The Federalist Papers – Hamilton, Madison & Jay
A necessary read for all Americans. The original intent of the Convention of States was to simply amend the Articles of Confederation, but instead it set out to frame an entirely new constitution.
The Anti Federalist Papers – Patrick Henry, George Mason, James Wilson, etc.
The Anti-Federalist side of the argument has, for the most part, been ignored among American historians. Reading The Federalist Papers & The Anti Federalist Papers will give you both sides of the arguments that revolved around the creation and adoption of our Constitutional government.
Many take for granted the origins of freedom and democracy in the United States, and as with many school history textbooks depict, Paine merely appears in a paragraph or two, and quickly disappears to historical oblivion. In clear and no nonsense language, Paine’s perspective of the state of the colonies are elaborately told in COMMON SENSE. He adamantly shows his opposition toward hereditary rule and limitations imposed on individuals by George III and his vehement disdain towards aristocrats and kings. His power of the written word translated to revolutionary action, and Jeffersonian ideology.
The 5000 Year Leap – W. Cleon Skousen The 5000 Year Leap (Original Authorized Edition)
The nation the Founders built is now in the throes of a political, economic, social, and spiritual crisis that has driven many to an almost frantic search for modern solutions. The truth is that the solutions have been avaiable for a long time — in the writings of our Founding Fathers — carefully set forth in this timely book.
Reading first-hand accounts of incidents will give you a picture of how things really were. Notice the chapter on “A Mob Confronts A Stamp Collector”. This made me feel like I was seeing exactly what happened. The book can be read from any chapter all of which are independent of one another. One caveat. Make sure you have a weekend to spare because once you get into the text it’s goodbye everything else. Excellent history.
Original Intent – David Barton Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution, & Religion
Original Intent combines hundreds of quotes from primary sources with the author’s exposition on hot topics such as revisionism, judicial activism, and separation of church and state. A substantial appendix encompasses full texts of the founding documents, biographical sketches of numerous Founders, and extensive reference notes.
George Washington The Indispensible Man – James Thomas Flexner
This book introduces the reader to the personality and career of the Father of Our Country. To many Americans, Washington is largely an unknown quantity, an immovable face on the one dollar bill, known as a Revolutionary War General and First President, but not as a human being. This book shows Washington, hero and failure, surveyor and farmer, soldier and statesman, body and soul.
In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history.
The Conscience of A Conservative – Barry Goldwater The Conscience of a Conservative
“The Conscience of a Conservative” was published in 1960 and was one of the seminal manifestos of the modern-day conservative movement, defining conservative positions in both economic policy and foreign policy. The Soviet Union is now on the ash heap of history, but Goldwater’s message that a strong defense is necessary to retain freedom is timeless.
The focus of this book is Anglo-American conservatism, however Tocqueville does get some attention. Kirk starts with his hero, Edmund Burke (widely seen as the father of modern conservatism) and develops the principle conservative themes down to roughly present times. I found Kirk’s discussion of American history quite interesting. He sees Jefferson as a conservative thinker and views Hamilton as a liberal.
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world–and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder–and rebirth–of man’s spirit. * Atlas Shrugged is the “second most influential book for Americans today” after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club
the Road to Serfdom explains the rise of totalitarianism in twentieth century Europe. Yet it also made a more general argument concerning the incompatibility of democracy and comprehensive central planning. Hayek argues that the pursuit of socialist ideals leads to totalitarianism. While socialist ideals seem noble to many, those who persist in realizing these ideals will find it necessary to adopt coercive methods that are incompatible with freedom. Thus socialists must choose between their egalitarian goals and the preservation of individual liberty.
Roosevelt created New Deal programs marked by inconsistent planning, wasteful spending, and opportunity for political gain — ultimately elevating public opinion of his administration but falling flat in achieving the economic revitalization that America so desperately needed from the Great Depression. Elected in 1932 on a buoyant tide of promises to balance the increasingly uncontrollable national budget and reduce the catastrophic unemployment rate, the charismatic thirty-second president not only neglected to pursue those goals, he made dramatic changes to federal programming that directly contradicted his campaign promises. Price fixing, court packing, regressive taxes, and patronage were all hidden inside the alphabet soup of his popular New Deal, putting a financial strain on the already suffering lower classes and discouraging the upper classes from taking business risks that potentially could have jostled national cash flow from dormancy. Many government programs that are widely used today have their seeds in the New Deal. Farm subsidies, minimum wage, and welfare, among others, all stifle economic growth — encouraging decreased productivity and exacerbating unemployment.
Nearly unknown today, this extraordinary book deserves to be a classic. A gifted writer, Chambers soars whether discussing the world crisis that led him to Communism, his life underground, the trials of the establishment turning against him, and the religious faith that saw him through. Chambers emerges as a profoundly conscience-driven man, one whose human feelings kept him ever so slightly out of step with Communism as a party member, and which caused him repeatedly to consider the humanity of former comrades he ended up having to attack in trying to save his nation.
Whittaker Chambers joined the American Communist Party in the 1920s. He was then recruited into the separate Soviet-run Communist underground. He helped form a secret ring of Communists among New Deal officials who then spied on their own country, passing documents to the Soviets. Chambers led the ring for about three years before his growing disillusion with Communism led him to risk his life by breaking with the party in 1937, at the height of Stalin’s purges.
He grew personally close to Alger Hiss, a New Deal lawyer with sterling credentials
Economics In One Lesson: the Shortest & Surest Way To Understand Basic Economics – Henry Hazlitt
Less a primer in economics than a concise debunking of crank positions on economic issues, this book can clear the air (and the mind) quickly after some interested sophist plumps for a discredited idea. Hazlitt’s parable of the broken window, meant to show how what dosen’t happen as a result of human action is at least as important as what does, is the best introduction to economic theory for the average reader since Adam Smith. The visible results that people see as a result of government intervention in the market must be weighed against what did not come to pass because of the reallocation of resources (i.e., your hard-earned money) that such action necesitates. This book is timeless.
How An Economy Grows & Crashes – Peter D. Schiff & Andrew J. Schiff
This book will make you understand that economics is actually a very simple concept to grasp. If you are literate, you should have a great understanding of the Austrian school upon finishing this book. Complete with humorous anecdotes and illustrations, Peter and Andrew Schiff retell their father’s masterpiece (How an Economy Grows, and Why It Doesn’t) in a new, modernized version. Whether you are new to, or are well versed in the Austrian School of Economics,
The Creature >From Jekyll Island – G. Edward Griffin
The title refers to the formation of the Federal Reserve System, which occurred at a secret meeting at Jekyll Island, Georgia in 1910. It was at this meeting, as Griffin relates, that the “Money Trust”, composed of the richest and most powerful bankers in the world, along with a U.S. Senator, wrote the proposal to launch the Federal Reserve System (which Griffin calls a banking cartel) to control the financial system so that the bankers will always come out on top. The book quickly moves into the present day to detail several financial crises that resulted in a quick government intervention at the behest of the bankers from the Fed, who told all who would listen that if the government (read: taxpayers) didn’t bail out the banks that had made bad loans, it could cause the entire system to collapse. Massive loan defaults; bank runs, and a major economic depression would manifest this collapse. Griffin shows how time and time again the taxpayer is bilked so that bankers can make billions in profits off of these financial scares. Griffin also shows how the supposed safeguards against these woes, such as the FSLIC, are scams to reassure the average person that their banks are safe. In actuality, these insurances against bank closures are so inadequate that there isn’t enough money to even come close to paying off investors in case of a collapse.
In its first response to the global financial crisis, the Fed disbursed trillions in secrecy. This was during the critical period when so many were financially squeezed. Cash went to Goldman Sachs and others. Some beneficiaries used these funds to short the markets. Some was used for executive bonus commitments. We still don’t know where it all went.
The Federal Reserve Act delegates money power to a private banking monopoly. Ron Paul introduced H.R. 833 to abolish the Federal Reserve System. He wrote this book to outline reasons to end the Fed. This doesn’t mean he wants politicians to operate the money supply. While it doesn’t appear likely the status of the Fed will be changed soon, it’s possible that Congress will act to require full disclosure on Fed distributions with regard to the Global Financial Crisis
Liberty and Tyranny: A conservative Manifesto – Mark Levin
This book is perfect for the individual who has always “felt” conservative, but couldn’t quite explain herself. Mark Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny” begins with an excellent overview of where our country is as a constitutional republic and how we got here. He then states clearly his book’s theme and rallying cry — Conservatives must know the philosophical foundations for the principles they purport to advance in order to defend liberty from the “soft tyranny” of modern liberalism.
Reagan In His Own Hand – Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson & George P. Schultz
This selection of 670 radio commentaries Ronald Reagan wrote between 1975 and 1979. Ronald Reagan didn’t even have an editorial assistant. These writings are the result of Reagan’s many years of intellectual inquiry on issues dominating the last three quarters of a century.
The editors of this collection rightfully describe Reagan as “a one-man think tank.” His insights on why Communism would inevitably disintegrate alone justifies the purchase of this work. Reagan’s detractors were upset when the President called the now defunct Soviet Union an “evil empire.” Nevertheless, Reagan refused to mealy mouth the truth.
A wonderful History of Ronald Reagan and his goal to defeat communism. The author was challenged to prove that Reagan brought down the USSR and he proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism is very well resourced and is comprehensive. You will learn a lot and yet its not dry history. It is exciting. Just for the Kennedy and Carter mentions alone, it’s worth it the read….
The Forgotten Man – Amity Shlaes
Offers abundant evidence that both the Republican Hoover and the Democrat Roosevelt unwittingly worsened the Great Depression. They opted for policies preventing the economic system from self-correcting. These two American leaders foolishly relied on the advice of elites infatuated with the Soviet Union. They essentially thought that the graduates of our best schools should manage the country. To be blunt, the elites were supposed to be our benevolent dictators…..
The Depression: A Diary – Benjamin Roth
What makes this book important are its clear similarities to the events of today. In fact, it’s hard to read the book and not get the two eras a little confused. Bank closings? Check. Recovery Act bills and government spending? Check. Bankruptcy? Check. Foreclosures and federal foreclosure prevention programs? Check. Partial and full takeovers of industry? Check. Smaller paychecks every year? Yep…
