📚 Reading Library
Reading Library

Reading Library

Political Philosophy & Governance

The thinkers who shaped the Founders' understanding of liberty, tyranny, and the proper structure of government.

James Madison · 1 reading

The Father of the Constitution — Federalist essays, convention notes, letters, and speeches.

Federalist No. 47: The Particular Structure of the New Government and the Distribution of Power James Madison In Federalist No. 47, Madison confronts the Anti-Federalist charge that the proposed Constitution violates the maxim of Montesquieu by blending the... 1788 Intermediate 20 min

Thomas Jefferson · 1 reading

Notes on Virginia, Summary View, letters on education and self-governance, and the Kentucky Resolutions.

A Summary View of the Rights of British America Thomas Jefferson Written two years before the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's "Summary View of the Rights of British America" was a bold petition to King... 1774 Advanced 30 min

Adam Smith · 1 reading

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations, and Lectures on Jurisprudence — the complete thinker.

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations: Book I, Chapters 1-2 Adam Smith The opening chapters of Adam Smith's magnum opus introduce two of the most consequential ideas in economic thought: the division of labor and the... 1776 Intermediate 20 min

Montesquieu & Influence on the Founders · 0 readings

The Spirit of the Laws — separation of powers, republican government, and the nature of liberty.

Coming soon. Readings for this section are being curated and will be available soon.

Other Essential Thinkers · 0 readings

Algernon Sidney, Cato's Letters, John Stuart Mill, and Tocqueville on liberty and democracy.

Coming soon. Readings for this section are being curated and will be available soon.