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Jeffersonians
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The Antifederalists: North Carolina's Other Founders Commentary
It is tempting to dismiss the Anti-Federalists, for the U.S. Constitution that they opposed is practically a sacred document to most modern Americans. Under that Constitution, the United States increased in population, wealth, and territory to become, by the late twentieth century, the world’s only superpower. The Anti-Federalists contributed to what now seems to be a preordained drama. Their story, however, suggests that history might have taken another, and not unthinkable, path.
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An Overlooked Jeffersonian Argument: Thomas H. Hall and Internal Improvement Legislation Commentary
“My present purpose . . . is to present a figure seldom heard of nowadays but one deserving a lasting place in the history of North Carolina.” In 1911, journalist Louis D. Wilson so described Thomas H. Hall, a Congressman from Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Almost 100 years later, Wilson’s statement still rings loudly.
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Overlooked Founders and the Key to The Constitution Commentary
Americans more often than not discuss the meaning of the Constitution through the lens of Supreme Court decisions and the famous
Federalist essays of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. That is only part of the story, and in the case of the Supreme Court, a subjective and politically tainted chapter.
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Questions About the Role of Original Intent: Antifederalists played important role in founding era Commentary
Over the past year and a half, I have been traveling across North Carolina with my colleague Michael Sanera leading constitutional workshops. In them, we emphasize the federal nature of the American government and remind Tar Heels that knowledge of history is essential to understanding original intent and the Constitution’s meaning. The question-and-answer sessions are interesting, so I thought I’d share some of the oft- repeated questions with readers.
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Gordon Wood: Revolutionary Characters Commentary
On March 27, 2007, Pulitzer Prize winner Gordon Wood discussed his recent book,
Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, at a North Carolina History Project Headliner Luncheon. His entire lecture can be viewed here.
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