lesson 6: Applying Contract Law to Understand the Compact Theory of the Constitution
To fully grasp the compact theory of the Constitution, it's helpful to compare it to concepts in contract law. This analogy can make...
Lesson 7: Nullification in Practice
Nullification is a practical and constitutional method by which states can push back against federal overreach without dissolving the Union. It allows states...
Lesson 8: Nullification — A Solo or a Chorus?
Nullification, the power of a state to invalidate unconstitutional federal actions, can be exercised by a single state independently or by multiple states...
Lesson 9: Overcoming “Potomac Fever” and Restoring Constitutional Governance
“Potomac Fever” refers to the obsession with federal power and the belief that all political solutions must come from Washington, D.C. This lesson...
Lesson 10: Party Above Principle — The Rise of Partisan Politics and the Erosion of State Sovereignty
The Founders designed the U.S. Senate to preserve the state sovereignty and keep the federal government in check. However, the ratification of the...
Lesson 11: What Would Jefferson Do? — Defending Nullification and State Sovereignty
The concept of nullification often faces harsh criticism, with proponents being labeled as radicals or secessionists. However, nullification is rooted in the very...
Lesson 12: Madison’s Confidence in State Resistance and the Reality of Modern Federalism
In The Federalist, No. 46, James Madison expressed great confidence in the states’ ability and willingness to resist federal overreach. He believed that any...
Lesson 13: The Storm of Statism and the Remedy of State Sovereignty
The union is facing a storm of despotism, with federal overreach threatening to drown the sovereignty of the states. This lesson examines how...
Introduction, Part 1
What if there was a recipe that turned ordinary men into the architects of liberty? The Founders didn’t just stumble upon greatness; they...
Introduction, Part 2
The Founding Fathers didn’t just study history—they lived by it. They knew that the key to safeguarding America from the fate of fallen republics lay in...
01. St. Paul
The apostle who turned divine inspiration into letters that shaped Western thought; his epistles pack more punch than any tweet. ...
02. Montesquieu
The French philosopher who advocated that power in government should be split like a pie, ensuring liberty with each delicious slice. ...
03. Sir William Blackstone
The legal giant whose Commentaries on the Laws of England became the encyclopedia of common law; he laid down the law like no...
04. John Locke
The philosopher who made the case for life, liberty, and property; his ideas sparked revolutions and helped lay the foundation of popular sovereignty....
05a. David Hume
The Scottish skeptic who questioned everything and still managed to charm with his wit and wisdom. His “History of England” was immeasurably influential....
05b. David Hume
The Scottish skeptic who questioned everything and still managed to charm with his wit and wisdom. His “History of England” was immeasurably influential....
06. Plutarch
The biographer whose Parallel Lives made ancient heroes feel like next-door neighbors; he brought history to life with every pen stroke. ...
07. Cesare Beccaria
The young Italian thinker who argued that punishment should fit the crime; he insisted that justice was a cause worth fighting for. ...
08. John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon
The dynamic duo who wrote Cato’s Letters, stirring up republican sentiment with their pen-and-paper rebellion. ...
09. Jean-Luis Delolme
The Swiss writer who dissected the English constitution with surgical precision, revealing the secrets of its success. ...
10. Samuel Pufendorf
The German jurist who saw the law of nations as a science, making the case for natural rights with academic flair. His blending...
11. Sir Edward Coke
The legal lion whose fight for common law and parliamentary power roared through history, leaving an indelible mark. ...
12. Cicero
Rome’s greatest orator whose speeches and writings laid the groundwork for republican ideals, natural law, and eloquence. ...
13. Thomas Hobbes
The philosopher who saw life as “nasty, brutish, and short” but gave us the social contract to make it bearable. ...
14. William Robertson
The historian whose narratives of Scotland and the Americas offered a grand view of human progress. ...
15a. Hugo Grotius
The father of international law, whose work laid the foundation for a more just and orderly world. His On the Law of War...
15b. Hugo Grotius
The father of international law, whose work laid the foundation for a more just and orderly world. His On the “Law of War...
16. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The philosopher who believed in the goodness of man and the corrupting influence of society; he inspired revolutions with his radical ideas. ...
17. Lord Bolingbroke
The statesman and philosopher who blended political theory with practical wisdom, advocating for a balanced constitution. ...
18. Francis Bacon
The father of the scientific method who urged us to think empirically and systematically; knowledge truly is power. He wrote of an imaginary...
19. Richard Price
The Welsh moral philosopher and mathematician who championed liberty, reason, and social progress in equal measure. He argued that education is the key...
20. William Shakespeare
The Bard whose plays and sonnets captured the human condition in all its glory and folly; his influence transcends time. ...
21. Livy
The Roman historian whose tales of early Rome blended myth and fact into an epic narrative that is more captivating than any adventure...
22. Alexander Pope
The satirical poet whose sharp wit and heroic couplets skewered the pretentious and illuminated the human experience. His insights on good government were...
23. John Milton
The poet and polemicist whose republican writings taught our Founding Fathers the value of freedom of speech and nearly cost Milton his life....
24. Tacitus
The Roman historian whose Annals and Histories are unmatched in their incisive critique of power and corruption. ...
25. Plato
The philosopher who envisioned an ideal republic and explored the depths of human knowledge through dialogue and allegory. ...
26. Abbe Guillaume Raynal
The French writer whose critique of European colonialism called for justice and humanity in a global context. ...
27. Abbe Gabriel Mably
The philosopher and historian whose ideas on equality and justice challenged the status quo of his time. A friend of John Adams and...
28. Niccolo Machiavelli
The political strategist who revealed the darker side of power in “The Prince,” and whose “Discourses on Livy” taught the Founders the key...
29a. Emer de Vattel
The Swiss legal theorist whose work on international law influenced the formation of nations and the conduct of states. His Law of Nations...
29b. Emer de Vattel
The Swiss legal theorist whose work on international law influenced the formation of nations and the conduct of states. His Law of Nations...
30. William Petyt
The legal antiquarian whose writings on the history of Parliament and liberty were foundational for later constitutional thought. ...