After the colonists declared their independence, designing a government was next. Three of the founding generation said the new government needed to account for the flaws in human nature.
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You know how important the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were to making the United States. But do you know about The Federalist and the crucial role it played in the founding era?
Is the US a democracy or a republic? That’s a misleading question, writes a historian of early America. The values of republicanism and the values of democracy have both been vital to the nation.
When the US Constitution was written, many people − from those who wrote the document to those on the outside who read it − believed that endowing the president with kinglike powers was dangerous.
Only 50 years ago, originalism was considered a fringe movement, hardly taken seriously. Now its adherents dominate the Supreme Court.
Electors may not vote their consciences, which means the Electoral College will continue to operate how most Americans think it does.
Many Americans are surprised to learn that Electoral College members do not necessarily have to pick the candidate their state’s voters favored. Or do they?
Throughout the coronavirus crisis, President Trump has made inconsistent statements about who is responsible for key aspects of the nation’s response to the pandemic. The Constitution has the answer.
Teachers grappling with how to teach current events at divisive times should emphasize history, study original sources and address polarization.
Top contributors
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Professor of American Civics, University of Tennessee
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Instructor, Department of History, University of South Carolina
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Professor of Philosophy, UMass Lowell
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Associate Professor of Education, North Carolina State University
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Professor of American History, Università di Torino
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Curator, Division of Political History, Smithsonian Institution
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Associate Professor of Law, Arizona State University
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Assistant Professor of Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, Michigan State University; Institute for Humane Studies