How the Abolitionist Grandfathers of Modern Libertarianism Won by Losing—and Lost by Winning
While Europe was in revolt, America had its own Free Soil revolution of 1848.
Slavery
Capitalism vs. Slavery…and The New York Times' 1619 Project
Economic historian Phillip W. Magness on classical liberalism and abolition, Abraham Lincoln's contested legacy, and why history matters in contemporary politics.
What The New York Times' 1619 Project Gets Wrong About Capitalism: Phillip Magness
In a new collection, the economic historian documents how classical liberals pushed for abolition and equality in 19th-century America.
1619 Project Fact-Checker Says The New York Times Ignored Her Objections
A history professor disputed some of Nikole Hannah-Jones's claims about slavery and the American Revolution.
Public Schools Are Teaching The 1619 Project in Class, Despite Concerns From Historians
"Mandating the use of The 1619 Project in K-12 curricula is at best premature until these issues are resolved."
She Came To Slay
The deeply human Harriet Tubman who emerges in Dunbar's book was exhausted, frustrated—and heroic.
The Founders Were Flawed. The Nation Is Imperfect. The Constitution Is Still a 'Glorious Liberty Document.'
As part of its ambitious “1619” inquiry into the legacy of slavery, The New York Times revives false 19th century revisionist history about the American founding.
Renegade University's Thaddeus Russell Wants To Blow Your Mind
This historian and online-education entrepreneur says runaway slaves, ladies of the evening, bootleggers, and other dropouts and discontents made America free.
The Case Against the Case Against the American Revolution
Some on both left and right argue that the American Revolution was a mistake that ultimately caused more harm than good. Here's why they're wrong.
The Universalist Principles of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence advocates a polity based on universal principles of liberty and equality, not ethnic nationalism. We would do well to remember those principles today.
It's Time to Celebrate Juneteenth, America's Other Independence Day
Though Juneteenth is first and foremost a celebration of the end of slavery, the day has evolved in the 21st century.
The Telegraph Was America's First Singularity
Technological leaps and political upheaval go together like spaghetti and meatballs.
It's Problematic to Accuse Ancestry's Interracial Ad of Whitewashing Slavery
The existence of one story does not discount terrible atrocities.
Reparations Are More Likely to Divide the Nation Than Heal It
It's hard to believe that smart people such as Ta-Nehisi Coates and David Brooks don't understand the tinderbox that their idea would ignite.
Wrestling With Old Hickory's Ghost
A conservative re-evaluation of President Andrew Jackson
Why Mandatory National Service is Both Unjust and Unconstitutional
A post based on my presentation at a panel on mandatory national service organized by the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.
Kanye West Doesn't Want to Bring Back Slavery. He's Trying to Abolish It for Good.
The 13th Amendment outlaws slavery, but not for prison inmates.
Slavery Did Not Make America Rich
Ingenuity, not capital accumulation or exploitation, made cotton a little king.
The Declaration of Independence and the Case for a Polity Based on Universal Principles
The Declaration of Independence makes the case for a political system based on universal principles of liberty and equality, not ethnic nationalism. Those principles are as relevant as ever in our troubled times.
Black Bodies, Radical Politics, and Rebellious Robots
Reading Zora Neale Hurston's study of the life of the last "black cargo" and watching Westworld
Justice Department Rejects Salvadoran Woman's Application for Asylum Because She Provided "Material Support" to Terrorists—by Working as a Slave Laborer for Them
Guerrillas forced the applicant to cook and clean for them, after killing her husband.
The Inconvenient Individualism of Frederick Douglass
A bizarre New York Times piece knocks down a strawman.
The Libertarianism of Frederick Douglass: Podcast
Damon Root on how the famous abolitionist was also an outspoken classical liberal.
ACLU Accuses Poultry Processing Prison Camp of Human Trafficking
Court-ordered program provides slave labor to private companies says new ACLU of Oklahoma lawsuit.
The Real 'Modern Slavery'? Inside America's Court-Ordered Corporate Labor Camps
Under the guise of getting addicts treatment, courts are ordering people to do dangerous and unremunerated labor in "diversion" factory farms.
Human-Trafficking Arrests Are Very Rare in Most States
The exceptions in 2016 were Minnesota and Texas, according to newly released FBI data.
Super-Chef Tom Colicchio Changes Name of New Restaurant Because…Phrenology
Where should we stop (and start) with renaming places due to historical crimes?
Despite the President's Pandering, White Nationalists Are Still Losing
As Trump learned this week, pandering to white nationalists means alienating most other Americans.
What Frederick Douglass Teaches Us about July 4th and American Exceptionalism
Douglass recognized that embracing freedom and liberty is a process that will continue to unfold and expand over time.
Frederick Douglass Hated Socialism
He stood for natural rights, racial equality, and economic liberty in a free labor system. At the heart of his worldview was the principle of self-ownership.
The Immoral 'Rule of Law ' Behind Trump's Deportation Regime
It is wrong just like Fugitive Slave laws were wrong.
Like Fugitive Slave Laws, Deportation Is a Moral Loser
The resistance to Trump's war on immigration looks remarkably similar to the abolitionist movement
Anarchy, Swamp, and Utopia
Archeologists offer a new look at a secretive settlement of runaway slaves.
Memo to Presidential Hopefuls of Both Parties: Guest Worker Programs Are Not Indentured Servitude
Republicans have hit new lows on immigration, but neither party is averse to pandering
Virginia Mayor Proposes Building Ballpark over Slave Graveyard
But it would include a memorial
Report: There Are Slaves in the Majority of Countries
Tens of millions of human beings treated like property
DOJ List Honors Slave Catchers Killed in the Line of Duty
Two of them from the 1850s among a list of marshals killed while on duty
Department of Justice Honors Slave Catchers for Their Service to the Law
Roll call for marshals killed in the line of duty includes two men killed while trying to catch fugitive slaves
