In a previous post we discussed the origins of the foundational ideas that the United States was built upon.  We discussed the common education and understanding of guiding principles shared by the founders.  This understanding and knowledge came from the minds of many great men who had thought and written years before America's birth. …

I was asked to expand upon reference I made in a recent talk about the trail of writings that lead to the founding documents of the United States.  To begin the discussion, I want to borrow an excellent graphic from W. Cleon Skousen, the founder of the National Center for Constitutional Studies (see A Miracle…

   In late 1775, George Washington and his tiny, nearly beaten army, retreated out of New York, losing rear-guard action after action.  Pushed into and through New Jersey, Washington was forced to cross the Delaware into safety in Pennsylvannia.  As January of 1776 dawned cold and harsh on Washington’s now very tiny army, a radical…

The War of 1812 for many was more properly called the Second War for Independence.  The new United States was struggling to make it in the tough world of foreign affairs, and its troubles with England had bubbled up into a war for which the new nation was not ready. Much of North America was…

  On many stages recently, I have spoken about the need for a leader to respect the individual.  It is not enough to talk about "people," like many politicians do so dangerously at this time in the electoral process, but rather it is of supreme importance for leaders to focus upon and respect the rights…

Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna in the mid-second century.  As an outspoken Christian, his position became tenuous with the Roman authorities.  Christians in the Roman Empire at that time were under heavy persecution because they refused to worship Ceasar as God. Justice in the Roman Empire regarding the "crime" of believing in Jesus as…

If leadership is about attacking the status quo and railing against injustice, then the unsung and often unnamed heroes of what came to be known as the "Underground Railroad" are a great example.  A loose network of sorts, committed to aiding escaped slaves to reach freedom, existed in the North American colonies at least as…

Often we can identify a leader by examining the wake of change left in his or her path.  Two such glaring examples are the fiery preacher Jonathan Edwards, and his inexhaustive contemporary, George Whitfield.  Together, these men of God sparked a religious fervor that turned into a movement that spread throughout the North American colonies…

      The American Revolutionary War, which likely hadn't been called that yet, was not going well for the colonials at the end of 1776.  George Washington and his volunteer army had been battered all across the islands of New York by the British.  The combined forces of the Royal Navy and the British…

            The French Revolution of 1789 had begun on the high ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, but had descended into the Reign of Terror and the guillotine.  Eventually, the more moderate Directory took over the affairs of the country, and set its sights on dominance and dominion.  In its war with…