An educated citizenry is the key to making self-government succeed, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson said.
Articles on James Madison
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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?
The ‘Rededicate 250’ rally raised questions about separation of church and state. Jefferson and Madison’s many letters to each other shed light on that much-debated principle.
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.
For Madison, religious freedom was not a tool for political domination. Rather, he saw it as a constitutional safeguard for liberty and democracy.
Congress has a legal, constitutional and even moral responsibility to assert itself as a branch when it comes to military actions by the US, says an expert on war powers.
The First Amendment – and the freedom of speech it guarantees – is considered a fundamental element of American freedom and identity. But it wasn’t even part of the original Constitution.
President George Washington warned in his 1796 Farewell Address about dangers that lay ahead for the US – warnings that seem startlingly contemporary and relevant 229 years later.
Trump’s sudden dismissal of Carla Hayden, the librarian appointed by former President Barack Obama, has placed the little-known Library of Congress in the spotlight.
Trump is not the first American leader to dream of northern expansion. History suggests these designs reveal simmering divisions inside the United States.
Congress has the authority to control government expenditures. Donald Trump is the latest president to try to get around that power, as he slashes government programs and staff.
The Alien Enemies Act, first approved in the late 1700s, was last used during World War II to identify particular foreign nationals living in the US.
Trump wanted to turn the US military on American citizens while he was president. He has increaslngly said he would do so if he wins the White House in 2024.
Americans agree that democracy requires freedom of speech. But a large minority also thinks it’s acceptable to bar certain subjects or speakers from public debate.
More than 2,000 letters between the two founders are available online. Many attest to their deep commitment to religious freedom.
Right from the very beginning of the nation, there have been rules that limit the ability of the people to choose their leaders.
Only 50 years ago, originalism was considered a fringe movement, hardly taken seriously. Now its adherents dominate the Supreme Court.
When America was young, its leaders had no trouble retiring from public service and public life. That’s not universally true now.
Presidents have family drama, like all other people. Hunter Biden is simply the latest example of a family member who has brought negative attention to a president’s administration.
Americans are not the first to fret over the potential harm that parties can inflict. But parties can also promote the common interest.
Top contributors
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Professor of American History, Università di Torino
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Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Boise State University
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Rochester Institute of Technology; Institute for Humane Studies
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Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University
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Professor of American Civics, University of Tennessee
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Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin
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Professor of Geography, University of Mary Washington
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Associate Professor of Law, Arizona State University
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Professor of Law, Texas A&M University
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Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State
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Professor of American Politics, Fairleigh Dickinson University
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Professor of Philosophy, UMass Lowell
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Associate Professor of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Professor of Political Science, University of Connecticut