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WE THE PEOPLE
Column by Dr. David Adler
Funded by the 'Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation' initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
HumanitiesND
5 days ago3 min read
A Governmental Duty to Protect the Pursuit of Happiness
Election victories teem with opportunities for a new administration to renew and reform governmental institutions, revise vital areas of...
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HumanitiesND
Jan 83 min read
Trump’s Second Inaugural Address: The Path of Jefferson and Lincoln?
When Donald Trump assumes office on January 20, as the 47th President of the United States, he will mark the solemn occasion with an...
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HumanitiesND
Dec 30, 20243 min read
Remembering Jimmy Carter: A Decent, Dignified President When America Really Needed One
There is no system in place in America to dial up the president that the nation most needs at a given juncture. It is true that most...
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HumanitiesND
Dec 23, 20243 min read
From Charles Dickens: Advice for American Fulfillment and Reconciliation
In this season of peace and joy and celebration, accentuated in many homes by the presence of Charles Dickens’, “A Christmas Carol,”...
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HumanitiesND
Dec 18, 20243 min read
The Framers: Integrity and Impeachment Will Temper Use of Pardon Power
English history was constantly before the eyes of delegates to the Constitutional Convention as they stressed about the exercise of the...
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HumanitiesND
Dec 11, 20243 min read
Biden and Trump Have Brought the Presidential Pardon Power Center Stage
Readers’ questions about the origins and scope of the presidential pardon power, triggered by President Joe Biden’s grant of a pardon to...
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HumanitiesND
Dec 4, 20243 min read
Constitutional Character as Destiny
If it is true, as the Athenian philosopher Heraclitus said, that “character is destiny,” then it may be said that a nation’s constitution...
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HumanitiesND
Nov 27, 20243 min read
Does the U.S. President Have the Authority to Withdraw from NATO?
President-elect Donald Trump is not a fan of NATO—the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—which has been the backbone of the US-European...
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HumanitiesND
Nov 20, 20243 min read
Trump’s Demand for Recess Appointments Brings the Constitution and the Senate’s Role into Sharp Focus
The Recess Appointment power, seldom at the forefront of national discussion, resurfaced last week as a headline topic when...
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HumanitiesND
Nov 13, 20243 min read
Liberty, Justice and Civilization Depend on the Rule of Law
Presidential elections have consequences, as they say, and national airwaves are filled with voices engaging in speculation and...
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HumanitiesND
Nov 6, 20243 min read
Election of the Presidency Thrown to the House of Representatives: Intrigue and Mischief
James Madison, writing in August of 1823 from his home in Montpelier, Virginia, to which he repaired in what turned out be a futile...
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HumanitiesND
Oct 30, 20243 min read
Remembering the First Presidential Election: The Constitution on Trial
The presidential election of 1788, the first under the newly minted Constitution, was unusual and even unique in ways that 21st Century...
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HumanitiesND
Oct 23, 20243 min read
Direct Election, not the Electoral College, Represents the Views, Values and Interests of Voters
Our ongoing review of the origins and rationales that undergird the Electoral College reveals a central point that cannot be ignored. The...
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HumanitiesND
Oct 16, 20243 min read
Small States and the Electoral College: Reconsidering Chief Justifications
One of the chief justifications for the Electoral College, advanced by its advocates, is that small, lightly populated states require...
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HumanitiesND
Oct 9, 20243 min read
Readers’ Questions Reveal Concerns, Doubts, Myths About the Electoral College
Civic engagement, what the nation’s founders hoped would be a distinguishing feature of the young and energetic republic, can be...
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