The Most Corrupt Presidency in American History, by the Numbers
Looking back through the biggest scandals in American history through the lens of Trump 2.0.
History
How a 700-Year-Old Work of Art Warns America
Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good and Bad Government presents a bustling city where prosperity comes from voluntary cooperation and leaders know their place.
The American Revolution Was Fought With Muskets and Ink
As John Adams said, the war was both an effect and a consequence of a revolution in the minds of the people.
America Was Not Founded by 'Tariff Men,' Contrary to This Painting in Trump's White House
Free trade is "a direct affront to our Founding Fathers," President Donald Trump said during his first presidential campaign.
On America's 250th Birthday, the United States Arms the World's Tyrannies
On a Fourth of July, John Quincy Adams warned against the foreign policy that his successors would later adopt.
1776 All-Stars: George Washington Was a Model of Restraint
America's first president helped establish the tradition of military submission to civilian authority.
Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We're Told
Two distinctly American traits that powered the Revolution: We don't like being told what to do by our supposed betters, and we really don't like being told to shut up.
After 250 Years, Are America's Best Days Still Ahead?
We should heed Alexis de Tocqueville's warning: "A man's admiration for absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him."
What Makes Someone American? It's Neither Creed Nor Bloodline—It's a Spirit
After 250 years, Americans are still considering this basic question.
Review: Gore Vidal's Burr Is the Anti-Hamilton
America's Founding through the eyes of the least popular Founding Father
Washington and His Men Knew How To Party
America was founded by drinkers, distillers, and maltmen whose consumption would be labeled problematic by today's public health authorities.
Why Are Americans Less Patriotic Than Ever?
As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, all age groups are less likely to love America than in the past.
The Conservative Anarchism of Dwight Macdonald
A new collection features the caustic critic at his best.
Stop Hating America
Plus: failing power grids, Canadian euthanasia, AOC running for president, and more...
Thomas Paine: The Founding Father Worth Celebrating
As America races toward its 250th birthday, Paine is the Founding Father to cast our lot with.
1776 All-Stars: Patrick Henry Knew To Fear American Kings
Henry's warning about presidential powers is especially prescient today.
The American Revolution Isn't Over
Washington’s troops won the ground war, but today's left and right are waging war on the ideals of the Revolution.
The Senate's Failure To Rein in Trump on Iran Is Part of a Long History of Congress Abdicating Its War Powers
War making in "the power of a single man" is not what the Founders intended.
Review: A Fresh-Eyed Tour Through Revolutionary America
My American Revolution revisits the American Revolution through those that keep the revolutionary spirit alive.
SCOTUS Overturns Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The decision means similar laws in other states likewise violate the Second Amendment, and it casts doubt on the constitutionality of location-specific gun bans that cover a lot of territory.
Joy Reid: "Nobody Black I Know Is Really Excited About the Fourth of July"
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Joy Reid's recent remarks about July Fourth.
The Secret Origins of 'Conspiracy Theory'
A new book shows how a phrase made its way from the crime pages to our political arguments—and picked up a passel of meanings along the way.
America's Founders Blended Liberalism and Religion
If the fusionist account of history is correct, the anti-fusionists are engaged in a far more radical project than most of them are willing to admit.
Happy Labor-Saving Day August/September 2026 Puzzle
"Rapper who's a Second Amendment supporter"
The Founders Revered the Right to Trial by Jury. Will SCOTUS Now Follow Their Example?
Understanding the stakes in Kian v. Florida
1776 All-Stars: Why a Pseudonymous Anti-Federalist Is My Favorite Founder
The man known only as "A Farmer" warned against the "sword of government."
1776 All-Stars: Why George Mason Is Extremely Underrated
I'm not saying that just because I teach at the university named after him.
Comic: It's America's Founding Fake News Terrorist, Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams sets his sights on Tory lackeys.
The White House UFC Fight Is the Perfect Event for the Present, Not the Past
A cage fight on the South Lawn may be an unusual choice to celebrate the Founding. But it is a mirror of our political moment.
Disillusioned Revolutionaries: Many Founders Died in Despair About the American Experiment
America's Founders helped create a world they were not yet ready to live in.
Review: George Washington's Apple Brandy
A replica of Washington's apple brandy is available for purchase at his Mount Vernon estate.
Review: The Lesser-Known Texts That Shaped the American Revolution
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution draws upon writings and speeches you might not have heard of.
Gordon Wood's Enduring Defense of the American Revolution
Plus: When tattoos meet copyright law
1776 All-Stars: Why Thomas Jefferson Is the Most Fascinating Founder
The author of the Declaration of Independence may have written "the greatest sentence ever."
Reading: The Quietest Way To Disobey
Today's anxieties about digital culture are prefigured in the long and wobbly history of books.
Neil Gorsuch on the Declaration of Independence, Originalism, and Separation of Powers
"There was nothing inevitable about it. Absolutely nothing," the Supreme Court justice tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
1776 All-Stars: Samuel Adams Was the Most Libertarian Founder
The libertarian rabble-rouser who helped ignite the American Revolution
Native Americans Taught Colonists How To Fight—and To Live Without Kings
Unlike in Europe, native rulers had little formal authority; they had to persuade others to follow their ideas.
Review: Drunk History and the American Revolution
Hamilton, Jefferson, Franklin, and others appear in the irreverent TV series.
Review: Visit Independence Hall, Where Founders Signed Their Own 'Death Warrants'
Modern visitors to the site where they signed the Declaration of Independence can still feel a sense of uncertainty and trepidation.
Was Lincoln More Radical Than We Remember?
Damon Root discusses the path to emancipation, the struggle to secure freedom after the Civil War, and the constitutional changes that remade America.
America, 250 Years Ago: July 2026 Puzzle
"City where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776"
Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy
Unlike many people who tackle this topic, Kira Ganga Kieffer treats the vaccine-hesitant with respect and curiosity, not contempt.
How To Sell a War
Presidents use a web of private influence to garner support for foreign invasions.
1776 All-Stars: Benjamin Franklin Reminds Us To Just Do Things
Franklin was fundamentally an optimist, and his life reminds us that politics is not what really matters.
Henry Clay's Deal That Was No Deal: How the Compromise of 1850 Deepened the Slavery Crisis
The Compromise of 1850 was really no compromise at all.
