The Reading Room
On The Declaration of Independence
Everyone knows the second sentence. We hold these truths to be self-evident.
On The Declaration of Independence
Everyone knows the second sentence. We hold these truths to be self-evident.
On The Constitution of the United States
The Declaration soars. The Constitution counts. Read them back to back, as you can in this library, and the change of register is the whole story.
On The Constitution of the United States
The Declaration soars. The Constitution counts. Read them back to back, as you can in this library, and the change of register is the whole story.
On The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were written at speed, under deadline, to win an argument.
On The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were written at speed, under deadline, to win an argument.
On The Anti-Federalist Papers
History is written by the winners, and the Federalists won, so their essays became a classic and the other side's became a footnote. That is a loss, because the Anti-Federalists...
On The Anti-Federalist Papers
History is written by the winners, and the Federalists won, so their essays became a classic and the other side's became a footnote. That is a loss, because the Anti-Federalists...
On Autobiography
Benjamin Franklin turned his own life into the first American success story and then wrote it down, inventing an archetype the country has never stopped retelling.
On Autobiography
Benjamin Franklin turned his own life into the first American success story and then wrote it down, inventing an archetype the country has never stopped retelling.