(Un)common Sense
Open Book There is no more powerful gambit in contemporary political rhetoric than resorting to "common sense," to principles grounded in the sentiments of "the people." But it is not evident why this is so, nor how it came to…
New Podcast: Washington’s Farewell Address
New Podcast: Washington’s Farewell Address From Colonial Williamsburg’s History.org in Podcasts When George Washington left office in 1796, he wrote down some words of advice to his successors. His words are eerily predictive of today’s political pitfalls, making them as…
Solving the Mystery of George Washington's Famous Letter
How did it end up in a suburban warehouse? By Paul Berger (http://www.forward.com) It started as a mystery. During a lecture in England last December, Jonathan Sarna, America’s foremost scholar of American Jewish history, said he did not know the…