Letter from the Editors
When Francis Scott Key wrote the poem “The Defense of Fort M’Henry” which would be set to music and sung as the American national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner,” he used his memories of the bombardment of Fort McHenry to present war as both a greatest threat to and the surest protector of the young American nation. We were, as our lead essayists this month note, founded in war. But what is the proper place of war and other military action in American politics now?
A little over a year ago when we sketched the plan for the topics that would be covered in the A Call to Liberty project, we had no way of knowing that this month’s question, “Can war be contained by liberal ideals” would be so relevant to our current political context. In these uneasy times it is worth it, we think, to take a moment to think about what our Founders thought about war in their time, and about what their principles might lead us to think about war in our own.
This Month's Further Reading and Listening
This month, Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall consider the growth of American military intervention since the Revolution, and Steve Ealy considers three 18th century pamphlets arguing over the question of war with America. After you read their work, we offer a few suggestions for further reading and listening. Gordon Wood and Jack Green talk a bit about some early American military actions. You’ll find economically influenced discussions of war in Bruce Bueno de Mesquita’s Econtalk episode as well as in Edwin Van der Haar’s piece on Adam Smith. Law and Liberty provides a book review about a recent work on religious war, and we have a suggestion for a Liberty Fund book to add to your shelf.
Document Collection
The Pamphlet Debate on the American Question in Great Britain, 1764-1776
Book Review
Unholy War
Countdown to the Declaration
New material every month as we explore the Declaration's past, present, and future.
12
months to go
Liberty v. Tyranny
A River Fed By Many Streams
There is a long tradition of debating the right to resistance: What aspects of that tradition were most influential in forming the Declaration mindset?
Education
Citizenship, Seminars, and the Declaration of Independence
What kind of education is necessary for a citizenry that takes the Declaration seriously?
Law & Constitutionalism
The Declaration of Independence and the American Theory of Government
Does the Declaration offer us any permanent guidance in thinking constitutionally?
Equality
Anything But Compromising
Writing a Declaration that could secure support required compromises and negotiations: How did these compromises chart the course of, or delay the recognition of equality for coming generations?
Political Institutions
Republican Government after the Digital Revolution
Does technology fundamentally alter the basis for representative government? Does it give us cause to reconsider the principles of the Declaration?
Philosophy & Theology
Against Authority
How important are religious and Enlightenment ideas to the concepts in the Declaration? Are these influences necessarily in conflict?
Political Economy
Economic Wisdom for Tumultuous Times
Why do we find ourselves refighting the same debates between open markets and mercantilism that preoccupied the 18th century?
Education
Educational Experience and the Challenge to Empire
What in the Founders’ education prepared them to be able to craft the Declaration? To what degree did it challenge the ideals of empire?
Liberty and Tyranny
Conditions of Revolution: Sic Sometimes Tyrannis
What sustains liberty? Does the Declaration offer a model for future political resistance to tyrants?
War & Peace
Declaring War—and Loyalty
The Declaration did not just declare American independence, but implicitly declared war on England. What happens to the voices of loyalists in the shadow of the revolution?
Law & Constitutionalism
Constitutional Tourism: Australia’s America
What is the constitutional importance of the Declaration of Independence?
Philosophy and Theology
Men Will Be Men: Religious and Enlightenment Ideas in the Declaration
Shifts in our prevailing philosophies and theologies seem to make the Declaration’s ideals little more than a pleasant fiction. Is the Declaration's ideal of lasting importance for religious and philosophical thinkers?
War & Peace
War: The Dreaded Enemy of Liberty
The American Revolution and subsequent constitution of the newly-formed United States reflected some of the key ideas of liberalism—natural rights, government by consent, and limits on state power. Can war be contained by liberal ideals?
Political Institutions
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How did the Declaration seek to vindicate the political rights of the colonists?
Political Economy
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Many of the colonists’ complaints centered on unjust taxation. To what extent do those complaints continue to be relevant today?
Political Institutions
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Has the model of representative government embraced by the Founders stood the test of time? Is it a dead hand holding us back or the backbone of our liberty?
War & Peace
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Does the Declaration offer a practical framework for future decisions regarding just war?
Find the full list of months, including archived and upcoming themes, on our Countdown page.
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