In Federalist No. 47, Madison confronts the Anti-Federalist charge that the proposed Constitution violates the maxim of Montesquieu by blending the...
Political Philosophy & Governance
The thinkers who shaped the Founders' understanding of liberty, tyranny, and the proper structure of government.
James Madison
The Father of the Constitution — Federalist essays, convention notes, letters, and speeches.
Thomas Jefferson
Notes on Virginia, Summary View, letters on education and self-governance, and the Kentucky Resolutions.
Written two years before the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's "Summary View of the Rights of British America" was a bold petition to King...
Adam Smith
The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations, and Lectures on Jurisprudence — the complete thinker.
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...
Montesquieu & Influence on the Founders
The Spirit of the Laws — separation of powers, republican government, and the nature of liberty.
Readings for this section are being curated and will be available soon.
Other Essential Thinkers
Algernon Sidney, Cato's Letters, John Stuart Mill, and Tocqueville on liberty and democracy.
Readings for this section are being curated and will be available soon.