Category Archives: Mr. Adair’s Classroom

“Where do we begin Mr. Adair?”

“At the beginning, ” he said. And throughout the year that I was under his tutelage – he would continue to challenge me to, “Never stop searching for truth.” In this endeavor, we provide – once again – the writings of many writers – many of whom I have known for years – providing historical lessons of import and understanding – little of which is addressed in our “classrooms” today.

Thomas Paine on Paper Money

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February 23, 2021 ~ I remember a German farmer expressing as much in a few words as the whole subject requires; “money is money, and paper is paper.”

All the invention of man cannot make them otherwise. The alchemist may cease his labors, and the hunter after the philosopher’s stone go to rest, if paper can be metamorphosed into gold and silver, or made to answer the same purpose in all cases.

Gold and silver are the emissions of nature: paper is the emission of art. The value of gold and silver is ascertained by the quantity which nature has made in the earth. We cannot make that quantity more or less than it is, and therefore the value being dependent upon the quantity, depends not on man. Man has no share in making gold or silver; all that his labors and ingenuity can accomplish is, to collect it from the mine, refine it for use and give it an impression, or stamp it into coin. Continue reading →

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essay: ‘Self-Reliance’

This classic essay privileges the individual over the collective.

“Crossing the Pasture,” 1871–1872, by Winslow Homer. Amon Carter Museum of American Art. In his essay, Ralph Waldo Emerson praises dependence on oneself to get work done.

In 1841, American writer-philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) published “Self-Reliance,” placing the ingenuity of the individual above an unquestioning acquiescence to the collective. Continue reading →

Would you pass the US citizenship test?

10 questions, including the Federalist Papers one everybody gets wrong

Government officials celebrated Independence Day by welcoming approximately 11,000 new citizens to the US during the July 4th holiday week.

Some 195 naturalization ceremonies have been organized between June 23 and July 5 by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). That’s double the 5,500 welcomed to the country in the same week last year.

But before being granted citizenship, all applicants must pass a two-part test. In the first part they must demonstrate an understanding of English. Continue reading →

The Supreme Court’s Daring Attempt to Limit Government

A HISTORY lesson – for yesterday, today and tomorrow. ~ Editor

On May 29, 1935, in the midst of a Great Depression that would not end, the Supreme Court struck down a central piece of legislation of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, the National Industrial Recovery Act. In Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, the Court ruled that the entire scheme violated the U.S. Constitution.

It was a landmark case because the Supreme Court was directly challenging both the executive and legislative branches. It said: They have gone too far and therefore all the legislation and regulation is illegal. As a result, the most elaborate central-planning scheme ever imposed on the U.S. economy was deleted. Continue reading →

‘David Copperfield’: A Book About Memory, Writing, and Fatherhood

The novel traces how a boy learns from examples, good and bad, what is needed to become a good father.

Mentorship from father figures is a guiding force in David Copperfield’s life. “Traddles, Micawber, and David,” by Frank Reynolds, 1910.

Charles Dickens created many memorable stories. The one he loved best was also the one he spoke of from the perspective of a father: “It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is DAVID COPPERFIELD.” Continue reading →

The Sacrifices of the Founding Fathers

A new nation: In John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams is seated to the viewer’s right of Richard Henry Lee, whose legs are crossed in the front row. They became friends and political allies. (John Trumbull/Capitol Rotunda)

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Continue reading →

**Which Woman’s Name Appears on The Declaration of Independence?**

The names of 56 men ended up on the Declaration of Independence in the form of their signatures.

The name of one woman appeared on it, too, well – a version of it.

According to the National Park Service (NPS), that woman was Mary Katharine Goddard. Continue reading →

Seese: Did the Founders Understand the Constitution?

Is the above just a stupid question? Did our founders, the ones who hammered out the Constitution of the United States, several of whom became presidents, fail to understand the Constitution of the United States of America? Why would anyone even ask a question like that?

Because either the Founders misunderstood the Constitution they drafted and the states ratified, or the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is clueless as to the meaning and intent of the Constitution and our founders, as is evidenced by the order to Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove the Ten Commandments from public premises.

That makes the title question valid. Either the Founders had no idea what they meant, or the federal courts and the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has invented another document out of what our forefathers wrote, and meant when it was written! Continue reading →

Can John C. Calhoun Save America?

Statesman John Calhoun, often vilified by modern sophisticates for the Confederacy’s embrace of his political philosophy, was in fact one of the greatest and most articulate champions of states’ rights, limited government, and strict federalism subsequent to the Founding Fathers.

A two-time vice president and one of America’s greatest senators, John C. Calhoun was also one of the most eloquent proponents of limited government and states’ rights… Continue reading →

George Washington Family Secrets Revealed by DNA From Unmarked 19th Century Graves Really!

President George Washington had no children of his own, but new research has identified the remains of two of his grandnephews and their mother. ~ Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of President George Washington’s younger brother Samuel and his kin. Two of Samuel’s descendants and their mother were recently identified from skeletal remains found in unmarked burials dating back to the 1880s. The investigation also provided the first patrilineal DNA map for the first US president, who had no children of his own. Continue reading →

**Claude Frédéric Bastiat: The LAW (June, 1850)**

~ PREFACE ~
THE LAW, first published as a pamphlet in June of 1850, and published on the first generation of The Federal Observer in 2001, is now a hundred and 174 years old. When a reviewer wishes to give special recognition to a book, he predicts that it will still be read “a hundred years from now.” And because its truths are eternal, it will still be read when another century has passed. These truths are particularly true and evident today. Frédéric Bastiat was a French economist, statesman, and author. He did most of his writing during the years just before – and immediately following – the French Revolution of February 1848. This was the period when France was rapidly turning to complete socialism. As a Deputy to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Bastiat was studying and explaining each socialist fallacy as it appeared. He explained how a system of socialism must inevitably degenerate into a system of communism, totalitarian despotism, and from there, when the system becomes intolerably oppressive, into lawlessness and anarchy, inevitably to revolution and war. But most of his countrymen and the world have chosen to ignore his logic. Kettle Moraine Publications through Metropolis.Café, presents Bastiat’s THE LAW to the Sovereign Citizens of the Web because the same situation exists in the United States and the World today in the 21st Century as existed in the France of 1848. The same socialist-communist ideas and plans that were then adopted in France have now swept America. The explanations and arguments then advanced against socialism by Mr. Bastiat are – Word For Word – equally valid today. His thoughts on THE LAW deserve a serious hearing by all concerned and honorable citizens of the United States and the World. We cannot long afford to continue to ignore his logic.

~ The Translation ~
This 1950 translation of THE LAW was done seventy-four years ago by Dean Russell of The Foundation For Economic Education, Inc., Irvington-On-Hudson, New York. Mr. Russell’s objective was an accurate rendering of Mr. Bastiat’s words and ideas into twentieth century, idiomatic English. A nineteenth century translation of THE LAW, made in 1853 in England by an unidentified contemporary of Mr. Bastiat, was of much value as a check against this translation. In addition, Dean Russell had his work reviewed by Bertrand de Jouvenel, the noted French economist, historian, and author who was also thoroughly familiar with the English language. While Mr. de Jouvenel offered many valuable corrections and suggestions, it should be clearly understood that Mr. Russell bears full responsibility for the translation. ~ Jeffrey Bennett, Kettle Moraine Publications
Continue reading →

J. Robert Oppenheimer: “We know too much for one man to know much.”

1958. American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer @Philippe Halsman

NEW YORK, N. Y., Dec. 26, 1954 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, the noted American physicist, drew a dramatic picture tonight of modern man living in an electric world in which virtually all of the traditional theories have become outdated.

While his speech was dramatic in itself as a scholarly foray into a description of the unfolding pages of modern arts and sciences, Dr. Oppenheimer’s appearance had the added edge of the peculiar position in which he stands today, at the age of 50, between greatness already earned to a large degree, and questions of character raised in political circles on the basis of records in political circles on the basis of records that may remain secret through his lifetime.

Earlier this year Dr. Oppenheimer was suspended as consultant to the Atomic Energy Commission for security reasons. Debate that attracted nationwide attention followed this peremptory act by the Commission, particularly since responsible officials reiterated that Dr. Oppenheimer’s personal character is above reproach.

Dr. Oppenheimer also must be remembered as the “architect” of the work that developed the atomic bomb, for he was director of the laboratories in Los Alamos, N. M., where the bomb was perfected. He now holds the post of director of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, N. J., and by today’s invitation the powers at Columbia University showed their opinion of him. Continue reading →

Uncovering the Revolutionary War Legacy of Charleston, SC

Charleston, South Carolina, is a city steeped in the rich history of the American Revolutionary War, offering a unique blend of historical sites and stories that bring the era of American independence to life. This article delves into several key locations and events that highlight Charleston’s significant role in the Revolutionary War. Continue reading →

The Ninth Amendment: Enumerated Rights Explained

“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

This amendment was introduced by James Madison to ensure that the Bill of Rights was not seen as an exhaustive list of the rights of the people. It acknowledges that there are other fundamental rights that exist even though they are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. The Ninth Amendment serves as a constitutional safety net intended to make clear that individuals have other fundamental rights, in addition to those enumerated in the Constitution. Continue reading →

Considering History: The 1933 Business Plot to Overthrow America

In 1933, a group on businessmen conspired to unseat President Roosevelt and overthrow the government. One man stopped them…

Still from Universal newsreel footage of Smedley Butler describing his 1934 congressional committee testimony (Wikimedia Commons)

Toward the climax of director and screenwriter David O. Russell’s new historical drama Amsterdam (2022), Dr. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) narrates a line that is not only central to the film’s plot and themes, but also one of the most telling quotes in recent American film history. Burt and his friends have begun to uncover the shadowy and sinister plan at the film’s center, a plan by powerful moneyed figures to overthrow the president of the United States and replace him with an unelected dictator. And Burt asks both himself and the audience, in the voiceover narration to which the film returns frequently, “What’s more un-American than a dictatorship built by American business?”
Continue reading →

The First Legal Slave Owner in America Was a Black Man?

Here’s something you won’t read about in the US history books. The first legal slave owner in America was black and he owned white slaves.

Anthony Johnson (BC 1600 – 1670) was an Angolan who achieved freedom in the early 17th century Colony of Virginia.

Johnson was captured in his native Angola by an enemy tribe and sold to Arab (Muslim) slave traders. He was eventually sold as an indentured servant to a merchant working for the Virginia Company.

Sometime after 1635, Antonio and Mary gained their freedom from indenture. Antonio changed his name to Anthony Johnson. Continue reading →

**December 23, 1783: “More Extraordinary Than Any Military Feat During the War”**

The Baltimore Washington Monument. Emblazoned on the sides are important dates in the Revolutionary War, including December 23, 1783. At the top, Washington resigns his commission.

In Baltimore, Maryland stands one of the first monuments erected to the memory of George Washington. The 180-foot monument was finished in 1829, before the Washington Monument in D.C. was even begun. The impressive stone pillar is topped with a large statue of the General. Unlike most other statues of George Washington, the statue in Baltimore does not depict the Revolutionary War hero on horseback with his sword drawn, or as the First President of the United States. Instead it shows Washington, in his military uniform, simply extending a hand holding a piece of paper. Despite the simplicity of the scene, it is representative of one of the most important moments in the founding of the American nation: Washington resigning his military commission.

On November 1, 1783, Washington learned that the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the Revolutionary War was over. Continue reading →

Publius Rutilius Rufus: Rome’s ‘Last Honest Man‘

Publius Rutilius Rufus (158 B.C.-78 B.C.) attempted to reform Rome’s corrupt tax system, and soon found himself accused of corruption and extortion himself.

Banished for debasing the currency from his home city in what is now north-central Turkey, Diogenes of Sinope chose to beg in the streets of Corinth and Athens, live in a clay jar, and eschew wealth of any kind. The story is often told that he walked the streets with a lantern, looking in vain for an honest man. He often confronted people with disparaging hand gestures, including one that involved the middle finger. He is considered a founder of the ancient Greek school of philosophy known as Cynicism. In his 80s, he died in the same year as Alexander the Great (323 B.C.). Continue reading →

Here’s Why John F. Kennedy Once Passionately Argued To Keep The Electoral College

The days of New York City’s Tammany Hall and the Windy City’s “Chicago Machine” may be technically over, but that doesn’t mean Democrats have given up trying to rig and steal elections in a neverending power grab that would make Mayor Daley blush. Not by a long shot. In fact, you can bet the farm that virtually any cockamamie proposal put out there by anyone with a D beside their name is specifically designed to do one thing and one thing alone – get votes.

Oh, I know they like to pretend they’re all about “virtue” and “values” and helping the “disenfranchised,” the downtrodden, and the disaffected, but these modern day Bolsheviks have “more power” scrubbed into their DNA, and it defines EVERYTHING they do. Continue reading →

Gouverneur Morris (1804)

“I charge you to protect his fame. It is all that he has left.”

NEW YORK, New York, July 14, 1804 – All that Alexander Hamilton might have wished to have said of him in life was poured forth today in a moving funeral oration by Gouverneur Morris, diplomat and former colleague of Mr. Hamilton both in the Continental Congress and on the Committee that framed the Constitution.

He spoke over the open coffin holding the body that collapsed in sudden death only four days ago on the Weehawken Heights, across the Hudson River in New Jersey, when Mr. Hamilton engaged in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Today no words were spoken of the controversies over politics and finance that culminated in this tragic event. Neither did Mr. Morris mention the fugitive Burr. Continue reading →