I dreamed of sitting on the Supreme Court. When I went to American University for its Washington Semester program, everyone in the room wanted to become President. I wanted to become Earl Warren. I had previously taken a survey of constitutional law class at Ripon College with my roommate and a professor who taught it …
On September 19, 1796, President George Washington gave his farewell address. Washington warned the new nation of two concerns: tribalism and foreign affairs. With the new republic still grasping the Constitution, Washington begins by reminding the citizenry of its importance. He reminds them how important a federal government for all Americans remains. “[A]ll the parts …
I restarted this blog last year to try to focus some nervous energy and sadness into something positive. I wanted to showcase what liberty and American values should look like. Through that research, I have seen a lot of darkness in our history that my education bypassed. We treated immigrants poorly from the beginning. Native …
Abraham Lincoln had been elected President in 1860 and many Southern Senators began leaving. Instead of attending Senate sessions, they went to secession committees. Sen. John Crittenden of Kentucky and his allies wanted to try to save the union through another compromise. As we all know, it failed and the Civil War began months later. …
I would update my Trumpcare page but I have no idea what is in the bill anymore. Will the taxes end? Who knows? Will my Grandmother still have a place to live through Medicaid? Who knows? Got to love a government that has no interest in transparency or the well-being of any people. Luckily, they …
My Country – The Virtue of Free Speech On another horrific day where someone shoots people they disagree with, we need to continue to value freedom of speech. A man with a questionable past got a gun and decided to shoot people he disagreed with. Nothing in those actions or that opinion derives itself from …
My Country – The Direct Primary On May 23, 1903, Wisconsin proposed a direct primary law, which voters approved in 1904. Other states had made attempts to regulate primaries but Wisconsin became the first on a state-wide level. Robert La Follette led the fight in Wisconsin. He began to fight against the political machine in …
My Country – Thaddeus Stevens and the Pauper School Laws On April 10, 1835, Thaddeus Stevens, then a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, spoke against the pauper school laws. Pauper School Laws Pauper school began in England. If indigent parents declared themselves paupers, their children could go to a specified school for a free education. …
My Country – The Fifteenth Amendment On this date in 1870, the Secretary of State certified that the Fifteenth Amendment became part of the Constitution. Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, …
My Country – Executive Order 9835 On March 21, 1947, President Truman issued executive order 9835. As previously noted, the program forced federal employees to loyalty pledges. “Loyalty boards were established to ascertain not only the ‘disloyal’ but also the ‘potentially disloyal’ employees. Appeals were allowed to a review board, but none to the courts.” …