“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
With those unforgettable words, Thomas Paine lit a fire in the hearts of patriots during one of the darkest moments of the American Revolution. First published on December 19, 1776, The American Crisis was more than just an essay – it was a rallying cry that...
“We cannot be happy without being FREE.” Those words come from John Dickinson, who saw LIBERTY as the foundation of everything else. Once almost as famous as Benjamin Franklin, Dickinson is almost totally forgotten today. Known as the “Penman of the...
“A nullification of the act is the rightful remedy.” That’s how Thomas Jefferson put it in his draft Resolutions against the Alien and Sedition Acts. On November 10, 1798, the Kentucky legislature passed resolutions based on his principles. They not only...
“To these grievous measures, Americans cannot submit.” That’s the bold declaration that helped spark a coordinated resistance across the colonies in 1774. On this episode, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental...
Nearly five years before the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams wrote an essay urging the people to resist tyranny – not tamely submit and hope for the best. For Adams, it was a moral imperative to stand up for what’s right, even against the most powerful...