ISIL Freedom Network: United States > Scholarly and In-Depth Studies > American Founding Fathers and Freedom in History

Libertarian thought in colonial America
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Murray Rothbard
Country: United States

This is chapter 33 from Rothbard's 4-volume history of colonial America, "Conceived in Liberty." The full book is available for order. (First published in the 1970s)

The election of 1800
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Joseph Stromberg
Country: United States

While Thomas Jefferson is rightly remembered as a leading libertarian theoretician, his actual conduct as president of the United States was much less impressive. (01/05/01)

The great centralizer: Abraham Lincoln and the War between the States
Source: Independent Institute
Author: Thomas J. DiLorenzo
Country: United States

"Lincoln, the Great Emancipator, was also the Great Centralizer whose policies undermined the decentralized, federal system established by the Founders. Indeed, Lincoln saw emancipation primarily as a means of saving the Union and establishing a mercantilist empire he and his forerunner Henry Clay called the 'American System.'" (Adobe Acrobat) (Fall 1998)

Thomas Jefferson forever
Source: Independence Institute/Chronicles
Author: Dave Kopel
Country: United States

"The greatest writer of the early American republic, and the greatest exponent of natural rights and the dangers of government power was Thomas Jefferson. It is no wonder then, that Jefferson has been so aggressively vilified by the partisans of political correctness." Jefferson was especially strong on the virtue of bearing arms. (7/99)

In memory of Patrick Henry
Source: LewRockwell.com
Author: David Dieteman
Country: United States

"On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered the speech made famous by its closing words -- 'give me liberty, or give me death!' The words of Henry's speech are well-worth considering today, 226 years after they were delivered." (03/23/01)

The anti-war abolitionists: The peace movement's split
Source: Center for Libertarian Studies/Journal of Libertarian Studies
Author: Sheldon Richman
Country: United States

Some of the more dedicated opponents of slavery in America also opposed the use of violence to hold the South in the Union. Adobe PDF. (1981)

The colonial origins of American liberty
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Thomas Woods
Country: United States

While it's now sadly neglected, America's colonial history is the source of much of the basis of its tradition of liberty. (3/6/00)

Reconstructing America: Consolidation of state power
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Thomas J. DiLorenzo
Country: United States

The author revisits the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, and suggests that it was a era of authoritarian exploitation of the defeated South by the victorious North. (Adobe Acrobat) (9/14/00)

Was there 'revolution' in the American Revolution?
Source: Antiwar.com
Author: Joseph R. Stromberg
Country: United States

Despite the claims of doubters, the American Revolution was a true people's war with strong ideological elements. (10/24/00)

We hold these truths
Source: Acton Institute/Religion & Liberty
Author: Matthew Spalding
Country: United States

The Acton Institute examines the importance of the American Declaration of Independence in the history of liberty. (12/00)

Quest for liberty: America in Acton's thought
Source: Acton Institute
Author: Stephen Tonsor
Country: United States

This paper demonstrates that Lord Acton's English ancestry led him to adopt an Americanized view of liberty and freedom. The paper focuses on Acton's strong commitment to liberty, and how Lord Acton believed that America was an appropriate example of a free society. (2000)

Origins of the Electoral College
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Randall G. Holcombe
Country: United States

"The Constitution was written to protect the rights of individuals and limit the powers of government. In other words, it was intended to preserve liberty. Not only did the Founders not intend for public policy to be determined democratically, they actively tried to design their new government to prevent public policy from being directed by the demands of its citizens." (11/9/00)

Reconstructing America: consolidation of state power, 1865-1890
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
Author: Thomas DiLorenzo
Country: United States

"In this paper I will argue that the main purpose (and effect) of the 'Reconstruction' policies of 1865-1877 was to centralize and consolidate state power and to establish Republican party political hegemony. It was not to “heal the nation’s wounds,” or to economically revitalize the South (which it did not)." (9/14/00)

Getting Lincoln right
Source: LewRockwell.com
Author: David Dieteman
Country: United States

Dieteman takes Jack Kemp to task for defending Abraham Lincon. The piece includes details on Lincoln's attacks on civil liberties and his racism, and lists prominent Americans who supported the right to secession. (05/18/01)

Wheeler's progress
Source: Antiwar.com
Author: Justin Raimondo
Country: United States

Raimondo details the principled career of Montana radical Burton K. Wheeler, who fought for peace and free speech. (09/05/01)

The money power vs. the Constitution
Source: American Monetary Institute
Author: Stephen Zarlenga
Country: United States
E-mail: ami@taconic.net

"After the revolution was won in 1781, 'It became at once evident that great differences of opinion existed ... in respect to the character of the government that should be substituted for that which had been overthrown.' One viewpoint held that the British system 'was the best that could be devised to promote the welfare and secure the happiness of Mankind.'" (11/01)

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