Podcasts about Declaration

What happened to Abraham Clark after signing the Declaration of Independence? The famous pledge of "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor" became devastatingly personal when British forces captured his two sons and subjected them to brutal imprisonment during the American Revolution. Most Americans know the words of the Declaration of Independence, but few understand what those words demanded of the Founding Fathers who signed it. In this episode of America's Founding Series on The P.A.S. Report Podcast, Professor Nick Giordano tells the extraordinary story of Abraham Clark, whose commitment to liberty was tested through his own family. Discover what American independence truly cost, why Clark's sacrifice reveals the meaning of sacred honor, and what his legacy teaches us today about character, civic responsibility, and preserving a constitutional republic. What You'll Learn In This Episode: The Untold Story: Why Abraham Clark's family paid one of the highest personal prices of the American Revolution. The Brutal Reality of British Captivity: The horrific conditions aboard British prison ships like the HMS Jersey and how Clark's family endured that nightmare. "Sacred Honor" Defined: What "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor" actually meant to the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Character Over Comfort: Why constitutions and institutions alone cannot preserve liberty without citizens willing to defend enduring principles. The Lesson for Today: What Abraham Clark's sacrifice teaches every generation about protecting freedom and preserving the American republic. Topics Covered: Abraham Clark, Declaration of Independence, Founding Fathers, American Revolution, Signers of the Declaration, Sacred Honor, American History, Constitutional Republic, Liberty, America's Founding Series Support the Show & Restore American History:

What stage of self-talk do you live in? 1. Negative 2. I "should not" stage 3. Declaration stage based on negative statement - I will never ....... again. 4. Positive declaration of who you aspire to be.

Five men served on the Continental Congress's Declaration Committee. We know three of them well: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. But who were the other two? In this episode, we explore the lives and contributions of Robert R. Livingston of New York and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Historians Geoff Benton and Michael Morand join us as we uncover the stories of the other Committee members. Clermont State Historic Site WebsiteShow Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/447 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00  Introduction00:04:46 The Lee Resolution and the Committee of Five00:05:26 Robert R. Livingston's Early Life00:06:56 Colonial New York Politics 00:11:02 Livingston's Appointment to the Second Continental Congress00:15:20 Why Livingston Chosen for Declaration Committee00:18:44 Livingston's feud with John Adams00:19:18  Livingston Misses the Vote for Independence00:20:50 Livingston Becomes Chancellor of New York State00:24:06 Livingston's Role in Steam Navigation00:26:15 Clermont State Historic Site00:32:35 Roger Sherman's Early Life 00:36:47 Sherman's Family and Life in New Haven00:37:43 Sherman's Involvement in the Imperial Crisis00:40:38 Sherman's Role in the Second Continental Congress00:42:28 Why Sherman Chosen For Declaration Committee00:43:42 Sherman's Role in Drafting the Declaration00:46:16 The Connecticut Compromise, 178700:50:28 What Made Sherman Effective in Legislatures00:53:47 1776 in Context 00:58:10 ConclusionRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES

As we take a mid-summer-post-4th-of-July break, we are bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives about the Revolutionary era. We'll be back with new "50 Weeks That Shaped America" episodes soon!Today, the story of John Dickinson, who attended the Continental Congress, was witness to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, but abstained from voting for or signing the document.Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer are joined by John Dickerson, formerly of CBS and author of “The Hardest Job In The Room.”Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today.” (Deuteronomy 7:9–11 NLT) Our founding fathers framed a document that Thomas Jefferson drafted for the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. Congress adopted the document on July 4, 1776. We call it the Declaration of Independence. Among other things it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Pastor Chuck Smith once said that sometimes we forget that the Declaration of Independence, which declared independence from foreign tyranny, also declared our dependence on an eternal God. We see this in its closing words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Our forefathers believed that there is a God who guides the affairs of humankind. And they founded our nation on the teachings of the Bible. Thomas Jefferson, our third president, said, “The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty.” Andrew Jackson, our seventh president, called the Bible “the Rock upon which our republic rests.” And Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, said of the Bible, “All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.” Two hundred and fifty years after the founding of our nation, our need for God’s Word has never been greater. Deuteronomy 7:9–11 says, “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today” (NLT). There is much to gain by placing God’s Word once again at the center of American life. And there is even more to lose in rejecting His Word. The wisdom of God’s Word is eternal, timeless. It’s not outdated. It’s not a relic. It doesn’t belong to an earlier, simpler time. The keys to the spiritual revival our nation so desperately needs can be found in its pages. That’s why we as believers must continue praying that our country finds its way back to the Word of God. Reflection question: How can you make God’s Word a bigger part of your daily life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence has now gone beyond the Fourth of July. Many books have been published about the Declaration in the first half of 2026. The question for Americans is: "Have you read the Declaration in full?" A recent study says that only 3 in 10 U.S. citizens have read the Declaration in its entirety. Author Ted Widmer has published, through the Library of America, a detailed history of how the Declaration came about. The book is called "The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Text." This is Ted Widmer's twelfth book, which includes an introduction by the well-known historian Gordon S. Wood. Professor Wood died at age 92, just days before the publication of this book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence has now gone beyond the Fourth of July. Many books have been published about the Declaration in the first half of 2026. The question for Americans is: "Have you read the Declaration in full?" A recent study says that only 3 in 10 U.S. citizens have read the Declaration in its entirety. Author Ted Widmer has published, through the Library of America, a detailed history of how the Declaration came about. The book is called "The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Text." This is Ted Widmer's twelfth book, which includes an introduction by the well-known historian Gordon S. Wood. Professor Wood died at age 92, just days before the publication of this book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's speakers:Maria Binetti ArgentinaNew Argentine edition of the book: "Nobody is Born in the Wrong Body. Success and Misery of Gender Identity" by José Errasti and Marino Pérez.Jenny Cunningham ScotlandAre UN selling out children's rights?Yal Bano and Afghan Women AfghanistanAfghan Women's VoicesVerónica López VenezuelaVenezuela: Magical Materialism♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Enjoying our webinars? If you are a position to make a one-off or recurring donation to support our work, you can find out how to do so (and see our financial reports) at https://www.womensdeclaration.com/en/donate/ - thank-you!♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Women's Declaration International (#WDI) Feminist Question Time is a weekly online webinar (Saturdays 3-4.30pm UK time). It is attended by a global feminist and activist audience of between 200-300. The main focus is how gender ideology is harming the rights of women and girls. See upcoming speakers and register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQT. There is also a monthly AUS/NZ FQT, on the last Saturday of the month at 7pm (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney)/9pm (NZ). Register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQTAUSNZ.On Sundays (10am UK time), our webinar series, Radical Feminist Perspectives, offers a chance to hear leading feminists discuss radical feminist theory and politics. Register at https://bit.ly/registerRFP.Attendance of our live webinars is women-only; men are welcome to watch/share recordings here on YouTube. WDI is the leading global organisation defending women's sex-based rights against the threats posed by gender identity ideology. Find out more at https://womensdeclaration.com, where you can join more than 30,000 people and 418 organisations from 157 countries in signing our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights. The Declaration reaffirms the sex-based rights of women which are set out in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1979 (#CEDAW).Disclaimer: Women's Declaration International hosts a range of women from all over the world on Feminist Question Time (FQT), on Radical Feminist Perspectives (RFP) and on webinars hosted by country chapters – all have signed our Declaration or have known histories of feminist activism - but beyond that, we do not know their exact views or activism. WDI does not know in detail what they will say on webinars. The views expressed by speakers in these videos are not necessarily those of WDI and we do not necessarily support views or actions that speakers have expressed or engaged in at other times. As well as the position stated in our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights, WDI opposes sexism, racism and anti-semitism. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions (https://womensdeclaration.com/en/about/faqs/) or email info@womensdeclaration.com.#feminism #radicalfeminism #womensrights

Kim Phillips-Fein, author of Country of Lords, traces the anti-egalitarian tradition in American politics. Aziz Rana discusses the tensions between the Declaration and the Constitution (from a 2024 interview). And Jasmine Wynn, author of a recent Jacobin article, looks at the National Black Empowerment Coalition, basically an AIPAC front group. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

This Day in Legal History: The Declaration of SentimentsOn July 20, 1848, at the close of the two-day Seneca Falls Convention in upstate New York, roughly a hundred people signed the Declaration of Sentiments—the founding document of the organized women's rights movement in the United States. Drafted principally by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it was a deliberate and pointed act of legal argument: Stanton modeled it on the Declaration of Independence, echoing Jefferson's cadences but adding two words that changed everything—”that all men and women are created equal.”The genius of the document was to take the nation's own founding logic and turn it on the exclusion of half the population. It then catalogued, in the form of a bill of particulars against “man” rather than King George, the specific legal disabilities women lived under. Married women had no right to their own property or wages—under the common-law doctrine of coverture, a wife's legal identity was absorbed into her husband's. Women could not vote, were barred from most professions and higher education, had almost no rights to their own children in the event of separation, and were governed by laws they had no voice in making. The Declaration listed these as concrete legal grievances, not vague complaints, framing the denial of women's rights as a violation of the country's stated principles.The most controversial demand was the resolution calling for women's suffrage, which passed only narrowly and with the public support of Frederick Douglass, who attended the convention. The significance of July 20, 1848 is that it launched a legal and political campaign that would take seventy-two years to win the vote, with the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and far longer to dismantle coverture and the web of laws built on women's legal subordination. It's a reminder that constitutional principles are not self-executing—that “all men are created equal” had to be argued, expanded, and fought for by the people the original text left out.A federal appeals court has struck down New Jersey's ban on assault firearms and high-capacity magazines, the first time any federal appeals court has invalidated a state assault-weapons ban. Sitting en banc, the Philadelphia-based Third Circuit ruled 10-5 that the state's prohibition on semi-automatic rifles—not just AR-15s, but the whole category—violates the Second Amendment, as does its ban on magazines holding more than ten rounds. The reasoning flows from the Supreme Court's recent framework, which asks whether a gun regulation is consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearms regulation; the majority concluded these bans are not. What makes this a genuinely big deal is the split it creates. Just last week, a different federal appeals court upheld Illinois's ban on semi-automatic weapons—so we now have appeals courts squarely disagreeing on whether these bans are constitutional. That kind of circuit split is precisely the condition that draws the Supreme Court in, and the Court is already poised to take up whether bans on semi-automatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. The significance is that a question affecting roughly a dozen states with similar laws is now barreling toward a definitive answer. For the moment, New Jersey's ban is unenforceable as to these weapons, but the durability of that outcome—and of assault-weapons bans nationwide—now depends on what the Supreme Court does next.US appeals court declares New Jersey's ban on assault rifles unconstitutional | ReutersA federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot rely on a White House budget-office regulation to cancel billions of dollars in grants simply because those grants no longer match its priorities. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston sided with a coalition of Democratic-led states, rejecting the administration's claim that a clause in Office of Management and Budget regulations gave it authority to revoke funding whenever an agency's focus shifts. Here's the underlying principle. When Congress appropriates money for a program and an agency awards grants under it, the government generally can't just take that money back on a whim—grant recipients have relied on it, and the terms for termination are limited. The administration's theory was that an OMB regulation let it terminate grants it deemed “inconsistent with agency priorities,” effectively a roving power to defund causes it disfavors. Judge Talwani found the regulation didn't authorize anything of the kind. The significance connects to a theme we keep returning to: the limits of executive power over money that Congress has already directed. The administration has repeatedly tried to redirect or withhold funds to reshape policy without going through Congress, and courts have repeatedly pushed back. This ruling reinforces that a president's control over federal spending, though real, is bounded—an agency can't retroactively pull grants just because political priorities changed.Trump administration cannot cancel grants for disfavored causes, US judge rules | ReutersA federal judge has declined to block Meta from laying off 26 employees who claim the company's AI tools singled them out for termination because they have disabilities or took medical leave. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in Oakland ruled that the workers hadn't shown the “irreparable harm” needed for an emergency order halting the layoffs, which are set to begin July 22, and that the merits of their novel claims will be decided in private arbitration. The allegations are striking. The plaintiffs—engineers, managers, researchers, and designers suing anonymously—say Meta used a suite of internal AI systems to score and rank employees onto a termination list, including an assistant called “Metamate,” an employee-trained “second brain” that tracked workers' communications, and a productivity score drawn from scanning keystrokes, screen content, emails, and browser history. Meta denies wrongdoing and insists humans, not algorithms, made the layoff decisions. This is a frontier legal question: when an employer uses AI to help decide who gets cut, and those tools allegedly disadvantage people with disabilities or on leave, is that illegal discrimination? The judge's refusal to block the layoffs was procedural—losing a job usually isn't “irreparable” because money damages can fix it—but he pointedly noted the case raises “serious questions” and said he might reconsider based on more evidence about how AI was actually used. The significance is that algorithmic management is colliding with anti-discrimination law, and courts are just beginning to work out who's accountable when the machine does the ranking.US judge won't block Meta from laying off workers who filed AI discrimination lawsuit | ReutersAnd finally, the IRS's top lawyer has been forced out after refusing White House demands that would have drawn him into tax audits of particular taxpayers. Ken Kies, who served as the agency's acting chief counsel and as Treasury's assistant secretary for tax policy, told administration officials their requests would violate a federal law that bars the president, the vice president, and other White House officials from ordering the IRS to conduct or terminate an audit of any specific taxpayer. That statute is a direct legacy of Watergate-era abuses, when presidents tried to sic the tax agency on their enemies, and tax professionals regard it as the single most important safeguard against weaponizing the tax code. Kies apparently stood on that law—and lost his job for it. The story connects directly to one we covered recently: the administration's $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement that would have given the president and his family immunity from IRS audits, which a federal judge struck down as a collusive arrangement with no basis in law. The significance is about the fragile independence of tax administration. The protections that keep audits free from political direction only work if the officials inside the agency are willing to enforce them—and when the person who says “no” to an unlawful demand is pushed out, it sends a chilling message to everyone who remains. Top US tax lawyer forced out after White House clash over tax audits | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

In Acts 21–22, Pastor Troy highlighted how Paul turned a hostile confrontation into an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel. Rather than defending his reputation, Paul shared how Jesus radically transformed his life, pointing the crowd to Christ instead of himself. Even when faced with false accusations, rejection, and the threat of suffering, Paul faithfully used his testimony, background, and circumstances to advance the Gospel. Pastor Troy challenged believers to remember that every Christian testimony is powerful because it showcases God's mercy and grace, not our own accomplishments. He also encouraged us to keep our testimonies centered on Jesus, grounded in Scripture, and focused on God's goodness rather than glorifying our past. Ultimately, the message reminded us that when we face opposition or difficult circumstances, our greatest goal is not to defend ourselves but to faithfully declare Christ and use every opportunity to share the Gospel.

Episode 4183 │ July 17, 2026 A nation that can't hold itself accountable can't be saved by an EO, a policy, or a billionaire. Three words. One order. No shortcuts. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS Scott Kesterson opens with a story about a Lake Oswego, Oregon remodel that started as a $20,000 deck and became a $180,000 structural excavation — carpenter ants behind the stucco, four main beams rotted through, a stained glass bay window at risk — and carries that metaphor directly into the state of the nation: the structural rot is real, it is visible, and no amount of cream frosting on top of it changes what it is underneath. The episode moves through flock surveillance cameras installed around daycare centers, the Christian Zionist donor letter written to Charlie Kirk threatening divine retribution for insufficient Israel support, and the abuser-versus-loving-owner model as the most honest lens available for the government's relationship with the American people — arguing that a culture trained to accept occasional treats from an abusive system will never recognize the difference between being managed and being led. The episode closes on the only three words Scott finds capable of recalibrating either a person or a nation from the inside out — accountability, forgiveness, trust — anchored in 1 John 2:6 and the Declaration's second paragraph, with the argument that kingdom first is not a religious proposition but the structural reset the republic was designed to run on from the beginning. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED What does a $180,000 remodel that started as a $20,000 deck teach about the difference between covering a structural problem and solving it — and why is America at exactly the moment where covering it up creates a disclosure liability that will catch everyone in the end? Why does Scott argue that flock camera surveillance, Christian Zionist donor culture, and the cycle of political treat-dispensing are all expressions of the same abusive relationship — and what is the only posture that actually breaks it? What is the order of the three words that can still recalibrate a nation — accountability first, then forgiveness, then trust — and why does the Declaration's second paragraph and 1 John 2:6 point to the same conclusion: that government has no authority over the rights God already granted, and kingdom first is the only foundation that holds? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's faith archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776 is an essential Southern document. Support the Institute: https://abbevilleinstitute.salsalabs.org/DonorForm1/index.html

From our friends at Pushkin – this is the untold story of America. This summer the United States celebrated the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When you read the Declaration, you realize it is a list of complaints. The last entry, the climax in our founders' reasons for rebellion against the Crown, is this: “He has excited… the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”We have been told the Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But what the founders were most angry about in our country's most famous document was Indian affairs. How did generations of Americans miss this?The first armed rebellion against the Crown was an attack on British forts that traded with tribes. When colonists threw tea into the Boston harbor, they dressed up like members of the Mohawk tribe—not for disguise, but because pretending to be Indian symbolized freedom and rebellion. The founding fathers' first government failed because Indigenous nations were too powerful; war and diplomacy with Native people is why we have a central federal government.Hosted and reported by Rebecca Nagle and featuring leading Native historians, First America unveils how the founders' treatment of Indigenous nations—and their resistance—shaped US democracy. The show does not simply add another blemish to the image of the founding fathers, it reveals the real story of why the colonists rebelled, what kind of government they created, and, crucially, how our current political moment was 250 years in the making.More episodes of America First are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/america-first/id1255352731?l=ro

Oliver Wolcott, a Forgotten Founder and Declaration of Independence signer, picked up a musket to defend the nation he helped create. Discover the remarkable patriot who signed America's founding document, fought for independence, and devoted his life to serving the American republic. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin remain household names, yet few Americans know Oliver Wolcott, one of the forgotten Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence and fought in the American Revolution. A physician, farmer, judge, soldier, and Governor of Connecticut, Wolcott never sought fame or recognition. He simply answered the call whenever his country needed him. This episode of America's Founding Series, part of The P.A.S. Report Podcast, follows Oliver Wolcott from the halls of Independence to the Battle of Ridgefield and beyond. Discover how one of America's most overlooked Founding Fathers helped secure American independence and why his life of duty, sacrifice, personal responsibility, and public service offers timeless lessons for preserving liberty 250 years later. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why Oliver Wolcott risked everything by signing the Declaration of Independence How a Declaration signer left Congress to fight on the front lines of the Revolutionary War The important role Oliver Wolcott played during the Battle of Ridgefield and the fight for American independence Why duty, sacrifice, and personal responsibility defined the Founding Fathers and America's first generation What Oliver Wolcott's extraordinary life teaches about preserving freedom, civic responsibility, and the American republic today Subscribe to The P.A.S. Report Podcast for America's Founding Series, where forgotten patriots, the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and the principles of liberty come to life. If you enjoyed this episode, leave a five-star review and share it with family and friends to help keep the stories of America's forgotten Founders alive. Topics Covered: Oliver Wolcott, Forgotten Founder, Declaration of Independence, Declaration Signer, Founding Fathers, American Revolution, Battle of Ridgefield, Revolutionary War, Connecticut History, America 250

Kim Phillips-Fein, author of Country of Lords, on the anti-egalitarian tradition in American politics • Aziz Rana on tensions between the Declaration and the Constitution (2024 reprise) • Jasmine Wynn on the National Black Empowerment Coalition, basically an AIPAC front group (Jacobin article here) The post American anti-egalitarians, AIPAC's black front group appeared first on KPFA.

This week's speakers:Host: Amparo DomingoMane Abarca - WDI ChileBreve aproximación a la realidad de las mujeres en el Chile actual - A brief overview of the reality for women in present-day ChileBio: Mujer Lesbiana Feminista Radical. Historiadora, profesora de Estado e investigadora autónoma. Magíster en Ciencias Sociales. Cuenta con diversos estudios en el área de Historia de las Mujeres e Historia y Teoría del Feminismo, abarcando investigaciones desde ahí, al ámbito de la educación, ciencias sociales, ética y bioética. Su actuancia en el feminismo comenzó en el año 2008 en Colectiva Lésbica Feminista La Perlita, luego en el Movimiento de Mujeres Rebeldes del Afuera, junto a Margarita Pisano, en Casa de la Mujer Margarita Pisano y actualmente, moviliza el proyecto en Historia y Memoria Feminista (Por una genealogía e historia propia) en Instagram donde divulga, realiza talleres, círculos de lecturas charlas e investigación. Además colabora como voluntaria para WDI México y es contacto de país para WDI Chile.Camila Mattera - WDI UruguayAcompañamiento a mujeres víctimas de violencia de género y sus familias durante los procesos de denuncia desde una perspectiva feminista radical - Support for women victims of sex-based violence and their families during the reporting process, from a radical feminist perspective.Bio: Camila. Feminista Radical, formo parte del colectivo La Revuelta Subversiva. Me gusta el hacer y estar entre mujeres. Soy Trabajadora Social en un hogar/refugio para mujeres con niños, niñas y adolescentes a cargo, que se encuentran en situación de calle y/o violencia.Victoria Argoty -WDI ColombiaNoticias sobre los derechos de las mujeres en Colombia - Women's Rights News from Colombia ♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Enjoying our webinars? If you are a position to make a one-off or recurring donation to support our work, you can find out how to do so (and see our financial reports) at https://www.womensdeclaration.com/en/donate/ - thank-you!♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Women's Declaration International (#WDI) Feminist Question Time is a weekly online webinar (Saturdays 3-4.30pm UK time). It is attended by a global feminist and activist audience of between 200-300. The main focus is how gender ideology is harming the rights of women and girls. See upcoming speakers and register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQT. There is also a monthly AUS/NZ FQT, on the last Saturday of the month at 7pm (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney)/9pm (NZ). Register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQTAUSNZ.On Sundays (10am UK time), our webinar series, Radical Feminist Perspectives, offers a chance to hear leading feminists discuss radical feminist theory and politics. Register at https://bit.ly/registerRFP.Attendance of our live webinars is women-only; men are welcome to watch/share recordings here on YouTube. Disclaimer: Women's Declaration International hosts a range of women from all over the world on Feminist Question Time (FQT), on Radical Feminist Perspectives (RFP) and on webinars hosted by country chapters – all have signed our Declaration or have known histories of feminist activism - but beyond that, we do not know their exact views or activism. WDI does not know in detail what they will say on webinars. The views expressed by speakers in these videos are not necessarily those of WDI and we do not necessarily support views or actions that speakers have expressed or engaged in at other times. As well as the position stated in our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights, WDI opposes sexism, racism and anti-semitism. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions (https://womensdeclaration.com/en/about/faqs/) or email info@womensdeclaration.com.#feminism #radicalfeminism #womensrights

As part of our ongoing series of episodes devoted to thecelebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration, we are delighted to bring you an episode devoted to the legal relevance of the Declaration's most famous sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We'll focus in today's episode particularly on that last phrase. In his Commentaries on the Laws of England, William Blackstone described the pursuit of happiness as a science of jurisprudence by which his students could identify, and then apply, the first principles of the Common Law in their future work in law.  Separately, the American founders includedthe pursuit of happiness as one of only three unalienable rights specifically listed in the Declaration of Independence.  Where do Blackstone and the founders agree and disagree in their understanding of the pursuit of happiness? What practical role (if any) did they suggest the concept could serve in English and early American law and legal philosophy? To discuss these subjects, we are pleased to have Carli N. Conklin with us. She is an associate professor at University of Missouri School of Law, an associate professor of constitutional democracy and former associate director at theKinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, and director of the School of Law's Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution. She earned her JD/MA and PhD in American Legal History from the University of Virginia, where she received the School of Law's John and Madeleine Traynor prize for outstanding written work. This episode is captured from a jointly-sponsored webinar by the James Wilson Institute and the Center for Religion Culture and Democracy of First Liberty Institute.

We're sharing the first of three episodes from a new series we think our listeners will want to hear. Americans have been told our Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But the last entry of the Declaration focuses on the founders' contempt for the “merciless Indian savages.” How does a whole country miss a key point of its own founding document? That's the question at the heart of First America. Hosted and reported by Rebecca Nagle, an Indigenous author and former host of the This Land podcast, and featuring leading Native historians, First America unveils how the founders' treatment of Indigenous nations—and their resistance—shaped US democracy. First America reveals the real story of why the colonists rebelled, what kind of government they created, and, crucially, how our current political moment was 250 years in the making.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Episode 4181 │ July 14, 2026 We handed sovereignty back to Caesar voluntarily. Nobody took it from us. We gave it away piece by piece. Kingdom first is the only way back. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS Scott Kesterson — nine days into a 26-day fast, with the clarity that comes after the corner is turned — opens with the NDAA Section 219 and Senate Section 1217, the United States-Israel Defense Technology Corporation Initiative that would embed Israel into America's highest levels of AI, quantum, space, robotics, and intelligence development without reciprocal obligation, and names it plainly: not a treaty, not an alliance, but a corporate merger designed to circumvent the Constitution and transfer sovereignty to a foreign power with a congressional rubber stamp. The episode then moves to the deeper diagnosis — John Winthrop's 1630 sermon aboard the Arbella warning that a people who anchor their fortune to anything other than fidelity to God will become a story and a byword through the world, Matthew 6:33's operative word first, and the Declaration's liberty under God doing all the work — building the case that America was never supposed to be the object of identity but the space where a sovereign individual answerable to God could be lived out without a king's permission. The episode closes with the only rightly ordered response Scott finds: not abandoning the earthly, not retreating from the world, but returning to the dual citizenship model — kingdom first, Caesar second — as the only identity sturdy enough to hold when the team loses, the market crashes, the war ends badly, and the politician fails to deliver. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED What is NDAA Section 219 and Senate Section 1217 — and why does the deliberate use of the word corporation in the United States-Israel Defense Technology Corporation Initiative reveal that this is not a diplomatic relationship between sovereign nations but a structural merger designed to bypass constitutional treaty requirements and transfer America's highest-level technology sovereignty to a foreign power without reciprocal obligation? What did John Winthrop warn aboard the Arbella in 1630 — and why does his description of what happens when a people's fortune gets anchored to something other than fidelity to God read as a precise diagnosis of the inversion America is living through right now, 396 years later? What does the "under" in liberty under God actually mean — and why does Scott argue that the Declaration's founding premise, that nothing earthly gets to define you because something higher than Caesar already claimed you, is the only identity stable enough to survive everything the current system is engineered to make you fear, worship, or despair over? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's faith archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

Dr. Matthew Spalding, vice president for Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, discusses the events in the aftermath of the Founders signing the Declaration: the King's repudiation, Parliament’s reaction, and the war that ensued. Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with Hillsdale in D.C. professors, co-hosted with WMAL radio host Larry O’Connor. Discover the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, American culture, and more. New episodes every other week! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warren Buffett says “never bet against America”. But plenty of people spent the last eighteen months doing exactly that — betting the dollar would be dethroned and the "Sell America" trade would finally pay off. They're still waiting. We ask whether the United States is still exceptional, or just expensive. And in the Dumb Question of the Week: Is the US the best performing stock market ever? --- Thank you to Raisin UK for sponsoring this episode. Receive a £100 welcome bonus when you register for a Raisin UK account using the code JULY100, open a fixed-rate bond with a term of 1 year or longer and deposit a minimum of £25,000 by 31 July 2026. https://raisin-uk.pxf.io/c/4012142/3930337/12683?sharedid=uk-cmp-bonus-pensioncraft-podcasts-0726 New customers only, terms apply. ---Get in touch

Liberty isn't only an American aspiration. It's a gospel promise for every person who trusts in Jesus. The Declaration may name liberty as a right endowed by the Creator, but Jesus reveals what liberty is for. We were not made to live in bondage to sin. We were made to live under the gracious and liberating reign of our true King and Father!

Every American knows Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, but was he really its sole architect? In this revisited episode, we sit down with three scholars to pull back the curtain on how the Declaration came to be written. Danielle Allen of Harvard University, Patrick Spero of the American Philosophical Society, and Peter Onuf of the University of Virginia reveal that the Declaration was never one man's work. Together, they show how John Adams — not Jefferson — was the intellectual architect behind "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." How Benjamin Franklin changed the Declaration with just four or five surgical edits. And what the Second Continental Congress cut from Jefferson's original draft, including his striking grievance blaming King George III for the international slave trade. Originally recorded in 2017 as part of Ben Franklin's World's Doing History to the Revolution series, this episode pairs with Episode 446 and Episode 447 to mark the Declaration's 250th anniversary. Danielle's Website | Book Patrick's Website | BookPeter's Website | BookShow Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/141 RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES

This episode highlights an often-missed story: the Declaration of Independence didn't just shape the U.S. Constitution—it directly shaped state constitutions, many of which echo its natural-rights language more explicitly than the federal charter. Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick argues that reading state constitutional provisions through the Declaration can strengthen enforceable limits on government power. The conversation reframes the Declaration from anniversary rhetoric into a practical interpretive tool in living state constitutional law. Bolick traces a two-way influence between the Declaration and early state charters, pointing to founding-era texts like Virginia's 1776 Declaration of Rights as a roadmap for Jefferson's phrasing—and noting that later state constitutions continued to incorporate Declaration principles such as equality, popular sovereignty, and inalienable rights. He then connects those ideas to modern doctrine, arguing that state courts can treat natural-rights provisions as meaningful constraints (or interpretive “prisms”) rather than mere preambles, with recent state supreme court decisions illustrating how the Declaration's ideals can translate into concrete protections today. Connect: Episode Transcripts >>> Stanford Legal Podcast Website Stanford Legal Podcast >>> LinkedIn Page Stanford Constitutional Law Center >> Website Stanford Law School >>> Twitter/X Stanford Lawyer Magazine >>> Twitter/X Chapters: [00:00:26] Chapter 1 — McConnell's framing: the “hidden” constitutional story in state charters The host introduces how state constitutions borrow explicitly from the Declaration and why that matters for modern rights protection. [00:05:59] Chapter 2 — Bolick's thesis: an “enduring symbiosis” between the Declaration and state constitutions Bolick argues the Declaration's influence on state constitutional text and interpretation is deeper and more direct than its influence on the U.S. Constitution. [00:10:46] Chapter 3 — Origins and transmission: Virginia's 1776 rights language and state constitution “laboratories” Bolick explains the two-way borrowing between early state constitutions and the Declaration, including George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights. [00:27:57] Chapter 4 — From principles to doctrine: natural-rights clauses as enforceable limits (with cases) Bolick lays out how courts have used natural-rights provisions as substantive protections or interpretive tools, citing key state cases and modern disputes. [00:46:34] Chapter 5 — Ford's recorded response + Bolick rebuttal: state power, natural rights, and the limits of the frame Ford praises state constitutionalism but complicates the natural-rights narrative; Bolick responds, emphasizing both self-government and enforceable individual rights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week's speakers:BOOK LAUNCH: REBEL GIRLSSybilla Claus Netherlands Intro to Rebel Girls - why we wrote itVivian Kuo Taiwan A view from TaiwanMarianne Driessen Netherlands A Dutch PerspectiveLorraine Nowlin USA Rebel Girls in USAIratxe Álvarez Spain/Belgium Photographing Rebel Girls♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Enjoying our webinars? If you are a position to make a one-off or recurring donation to support our work, you can find out how to do so (and see our financial reports) at https://www.womensdeclaration.com/en/donate/ - thank-you!♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀♀Women's Declaration International (#WDI) Feminist Question Time is a weekly online webinar (Saturdays 3-4.30pm UK time). It is attended by a global feminist and activist audience of between 200-300. The main focus is how gender ideology is harming the rights of women and girls. See upcoming speakers and register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQT. There is also a monthly AUS/NZ FQT, on the last Saturday of the month at 7pm (Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney)/9pm (NZ). Register to attend at https://bit.ly/registerFQTAUSNZ.On Sundays (10am UK time), our webinar series, Radical Feminist Perspectives, offers a chance to hear leading feminists discuss radical feminist theory and politics. Register at https://bit.ly/registerRFP.Attendance of our live webinars is women-only; men are welcome to watch/share recordings here on YouTube. WDI is the leading global organisation defending women's sex-based rights against the threats posed by gender identity ideology. Find out more at https://womensdeclaration.com, where you can join more than 30,000 people and 418 organisations from 157 countries in signing our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights. The Declaration reaffirms the sex-based rights of women which are set out in the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1979 (#CEDAW).Disclaimer: Women's Declaration International hosts a range of women from all over the world on Feminist Question Time (FQT), on Radical Feminist Perspectives (RFP) and on webinars hosted by country chapters – all have signed our Declaration or have known histories of feminist activism - but beyond that, we do not know their exact views or activism. WDI does not know in detail what they will say on webinars. The views expressed by speakers in these videos are not necessarily those of WDI and we do not necessarily support views or actions that speakers have expressed or engaged in at other times. As well as the position stated in our Declaration on Women's Sex-based Rights, WDI opposes sexism, racism and anti-semitism. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions (https://womensdeclaration.com/en/about/faqs/) or email info@womensdeclaration.com.#feminism #radicalfeminism #womensrights

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. This conversation is something of a follow-up to our last episode on Garry Wills's Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. We begin by "providing receipts" for the views of prominent midcentury conservative intellectuals (Willmoore Kendall, Russell Kirk, and Mel Bradford, to name a few) about the Declaration, equality, and Lincoln, then take a step back to discuss what their quarrel with Lincoln, Harry Jaffa, Garry Wills, and other partisans of equality might reveal about the nature of the American founding and the shape of our country's history. After all that—and more—we consider NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's July 3 speech celebrating America's 250th anniversary and the promise and perils of leftwing patriotism. Listen again: "Lincoln at Gettysburg," Know Your Enemy, July 6, 2026 Sources: Zohran Mamdani, "Remarks as Prepared: Mayor Mamdani Delivers Address Marking America's 250th Birthday," July 3, 2026 Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (1992) Abraham Lincoln, "Letter to Joshua Speed," Aug 24, 1855 — Speech at Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 1858 — Message to Congress, July 4, 1861 Alexander H. Stephens, "Corner Stone Speech," March 21, 1861 James Madison, "Federalist no. 39," Jan 16, 1788 Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Roger Weightman, June 24, 1826 Willmoore Kendall & George W. Carey, The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition (1970) George W. Carey, In Defense of the Constitution (1997) Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order (1974) — John Randolph of Roanoke: A Study in American Politics (1951) Harry V. Jaffa, A New Birth of Freedom: Abraham Lincoln and the Coming of the Civil War (2000) George W. Bush, Second Inaugural Address, Jan 20, 2005

The Declaration of Independence turns 250 this year, and most Americans have never heard the full story of how it came to exist. Historian Dan Miller joins Chris Spangle to trace the forgotten gestational period of American democracy, from the Continental Association's economic boycott in 1774 to the moment communities across the 13 colonies first heard the Declaration read aloud in July 1776. Miller, founder of Historical Solutions and author of the weekly Americanism Redux series, argues the Declaration is best understood not as a groundbreaking document but as a catch-up document, one scrambling to match the cultural blast pattern Thomas Paine created with "Common Sense" six months earlier. He also makes the case that the most important section of the Declaration is not the philosophical preamble or the list of grievances, but the signatures, which did not yet exist when the document was first published. The conversation covers the role of women in the colonial boycott, Abraham Lincoln's discovery of consent as the core American principle, and why Lincoln located the birth of the union in September 1774, not July 1776. Miller also previews a forthcoming episode on George Washington's four pivotal goodbyes and what they reveal about leadership. Dan Miller is the founder of Historical Solutions in Indianapolis. His weekly column, Americanism Redux, is available at historicalsolutions.com. Remnant Trust Event:

Truman's Rally and the Brave Dissent of Margaret Chase Smith GUEST: Nick Bunker In May 1950, a politically wounded Harry Truman embarked on a western tour to rebuild momentum and refocus the nation on his "Fair Deal." Despite a high-profile Chicago rally featuring stars like Elizabeth Taylor, his approval ratings continued to plummet amid the ongoing coal strike and corruption scandals in cities like New York. Within his own party, the "middle way" was failing to find traction. Amidst this polarization, Senator Margaret Chase Smith delivered her courageous "Declaration of Conscience" speech, calling out the Republican Party for using "fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear" — her "Four Horsemen." She criticized both McCarthy's tactics and the Truman administration's perceived "bitterness" and lack of leadership. Though she was the first Republican to publicly challenge McCarthy, her message fell on "deaf ears" as the Senator's power grew. Only weeks later, the North Korean sneak attack on June 25 changed the world forever, ending the period of "shadow of fear" and beginning a hot war. (8)1952 STORK CLUB

Episode 4179 │ July 12, 2026 The founders didn't cite chapter and verse on the Declaration because everyone already knew it. Their signatures were the closing prayer. Their amen. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS  Scott Kesterson and Brad Cummings open with what two secular historians — men who spent fifty years becoming subject matter experts in the Revolutionary period — identified the two most understated truths of the founding: the transformed character of the leaders who inspired everyone around them to follow, and the people themselves who, having once tasted the dignity of self-governance, were never going to give it back. The conversation moves through Benjamin Franklin as the most misrepresented figure of the era — not a secular deist but a man who believed more deeply in the God-given potential of humanity than almost anyone of his generation — and Thomas Paine as the street-level genius Franklin saw a diamond in, whose Quaker roots and Adams' Calvinist convictions produced a theological clash that was never about party but about getting it right for the people. The episode closes on Revelation 21, the unnamed boy's lunch in John 6, and the question Brad presses on every listener: do you know who you are, what God has placed in you, and why He has allowed you to be on the earth at this exact moment in history — because the baton handed by the founders is now in your hands, and you have a leg of this race to run. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED  What did secular historians — non-believers who spent decades as subject matter experts in the Revolutionary period — identify as the two most understated truths of the American founding, and why does their answer from outside the faith tradition carry particular weight? Why does Brad argue that Benjamin Franklin was not a secular deist but perhaps the man in his generation who most believed in what God had invested in human beings — and what does Franklin's decision to write Thomas Paine a letter of introduction reveal about how God uses one person's belief in another to change the course of history? What does Revelation 21's declaration — behold, the tabernacle of God is among men — have to do with the boy's lunch in John 6, the founders' signatures as their closing prayer, and the question of whether you know who you are well enough to offer what you have to the One who can make it sufficient? ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the Spatial Terra Intelligence Methodology (STIM v5) — the analytical framework built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. BardsFM's archive includes hundreds of episodes on prayer, scripture, and walking the Way of Christ — available free in the full episode catalog. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. Palestine in the World Cup What's Wrong with Human Rights What's Wrong with Human Rights, Pt. 2 A Report from the Great American State Fair Executive Disorder: Platner Allegations, Return of the Tariffs, ICE Shootings You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Palestine in the World Cup https://jewishcurrents.org/de-normalizing-israeli-normalization-at-the-world-cup https://agsi.org/analysis/palestine-activism-in-the-world-cup/ https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/12/activists-form-human-palestine-flag-at-world-cup-opener-in-mexico-city https://www.nbcnewyork.com/world-cup/palestinian-head-soccer-says-denied-us-visa-attend-world-cup/6512472/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/bosnia-advances-world-cup-free-palestine-chants-fans-go-viral-once-again https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/6/22/football-war-and-solidarity-why-gaza-fans-turned-to-spain-this-world-cup https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/12/palestine-football-chief-says-he-wasnt-granted-us-visa-to-attend-world-cup What's Wrong with Human Rights Human Rights as Moral Progress? A Critique by Jarett ZigonCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Vol. 28, Issue 4, pp. 716–736. ISSN 0886-7356, online ISSN 1548-1360. C 2013 by the American Anthropological Association. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1111/cuan.12034 Agamben, Arendt and Human Rights: Bearing Witness to the Human. 2012John Lechte & Saul NewmanState of Exception. 2005Giorgio Agamben, translated by Kevin Attell The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind Simone Weil. Routledge Classics 2002 Philosophize This! - Episode #191: The Modern Day Concentration Camp and the Failure of Human Rights by Stephen West Executive Disorder: Platner’s Allegations, Return of the Tariffs, ICE Shootings https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/7/3/iran-war-live-tehran-slams-us-ahead-of-huge-funeral-for-ali-khamenei?update=4731595 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5955865-mitch-mcconnell-senate-health-status/ https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/06/us/graham-platner-racicot-allegation-maine-invs https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737 https://x.com/akela_lacy/status/2074604814810415293?s=20 https://x.com/grace_panetta/status/2074266651244073227?s=20 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/us/politics/who-would-replace-graham-platner-maine.html https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/2074678417006420067 https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/08/politics/elections/maine-democrats-want-convention-replace-graham-platner/ https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2026/june/ustr-makes-findings-and-proposes-action-60-section-301-investigations-relating-failures-take-action https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/asean-and-trumps-section-301-tariffs/ https://www.reuters.com/business/latin-american-countries-some-steelmakers-argue-us-tariff-exemptions-2026-07-07/ https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF11346/IF11346.31.pdf https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democratic-attorneys-general-oppose-latest-172500930.html https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/fresh-trump-tariff-threat-looms-what-is-india-s-strong-stand-on-us-section-301-probe-that-proposes-12-5-duties-explained/ar-AA27rLMq https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/general/canada-says-there-s-no-basis-for-trump-s-forced-labour-tariffs/ar-AA27sMJy https://www.reuters.com/world/french-lawmakers-back-police-shootings-law-dubbed-licence-kill-by-critics-2026-07-08/ https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/Complaint-in-IALDF-v.-Rubio.pdf https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/07/us/houston-ice-shooting-death https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/fatal-ice-shooting-houston-sparks-demands-transparency-independent-investigation-2026-07-08/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/houston-ice-shooting.html https://www.wgal.com/article/pa-harrisburg-ice-agent-shoots-video/71807714 https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/04/us/live-news/july-4-trump-speech-america-250?post-id=cmr792ght00053b6r6tl4lvzn https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/04/us/live-news/july-4-trump-speech-america-250?post-id=cmr78t2tf000e3b6rxm0jppbj https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/g-s1-132025/mount-rushmore-speech-trump-july-4-250See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 9, 2026On July 9, 1868, Americans changed the US Constitution for the 14th time, The Fourteenth Amendment brought the principles of the Declaration to life, requiring the Federal government to protect the equal rights of all American men, The Thirteenth Amendment prohibited slavery on the basis of race, but did not guarantee equality for Black Americans, The Fourteenth Amendment took on the Dred Scott v Sandford decision and provided that all persons born or naturalized in the US are citizens of the US, It also overturned the idea that democracy was created at the state level, forbidding states from making laws that were discriminatory, The principles of the Fourteenth Amendment were behind civil rights decisions of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Opponents objected, and called for “originalism,” an idea promoted by Robert Bork who was nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan, Reaction to the nomination recognized the importance of the Fourteenth Amendment to equality.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Discover why Francis Lewis lost his home, his fortune, and ultimately his wife after signing the Declaration of Independence. His story proves that "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor" demanded far more than empty words. Most Americans celebrate Independence Day without understanding what the signers of the Declaration of Independence actually sacrificed after the ink dried. This episode of America's Founding Series on The P.A.S. Report Podcast explores the extraordinary story of Declaration signer and Founding Father Francis Lewis, a successful merchant who willingly risked everything for American independence, only to watch the British Army destroy his estate, imprison his wife Elizabeth, and leave his family forever changed. His life reveals the true human cost of the American Revolution and serves as a powerful reminder that freedom has always required courage, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to liberty. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why Francis Lewis signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776, despite knowing he could lose everything. How the British Army deliberately targeted Patriot leaders and their families during the American Revolution. The heartbreaking story of Elizabeth Lewis and the hidden sacrifices made by the families of the Declaration signers. What "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor" truly meant to the men who pledged everything for American independence. Why Francis Lewis's story offers timeless lessons about civic responsibility, self-reliance, constitutional liberty, and preserving the American experiment. The Fourth of July may have passed, but America's story did not end with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The struggle to secure American independence and transform an idea into a nation had only begun. Francis Lewis reminds us that the American Revolution was not won by words alone. It was secured by men and women willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of liberty. Topics Covered: Francis Lewis, Declaration of Independence, Declaration signers, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, American independence, Revolutionary War, Elizabeth Lewis, Continental Congress, American history podcast

For the 4th of July, the 250th birthday of America, Adam did the most Okie thing a man can do to celebrate: he took the family to a rodeo. Both boys went mutton busting, Friday and Saturday. Leo, six, drew a slow sheep the second night and rode it a full 17 seconds, hanging on and hollering "keep going, keep going!" into its ear because he knew he needed that sheep to move to score.-----------Sponsor: The Amen app (from the Augustine Institute)The Amen app is the free Catholic prayer app the guys use to prep the family for Sunday, listening to the Sunday Gospel on the way to Holy Mass so the kids are ready to receive it before they walk in. No paywall, no subscription trap, no upfront cost. Download the Amen app right now.Sponsor: Select International Tours: selectinternationaltours.comWhen Adam and Dave decided to lead their first pilgrimage, one name kept coming up: Select International Tours. Having used them, the guys can vouch for it. Wherever in the world you want to go, Select has a tour ready. Whether you want to lead a pilgrimage or attend one, head to selectinternationaltours.com and see everything they offer. You won't regret it.----------He placed top three, took home a little money and a free snow cone, and nobody's sure which one he was prouder of. John, three, puffed his chest out all day, crumbled at the chute, rode two seconds, hit the dirt, cried, and then immediately declared he was doing it again tomorrow. He did. Same result. He was in it for the story.Then there's Adam and the bull. He's always had the itch to put himself on the line, to go where it takes fortitude and prudence and a whole lot of luck. So he slipped up to the chute with the cowboys, just to feel the atmosphere next to something that powerful. A storm blew in and cut the bull riding short. Adam's calling that one Providence, same as the fight that got cancelled back when COVID shut down the world. Some signs you don't get to ignore.The pour is Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still, Virgin Swedish Oak. Ninety three dollars, and worth it. No Jim on hand to work the yummy scale, so the guys guessed it might've metamorphosed into a 7.321. Deep, resonant, dangerously delicious.The prayer request is Mary. She's a little over four months now, still in the NICU. Adam sent a photo of her smiling right through all the tubing, and it melted everybody. It's been a hard stretch, a step back, but she recovered fast, her breathing's improving, and there's talk of scheduling open heart surgery in the next four to six months. Adam described the NICU "tree," the pole that once held fifteen to twenty bags and lines and now holds four. Look where they were. Look where they are. Thank you for the prayers. They have not been in vain, and Lady Haylee has been heroic through all of it.Then the topic: what to do when you're struggling. Not just spiritual struggle. Focus, work, sin, the whole weight of it. Most of it isn't laziness. It's disorder, a misalignment between the intellect and the appetites, an internal civil war stoked by stress and exhaustion and distraction. Aquinas names it. Augustine sharpens it: the mind commands the body and it obeys instantly, but the mind commands itself and is resisted. Adam's own admission cut deepest. There is a part of him that does not want to be holy. Naming that was the whole battle. Once he saw the enemy clearly, fasting and prayer stopped feeling like punishment and started feeling like war worth waging. Protect, provide, establish, and fight for your own soul while you're at it. Win the next 15 minutes. Then win the next one. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDCelebrating the 4th of July, America's 250th, the most Okie way possible: a rodeoLeo and John mutton busting both nights, and Leo riding a slow sheep 17 seconds while yelling at it to keep goingJohn, three years old, crumbling at the chute, crying, and immediately signing up to do it againThe bull that jumped the arena into the stands, and Adam's lifelong itch to ride oneAdam sneaking up to the chute and the storm that cut the bull riding short as ProvidenceCarl's 4th of July party, the Declaration recited by teenagers, the bike parade, and drinking a beer while riding a bike ("bunking")Bourbon of the week: Teeling Wonders of Wood Single Pot Still, Virgin Swedish Oak, $93Running the yummy scale without Jim and guessing at a 7.321Prayer update on baby Mary: four months in the NICU, a smiling photo through the tubing, and open heart surgery on the horizonThe NICU "tree" as a visualization of progress, from twenty lines down to fourWhy most struggle is not laziness but disorder and a lack of a clear vision of the endThe human person broken down: intellect, will, and appetites, each with different triggersSt. Thomas Aquinas on the harmony between intellect and appetite, and the civil war when they misalignSt. Augustine on the mind that commands the body instantly but resists commanding itselfThe full life of St. John Paul II as a case study in struggle met with faith and joyWhy you should tell your kids and grandkids your real struggle stories, not hide themRedemptive suffering, and the shortage of real perseverance stories for kids raised on pop cultureTolkien on dragons: children already know dragons exist; they need to know dragons can be beatenCuriosity as the quiet vice, and choosing the good over even a lesser goodWhy it's about atmosphere and scenarios, not willpower, because willpower gives out fastAdam's admission that part of him does not want to be holy, and going to war against itFortitude as the virtue of winning by not losing, and building a habit of small victoriesThe Dave Ramsey debt snowball as a picture of stacking winsCustody of the eyes, stopping the struggle before it starts, and "today, I will be a saint"REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Confessions by St. Augustine (the mind commands itself and is resisted)Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas (harmony and misalignment of intellect and appetite)The Aeneid by Virgil (Adam reading it aloud with his boys over the summer)Tolkien's line on dragons in children's stories (misremembered on air as "Jetson")Saints & Church Figures:St. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła (the extended story of his life and suffering)St. Thomas AquinasSt. AugustineThe bishop referenced in the "bishop's flattery" aside, may he rest in peacePeople:Adam Minihan (host; the rodeo, the chute, baby Mary, M6 Marketing, The Grounded Builder on Substack)Dave Niles (host; Lady Pamela and the kids)Lady Haylee (heroic through Mary's NICU stay)Leo and John Minihan (the mutton busters)Karl Graham (friend of the show; the 4th of July party)Dave Ramsey (the debt snowball and the philosophy of stacking wins)

Americans know the Declaration's soaring opening case for natural rights and government by consent. Fewer remember its long list of “injuries and usurpations” against King George III. Cato's Tommy Berry joins Ryan Bourne to discuss Cato's new book - A History of Repeated Injuries—and whether modern governments have revived threats to liberty that the Declaration denounces, from taxes and juries to immigration and executive power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's legal system proclaims that even lifeless man-made, paper entities called “corporations” are endowed with the human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.But if a fabricated, inanimate, corporate thing can have enforceable rights to legal protections and life privileges – why not natural beings like… well, nature? Not just favored animals, but all complex, living, breathing, sentient, cooperative, reproductive beings. Trees, for one obvious example. Or rivers, prairies, marshes, and other organic bodies that have a life of their own and a reason to exist beyond our exploitation of them.That's why the townspeople of Vaudreuil in Quebec, Canada, have unanimously approved a “Declaration of the Rights of Trees,” proclaiming that these beneficial and beautiful neighbors have an inherent right to exist, thrive, and enjoy the protections of law. This is the latest advance of the “Rights of Nature” movement. It maintains that forests, waterways, and other interconnected living beings of nature are not mere “property” of human profiteers to be poisoned, clearcut, excavated, and otherwise destroyed. Rather, they must be regarded as full-citizens of our world, with essential, legally-enforceable rights of their own – especially the most basic right: The right to exist.Corporate opponents to the Rights of Nature movement cry that the very idea is unnatural – a tree can't even speak, so there is no way it can exercise a legal right.Excuse me, but corporations can't speak either, for they are mere paper constructs. So, lawyers are hired to speak for them. The same system of representation can and should apply to nature. For information and action, go to CenterForEnvironmentalRights.org and Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (garn.org).Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 4175 │ July 7, 2026 The signing was the cry. July 7th was the flight. The Declaration left the room and entered the people — in taverns, pulpits, and town squares. WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS  Scott Kesterson opens on July 7th, 1776 — the first Sunday in 1776 after the signing — the day the Dunlap Broadsides reached ordinary Americans for the first time, read aloud in taverns by militiamen to men who couldn't read, preached from hundreds of Black Robe Regiment pulpits simultaneously, and received not as political theory but as permission: a word from the Creator that named what they had already felt and called it freedom. The episode traces three simultaneous threads running on that Sunday: the New York Provincial Congress meeting in exile at White Plains — a government that had abstained from the July 4th vote now holding the credibility of the unanimous Declaration in their hands, five days before they said yes and made it actually unanimous — Reverend Duffield at Third Presbyterian Philadelphia preaching from Micah that America was not declaring political independence but entering a covenantal relationship with God as a free and self-governing people, and Franklin already calculating the diplomatic leverage the Declaration gave him in the courts of Europe while Washington in New York stood in the full military consequence of a political bridge the Congress had just burned permanently. The episode closes on Romans 10:17 — faith comes from hearing — as the theological architecture of what happened on July 7th: the founders had written it, the pulpits had preached it, and the people had received it, and a revolution became a movement the moment the covenant became communal. KEY QUESTIONS ADDRESSED Why did the Declaration call itself unanimous when New York had abstained — and what was at stake for the entire founding argument if the New York Provincial Congress, meeting in exile at White Plains with the British fleet visible on the horizon, had said no or delayed? What did Reverend Duffield preach on July 7th, 1776 — and why does his argument from Micah, that America was entering a covenant relationship with God rather than merely declaring political independence, explain what the British never understood about why eight years of war did not break the colonial will? What is the difference between the cry and the flight — and why does the Chinese proverb that opens the episode, not the cry but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to follow, identify July 7th rather than July 4th as the moment the revolution became irreversible?  ABOUT BARDSFM BardsFM is a daily independent podcast covering faith, liberty, history, and information warfare. Hosted by Scott Kesterson — combat veteran, documentary filmmaker, and rancher. Over 4,100 episodes and 50 million lifetime downloads. New episodes every weekday. bards.fm This episode was researched and produced under the STIM v5 — the analytical methodology built by Scott Kesterson — with AI-assisted research synthesis at a 70/30 human/AI authorship ratio, fully disclosed. All analysis, conclusions, and editorial judgments are those of Scott Kesterson. AFFILIATE LINKS Bards Nation Health Store: www.bardsnationhealth.com MYPillow promo code: BARDS >> Go to https://www.mypillow.com/bards and use the promo code BARDS or... Call 1-800-975-2939.  EMPShield protect your vehicles and home. Promo code BARDS: Click here Treadlite Broadforks...best garden tool EVER. Promo code BARDS26: TreadliteBroadforks.com EnviroKlenz Air Purification, promo code BARDS to save 10%: www.enviroklenz.com Morning Intro Music Provided by Brian Kahanek: www.briankahanek.com Founders Bible 20% discount code: BARDS >>> TheFoundersBible.com Windblown Media 20% Discount with promo code BARDS: windblownmedia.com White Oak Pastures Grassfed Meats, Get $20 off any order $150 or more. Promo Code BARDS: www.whiteoakpastures.com/BARDS Mission Darkness Faraday Bags and RF Shielding. Promo code BARDS: Click here DONATIONS: If you wish to support this podcast directly you can donate here... DONATE: Click here MAILING ADDRESS: Xpedition Cafe, LLC Attn. Scott Kesterson 591 E Central Ave, #740 Sutherlin, OR  97479

In the flurry of patriotic self-reflection on our nation's 250th anniversary, one thing in particular caught Bill's attention: The irreplaceable Glenn Beck's passionate history of Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Glenn's story knocked Bill's socks off so hard it thought it needed to be told as far and as widely as possible… and so here it is.

Neocon John Yoo thinks the Declaration is the Constitution, or something like that. Just stupid.https://mcclanahanacademy.comhttps://patreon.com/thebrionmcclanahanshowhttps://brionmcclanahan.com/supporthttp://learntruehistory.com

China releases Pastor Ezra Jin, a seminary's stand for Biblical teaching, witnessing at America 250, and restoring the American bison. Plus, Joe Rigney on inheriting America's founding principles, a British copy of our Declaration, and the Tuesday morning newsSupport The World and Everything in It today at wng.org/donateAdditional support comes from Harbinger Tours. Luxury Israel trips, November and May. Jane Austen, June '27. Tuscany, September '27. HarbingerTours.netFrom The Amplified Bible, from The Lockman Foundation, designed to bring out the full depth of meaning in Scripture by expanding key words and phrases from the original languages. Its unique amplifications and definitions add clarity for reading and study.New TwoTone editions use soft gray typography to distinguish amplified words from the main text, creating a cleaner page and a smoother reading experience.Learn more at amplifiedbible.comAnd from Ambassadors Impact Network, where members bring pattern recognition from building and scaling companies, and they apply that wisdom collaboratively to evaluate faith-driven investment opportunities. The network hosts quarterly meetings for education, deal review, and fellowship, with hybrid options enabling connection across geographies. Membership information is available at ambassadorsimpact.com

250 years after its signing, the Declaration of Independence remains an unfinished document. Its famous assertion "that all men are created equal" and endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness stands not as a settled truth, but as a call every generation of Americans must answer on its own terms. What did the founders mean by "all men are created equal?" Who did they believe was eligible to pursue life, liberty, and happiness? And how are the generations living in the United States today thinking through their own answers? Four historians join us to explore these questions. Robert Parkinson and Steve Sarson draw on their new books to help us understand what it meant in 1776. Anthea Hartig and Virginia Scharff show us how two 250th anniversary museum exhibitions use objects to make the Declaration's living legacy tangible, and to remind us that its promises have always been claimed not just in words, but in action.Rob's Book | Steve's Book | Smithsonian Exhibit | Autry ExhibitShow Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/403 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00  Introduction00:00:44 Celebrating the Declaration of Independence00:03:50 The Declaration As An Ongoing Experiment00:04:14 Anthea Hartig on the National Museum of American History00:05:30 Virginia Scharff on the Autry Museum of the American West00:07:58 Robert Parkinson on Understanding the Declaration00:19:17 Steve Sarson on the Declaration's Philosophical Argument00:21:10 The Original Meaning of the Declaration00:34:47 Conclusion00:41:16 The Massachusetts Historical Society's Declaration ExhibitRECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES

Mary and Andrew start with a deeper dive into the Supreme Court's decision to allow the removal of Temporary Protected Status designations from over 330,000 immigrants from Haiti and Syria — a consequential ruling that affects TPS holders well beyond those who brought the case, leaving over a million people vulnerable to removal. As Andrew notes, this case was based on two claims: one being a statutory challenge that DHS didn't follow the procedures set out by Congress, and the other a constitutional equal protection claim that this TPS status removal was “motivated in part by race” — both of which were struck down 6-3. Then, a look at Trump's latest retribution efforts including the heavy sentences doled out over a protest that ended in a shooting outside the ICE Prairieland Detention Center inTexas one year ago; a felony indictment of former Olympian David Hearn for allegedly tearing part of the liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool; and former CIA Director John Brennan going on offense to challenge the DOJ's investigation into him. Plus, Mary and Andrew analyze the DOJ's response to a “show cause” order to unredact some of the Epstein files in a lawsuit filed by journalist Katie Phang. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We're ringing in the 250th anniversary of the United States with an episode on Garry Wills's superb, Pulitzer Prize-winning 1992 book, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade the America. It's central argument is that Abraham Lincoln succeeded in revolutionizing how Americans thought of the founding of their country, especially the Declaration of Independence, with the Gettysburg Address—a revolution not just in "thought" but in "style," one that placed the Declaration's assertion of equality at the very center of our political tradition. The book is one that only Garry Wills could have written, with his PhD in Classics allowing him to compare Lincoln's "funeral oration" to that of Pericles, with his long meditation on the American presidency and leadership preparing him to grasp the enormity of the task Lincoln set himself, and with his time at National Review in his youth helping him understand why the American right never forgave Lincoln for succeeding. We discuss all this and more in our conversation about one of our favorite writer's very best books. Tickets for Sam's events: Tuesday with Tad Devine / Thursday with Dan Denvir.  Previous KYE episodes on Garry Wills: Nixon Agonistes The Kennedy Imprisonment (w/ Jeet Heer) Bomb Power (w/ Madeleine Baker) Sources: Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (1992) — Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State (2010) — "Martin Luther King Is Still on the Case!" Esquire, Aug 1, 1968 — "The Blind Teach Us to See," Boston Globe, Aug 20, 1970 Abraham Lincoln, "Letter to Joshua Speed," Aug 24, 1855 Harry V. Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided: An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1959) Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order (1974) Willmoore Kendall and George W. Carey, The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition (1970) ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed, marking the birth of a new nation. But if you read the Declaration closely, it's not just about creating something new;  it's about ridding itself of something unwanted. It's a break-up text, announcing secession from the British Crown. Today, that same spirit is fueling a modern-day movement in Illinois.A growing number of rural counties want to secede from Illinois and create a  51st state called “New Illinois.”  Driven by frustration over the dominance of Chicago politics,  they are organizing for a new future. This week on The Sunday Story, reporter Connor Towne O'Neill takes us inside the movement to split Illinois, and the challenges facing a modern secessionist movement in the land of Lincoln.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week on the Mark Levin Show, this American Marxism movement is a threat and it traces back to self-identified progressives from Woodrow Wilson onward who rejected the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. They imposed redistribution of wealth, oppressor-oppressed frameworks, and related policies through the Democrat Party, which has never fully accepted Americanism or constitutionalism—evident in the rise of Democratic socialists, Marxists, and radical Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran-supporting Islamists within it. Another converging threat is the Woke Reich neo-fascists - authoritarians in Republican and other circles who attack Christianity, Judaism, Israel, and Christian Zionists while holding pro-Putin and pro-Sharia positions. Later, what made the Declaration of Independence remarkable was that it was unprecedented in human history. The Declaration serves as the foundational basis for the nation and its Constitution, celebrating America's purpose. Critics like Presidents Obama and Woodrow Wilson have rejected or downplayed its first part on the Creator and principles, focusing instead on the list of grievances against the king to advance new ideologies; however, President Coolidge defended these enduring, universal ideas from Aristotle and Locke as perpetual, not to be dismissed. The Declaration's concise statement of American identity is incompatible with Marxism, Islamism, and fascism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On America's 250th birthday, Newt delivers a special solo episode dedicated to the document that started it all: the Declaration of Independence. Newt sets the scene in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 — the heat, the secrecy, the weight of the moment — and traces the path from Lexington and Concord to the Continental Congress, explaining how 56 extraordinary men came to risk everything for an idea. He reflects on their courage, their backgrounds, and what they stood to lose if the revolution failed. Then, following Abraham Lincoln's tradition of slow, deliberate reading, Newt reads the Declaration aloud in full — every grievance, every principle, every word — before honoring each of the 56 signers by name. A fitting tribute for America's most important birthday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1. Celebration of America's 250th Anniversary The courage of the 56 signers of the Declaration. The risks they took by declaring independence from Great Britain. The historical significance of America's founding principles. The importance of celebrating national milestones regardless of current political disagreements. 2. American Exceptionalism Rights come from God rather than government. Government exists to protect those rights. Sovereignty resides with the people ("We the People"). The constitutional system limits governmental power through separation of powers and federalism. 3. Civic Education and Family Values Spend time with their families during Independence Day celebrations. Teach children about American history. Discuss what it means to be an American citizen. Reflect on the freedoms and opportunities available in the United States. 4. National Pride Americans should be proud of their country. Patriotism should transcend party politics. National celebrations should not be tied to support or opposition to a specific political leader. 6. American Foreign Policy and Israel The U.S.-Israel relationship. Shared democratic values between the two nations. Support for Israel as a key American ally. 7. Sports and National Unity The FIFA World Cup. American support for the U.S. national team. Sports as a way to promote national unity and patriotism. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Thursday's Mark Levin Show, what made the Declaration of Independence remarkable was that it was unprecedented in human history. The Declaration serves as the foundational basis for the nation and its Constitution, celebrating America's purpose. Critics like Presidents Obama and Woodrow Wilson have rejected or downplayed its first part on the Creator and principles, focusing instead on the list of grievances against the king to advance new ideologies; however, President Coolidge defended these enduring, universal ideas from Aristotle and Locke as perpetual, not to be dismissed. The Declaration's concise statement of American identity is incompatible with Marxism, Islamism, and fascism. Also, President Reagan was a great admirer and friend of Milton Friedman. He often sought his input on economic policies. During Reagan's presidency, there was massive economic growth, and he won two historic landslide elections, popular vote and electoral college, like no Republican before or since. Alexander Hamilton would grow increasingly supportive of a powerful central government. He would argue with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison on their approaches to government during the Washington administration and beyond. Hamilton argued for implied powers under the Constitution, which infuriated Jefferson and Madison. Hamilton claimed the necessary and proper clause was essentially a ticket to significantly expanding federal action. Later, Americanism and capitalism are philosophies enabling individual decision-making under the Declaration and Constitution, whereas ideologies are fanatical beliefs imposed society-wide regardless of consequences. Communism is defective and anti-human, misreading human nature by suppressing free will, reason, debate, and academic freedom in favor of brainwashing, conformity, and central control, as seen in places like Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea, and China, and similarly with Islamists. Nationalists, populists, and Marxists attack the American experiment, economic system, and culture through emotion, slogans of equality, and activist government, showing overlaps reminiscent of 1930s fascists and communists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devastating compromises. Midnight rides. A nailbiter vote. Statue toppling riots… and the very real possibility of death. This July 4th, we're taking you inside the making of the Declaration of Independence and how, against all odds, a single document introduced the world to a new kind of nation. Guests:Walter Isaacson, professor at Tulane University and author of The Greatest Sentence Ever Written.Denise Kiernan, author of Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration and Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution.Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy