'Government Totally Annihilated': How Americans Governed Themselves as British Rule Crumbled
America in the mid-1770s was a jumble of spontaneous formations amid the ruins of an empire.
America 250
The American Revolution Was Fought With Muskets and Ink
As John Adams said, the war was both an effect and a consequence of a revolution in the minds of the people.
Can You Hate the Government and Still Love America?
Plus: World Cup tourists embrace America, the Supreme Court expands gun rights, and Europe's resistance to air conditioning
America Was Not Founded by 'Tariff Men,' Contrary to This Painting in Trump's White House
Free trade is "a direct affront to our Founding Fathers," President Donald Trump said during his first presidential campaign.
Partisan Press Conference (Episode 4)
Republican and Democratic coaches take questions from the press
On America's 250th Birthday, the United States Arms the World's Tyrannies
On a Fourth of July, John Quincy Adams warned against the foreign policy that his successors would later adopt.
1776 All-Stars: George Washington Was a Model of Restraint
America's first president helped establish the tradition of military submission to civilian authority.
Review: This Iconic Musical Reminds Us That Open Debate Still Matters
1776 is a musical about John Adams' pursuit of American independence.
Americans Will Never Shut Up or Do As We're Told
Two distinctly American traits that powered the Revolution: We don't like being told what to do by our supposed betters, and we really don't like being told to shut up.
After 250 Years, Are America's Best Days Still Ahead?
We should heed Alexis de Tocqueville's warning: "A man's admiration for absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him."
What Makes Someone American? It's Neither Creed Nor Bloodline—It's a Spirit
After 250 years, Americans are still considering this basic question.
On America's 250th Birthday, Celebrate Liberty
Most Americans still appreciate the freedom the country was founded upon.
Review: Gore Vidal's Burr Is the Anti-Hamilton
America's Founding through the eyes of the least popular Founding Father
Washington and His Men Knew How To Party
America was founded by drinkers, distillers, and maltmen whose consumption would be labeled problematic by today's public health authorities.
Why Are Americans Less Patriotic Than Ever?
As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, all age groups are less likely to love America than in the past.
Stop Hating America
Plus: failing power grids, Canadian euthanasia, AOC running for president, and more...
Thomas Paine: The Founding Father Worth Celebrating
As America races toward its 250th birthday, Paine is the Founding Father to cast our lot with.
1776 All-Stars: Patrick Henry Knew To Fear American Kings
Henry's warning about presidential powers is especially prescient today.
SCOTUS Saves Birthright Citizenship
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss the Supreme Court’s rulings on birthright citizenship and transgender athletes.
Is Socialism Going Mainstream?
Plus: the DSA's policy agenda, Trump's chaotic Iran strategy, and America's 250th birthday
The American Revolution Isn't Over
Washington’s troops won the ground war, but today's left and right are waging war on the ideals of the Revolution.
The Gun That Won the Revolution
The American Long Rifle was accurate at long distances, unlike British smoothbores.
The British Statesman Who Recognized America's 'Fierce Spirit of Liberty'
"When you drive him hard, the boar will surely turn upon the hunters," Edmund Burke warned Parliament. What if the British government had followed his advice?
My Very Long Ride on the MAGA Ferris Wheel
The Great American State Fair promised a celebration of freedom. So why was I stuck in the air?
Don't Let the Country's Wet Blankets Ruin Independence Day
The country is battered, but it still offers freedom to live our lives.
Review: A Fresh-Eyed Tour Through Revolutionary America
My American Revolution revisits the American Revolution through those that keep the revolutionary spirit alive.
America's Founders Blended Liberalism and Religion
If the fusionist account of history is correct, the anti-fusionists are engaged in a far more radical project than most of them are willing to admit.
Celebrating American Freedom Means Celebrating Juneteenth
June 19 commemorates the day the final 250,000 people held in slavery gained their freedom. It deserves a place in any celebration of American liberty.
Review: The Short Life of a Formerly Enslaved Poet
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley tells the story of early America's "African poetess."
Americans Still Believe in the Founding—and Want Schools To Teach Capitalism
A new report found that 82 percent of Americans want the benefits of free markets taught in high school.
1776 All-Stars: Why a Pseudonymous Anti-Federalist Is My Favorite Founder
The man known only as "A Farmer" warned against the "sword of government."
What 1976 Got Right About America
Matt Welch discusses the forgotten reality of the bicentennial, the cultural impact of Roots, and why America doesn't need a single national story.
1776 All-Stars: Why George Mason Is Extremely Underrated
I'm not saying that just because I teach at the university named after him.
Comic: It's America's Founding Fake News Terrorist, Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams sets his sights on Tory lackeys.
The White House UFC Fight Is the Perfect Event for the Present, Not the Past
A cage fight on the South Lawn may be an unusual choice to celebrate the Founding. But it is a mirror of our political moment.
Disillusioned Revolutionaries: Many Founders Died in Despair About the American Experiment
America's Founders helped create a world they were not yet ready to live in.
Review: George Washington's Apple Brandy
A replica of Washington's apple brandy is available for purchase at his Mount Vernon estate.
Review: The Lesser-Known Texts That Shaped the American Revolution
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution draws upon writings and speeches you might not have heard of.
1776 All-Stars: Why Thomas Jefferson Is the Most Fascinating Founder
The author of the Declaration of Independence may have written "the greatest sentence ever."
Neil Gorsuch on the Declaration of Independence, Originalism, and Separation of Powers
"There was nothing inevitable about it. Absolutely nothing," the Supreme Court justice tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
1776 All-Stars: Samuel Adams Was the Most Libertarian Founder
The libertarian rabble-rouser who helped ignite the American Revolution
Native Americans Taught Colonists How To Fight—and To Live Without Kings
Unlike in Europe, native rulers had little formal authority; they had to persuade others to follow their ideas.
Review: Visit Independence Hall, Where Founders Signed Their Own 'Death Warrants'
Modern visitors to the site where they signed the Declaration of Independence can still feel a sense of uncertainty and trepidation.
Trump's Self-Promotion Is Always Shameless and Sometimes Illegal
The president tramples the rule of law in his rush to glorify himself.
America, 250 Years Ago: July 2026 Puzzle
"City where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776"
1776 All-Stars: Benjamin Franklin Reminds Us To Just Do Things
Franklin was fundamentally an optimist, and his life reminds us that politics is not what really matters.
The Federal Government Botched the Bicentennial Too
There's a lesson laying there: Make it local, embrace the commercial, and ignore the president.
