Free Republic

Our Ageless Constitution "The structure has been erected by architects of consummate skill and fidelity; its foundations are solid; its components are beautiful, as well as useful; its arrangements are full of wisdom and order...." -Justice Joseph Story Justice Story's words pay tribute to the United States Constitution and its Framers. Shortly before the 100th year of the Constitution, in his "History of the United States of America," written in 1886, historian George Bancroft said: "The Constitution is to the American people a possession for the ages." He went on to say: "In America, a new people had risen up without...

Springfield, Ills, April 6, 1859 Messrs. Henry L. Pierce, & others. Gentlemen Your kind note inviting me to attend a Festival in Boston, on the 13th. Inst. in honor of the birth-day of Thomas Jefferson, was duly received. My engagements are such that I can not attend. Bearing in mind that about seventy years ago, two great political parties were first formed in this country, that Thomas Jefferson was the head of one of them, and Boston the head-quarters of the other, it is both curious and interesting that those supposed to descend politically from the party opposed to Jefferson...

Private Property Rights - A basic Premise Of America's Constitution Tired of having the fruits of their labors confiscated by an overpowering British government, America's Founders declared themselves free and independent. Most American schoolchildren can recite their claim that ". all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights ... to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Less familiar, however, are these lines from their Declaration of Independence: "He ( King George III ) has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance .......

Our Constitution embodied a UNIQUE IDEA. Nothing like it had ever been done before. The power of the idea was in the recognition that people's rights are granted directly by the Creator - not by the state - and that the people, then, and only then, grant rights to government. The concept is so simple, yet so very fundamental and far-reaching. CREATOR People Government America's founders embraced a previously unheard-of political philosophy which held that people are "...endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain unalienable rights.." This was the statement of guiding principle for the new nation, and, as such,...

An Enlightened, Committed People Who Understand The Principles Of Our Constitution - The Most Effective Means Of Preserving Liberty "Although all men are born free, slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant - they have been cheated; asleep - they have been surprised; divided - the yoke has been forced upon them. But what is the lesson? ...the people ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government they should watch over it.... It is universally admitted that a well-instructed people alone can be permanently free." James Madison America's...

Sean Hannity's use this week of President Reagan's Christmas Message may have noted the stark difference between the content of that message with those of last year and this year.The contrast we may not have been able to draw, however, is the contrast between the current President's messages and the words and celebrations of Presidents throughout the past 200 years.Without reviewing them all, however, and especially for young people who may visit FR, may I suggest that visitors here also visit the web site of Wallbuilders.com where such information has been collected and referenced. Democrats and others who may think...

The U. S. Constitution's Precious Cargo* "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court even can do much to help it." - Judge Learned Hand The Constitution's words are only the vehicles which carry great ideas across the centuries. The precious cargo must be defined, protected, and treasured by "We, the People" in order for its benefits to accrue to each generation. Take the word, "liberty". What message does this semantic vehicle bring? Abe Lincoln: "We all declare for...

Will The Great American Experiment Succeed? Thomas Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, enumerated what he called 'the essential principles of our government. . . which ought to shape its Administration.' He then stated: "These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and...

The Jubilee of the Constitution A DISCOURSE Delivered at the Request of The New York Historical Society In the City of New York, On Tuesday, the 30th of April, 1839 Being the Fiftieth Anniversary Of the INAUGURATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON as President of the United States on Thursday, 30th of April, 1789. by John Quincy Adams   (Eldest son of John Adams, born in 1767, served as Minister to the Netherlands under President Washington, as minister to Prussia and to Russia, as Secretary of State, and as U.S. Senator.  He was the Sixth President of the United States and...

Natural Law - The Ultimate Source of Constitutional Law"Man ... must necessarily be subject to the laws of his Creator.. This will of his Maker is called the law of nature.... This law of nature...is of course superior to any other.... No human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this: and such of them as are valid derive all their force...from this original." - Sir William Blackstone (Eminent English Jurist) The Founders DID NOT establish the Constitution for the purpose of granting rights. Rather, they established this government of laws (not a government of men) in order...

President's Day is a day to celebrate those Presidents who have exhibited untiring devotion and dedication to the essential ideas of liberty, as laid out in the Declaration of Independence and structured into the Constitution of the United States. recognizing that Constitution's limits on their power. Early Presidents, such as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Jackson stressed that Constitution's principles as the guardian of liberty for the nation and its people. A president whose philosophy fails to recognize the superiority and sovereign "people's power" of that document undoes all the monumental work accomplished by the Founders on behalf of liberty...

Governor Bev Perdue today announced that Bob Etheridge, former U.S. Representative from North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, will take office today as the director of the Office of Economic Recovery and Investment. Etheridge replaces Dempsey Benton, who stepped down after leading the office for more than a year and half. “As former congressman, Bob Etheridge knows how important it is to continue to create jobs and provide important services across the state,” Perdue said. “It is vitally important to continue to manage North Carolina Recovery funds responsibly and provide oversight as projects unfold, with an eye on the state’s best...

From Bartleby's:    Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations.  1989.     NUMBER: 71 AUTHOR: Dean Alfange (1900–  ) QUOTATION: I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon—if I can. I seek opportunity—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the...

Will The Great American Experiment Succeed? Thomas Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, enumerated what he called 'the essential principles of our government . which ought to shape its Administration.' He then stated: "These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we...

Part of the dilemma Obama and his merry band of so-called "progressives" face (ideologues who are, in fact, regressive in their Mao/Marx/Keynesian philosophy) is their underestimation of the powerful circulation of ideas available to ordinary citizens today through modern technology.Just think, the "progressive" movement has been working, like termites, since the early 1900's to subvert and eliminate the Founders' ideas of individual liberty from textbooks, libraries, public discourse, and by every means of print media, as well as by judicial fiat. "A Nation at Risk" warned during the Reagan years that their efforts in education were endangering America; or, as...

If America is to regain its leadership role in the world, then "We, the People" must select the kind of leaders who possess and are dedicated to a deep understanding of those ideas essential to liberty.Some one or two of these Republican candidates who win election, or some other person out there needs to emerge who truly understands the ideas of liberty our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were founded upon. Further, those persons must have the courage and tenacity to stand upon those principles in the face of Progressivism. That has happened before. President Reagan's real strength and authenticity...

The over-reaching policies of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, a trio manipulated by the puppeteers of the Far Left (including men like Soros), have triggered a very public expression of passion by millions of citizens in a battle of ideas--a battle which has been seething beneath the surface for decades! The problem has been that, until now, most Americans went about their business and ignored it, while some who called themselves "progressives" were working to undermine the very foundations of liberty. Today, however, ordinary citizens are engaged under several banners (TEA Parties, Libertarians, Independents,) and as individuals, and they are beginning...

The Destruction of the Great American Dream            America is at a Frightening Crossroads Either we keep moving toward ever more government control over our lives, or we turn once again toward strong, individual freedom. There is a common saying that when all else fails, go back to the original instructions…our original instructions are found in The Declaration of Independence, The U. S. Constitution, and The Federalist Papers. There we find the Founders’ Principles, which led America from a group of 13 colonies to the greatest among all nations in just 150 years, an incredible feat never accomplished by any...

Creator-endowed Rights - the foundation of America's Constitution "We hold these truths to be self-evident...all men are... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men." Our Declaration of Independence acknowledges a Creator as the source of the unalienable rights that governments are formed to secure. This acknowledgement was the very foundation of the Constitution of the United States of America. What are those unalienable rights with which we are endowed? They may be described in many ways, but English jurist Sir William Blackstone wrote in 1766, ".these may be reduced...

Will The Great American Experiment Succeed? Thomas Jefferson, in his First Inaugural Address, enumerated what he called 'the essential principles of our government, which ought to shape its Administration.' He then stated: "These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we...