Field Notes on the Republic
Caucus, the Most American Word Nobody Can Trace
Every four years, a single word climbs the dictionary lookups: caucus. It is one of the most distinctly American words in the language, and nobody knows where it comes from....
Caucus, the Most American Word Nobody Can Trace
Every four years, a single word climbs the dictionary lookups: caucus. It is one of the most distinctly American words in the language, and nobody knows where it comes from....
The Jury, Self-Government's Smallest Room
Most self-government happens at a distance, through people we elect. The jury is the exception, the one place the government's power is handed directly to twelve ordinary people in a...
The Jury, Self-Government's Smallest Room
Most self-government happens at a distance, through people we elect. The jury is the exception, the one place the government's power is handed directly to twelve ordinary people in a...
Filibuster, the Word That Began as a Term for P...
Before it meant a senator talking a bill to death, the word filibuster meant a pirate. Following it from the Dutch and Spanish words for a freebooter to the floor...
Filibuster, the Word That Began as a Term for P...
Before it meant a senator talking a bill to death, the word filibuster meant a pirate. Following it from the Dutch and Spanish words for a freebooter to the floor...
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
A republic, if you can keep it, the line attributed to Franklin at the close of the Convention. Historians treat the anecdote with caution, but the second half is true...
A Republic, If You Can Keep It
A republic, if you can keep it, the line attributed to Franklin at the close of the Convention. Historians treat the anecdote with caution, but the second half is true...