What good comes from fretting our nation? Action, not anger, offers a far better chance of changing things than venting and complaining. I’ve recently been asked by fellow citizens why “Congress doesn’t do something about this or that!” Here is one example: “Why doesn’t Congress stop third parties from ‘jacking up’ the price of concert tickets? Capitalism at its worst,” was this fellow American’s lament to me. I live in a medium-sized city. A big name 1990’s rockstar is coming to town. Seats are in demand, but the cheapest ticket, apparently, is going for $400.00. The expensive seats are $1300.00. The person asking this question was bemused that when you go online to buy a ticket, you are immediately routed to a third-party website. The price is marked up to an extremely high level from the original price. Practicing Action Over Anger I gently reminded this grown adult that people pay the high prices for entertainment, viewing it as a once-in-a-lifetime …
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Understanding and Preserving Our Fundamental Rights
If someone were to ask you what your fundamental rights as an American are, how would you answer? Many people cite freedom of religion or the right to bear arms as their fundamental American rights. However, those rights are in the Constitution, specifically, the Bill of Rights ratified in 1791. Our country was born in 1776 on the fundamental rights in the Declaration of Independence: the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What the Declaration Meant, Then and Now Walter Isaacson, in his book “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” (The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (2025), Simon & Schuster), devotes a section to the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, specifically property. He notes that our Founders studied John Locke’s theory of justice, which claims that if YOU own your possessions (not the government), you preserve your liberty and individual rights (Isaacson, p. 25). Isaacson interprets Jefferson’s formulation as, “the pursuit of …
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Chris M., Age 28, Marketing and Communications Consultant Covey
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Candace has a variety of teaching experiences and is a certified instructor for adults and homeschoolers through the Institute on the Constitution. Her hobbies include walking, world travel, Pilates, writing, and spending time with her grandsons. …
Recent Articles
Action Over Anger Always
What good comes from fretting our nation? Action, not anger, offers a far better chance of changing things than venting and complaining. I’ve recently been asked by fellow citizens why “Congress doesn’t do something about this or that!” Here is one example: “Why doesn’t Congress stop third parties from ‘jacking up’ the price of concert […]
Understanding and Preserving Our Fundamental Rights
If someone were to ask you what your fundamental rights as an American are, how would you answer? Many people cite freedom of religion or the right to bear arms as their fundamental American rights. However, those rights are in the Constitution, specifically, the Bill of Rights ratified in 1791. Our country was born in […]
Parchment and Promise: American Founders’ Courage
Standing before the original Declaration at the National Archives, I felt the quiet gravity of the moment—56 pens poised to risk everything to birth a nation. It’s Summer, 1776. The signers of the Declaration of Independence gather for an overwhelming task. What kind of guts does it take to start a nation that puts The […]
Unalienable or Inalienable: Which Right Is Correct?
In this year of America’s 250th birthday, we continue our study of the Declaration of Independence. Do you say “inalienable” or “unalienable”? Origin of “unalienable” in the Declaration of Independence Walter Isaacson, in his book “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” (The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (2025), Simon & Schuster), points out that the word “inalienable” […]
Avoid Tribal Media: Choose Civic Unity
Problems caused by partisan, manipulative, and low‑quality media What kind of media should Americans avoid if they don’t want to break up into a tribal nation (a nation where citizens divide politically, economically, socially, and go to war against each other and eventually break apart)? See also https://civicsandcitizenship.org/americas-challenge-preventing-a-tribal-future/ Don’t consume a steady diet of media […]
Discipline, Faith, and Washington’s Leadership
Recently, I closed an article with this sentence: “Leadership matters…let’s reflect on the importance of leadership, not only whether we like a person or a movement, but also how well we are led.” I came across a couple of General George Washington’s quotes that highlight the discipline and character he expected of individual soldiers […]
Fraternal Affection vs. Factional Fury
What would it look like if America divided itself into two warring divisions with the promise of retribution if one or the other division won power? Let’s look at wisdom from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that is as relevant today as it was during their time. Guarding Against Partisan Jealousies Washington warned in his […]
America’s Challenge: Preventing a Tribal Future
Do you think tribalism is America’s future? I always thought “tribal” meant “ethnic only.” People can divide over many types of differences: political, economic, or social differences are a few examples. I recently learned that countries in Africa became tribal. They were not necessarily inherently tribal. What about the former Czechoslovakia? At one point, they […]
Did the Declaration Exclude Women and Minorities?
The Declaration of Independence uses the noun “Men” and not “Women.” Today’s cultural drift has encouraged us to take issue with the use of the word “Men” as it is not inclusive, they say. I would argue that, indeed, the word “Men,” as used in our founding documents, includes all humans today. Historical Meaning of […]
