Tag: American Revolution

The Rules are Changing

By Charlie Johnston In his influential Revolutionary War pamphlet, “Common Sense,” Thomas Paine argued that it is dangerously stupid to conflate society and government – that they are two very different concepts:  “Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness;” he said, “the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections. […]

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Of Carts and Horses

By Charlie Johnston My favorite professor in college was Clarence VerSteeg. He was an expert on the American Revolution and our class was a sort of mini-seminar. It was limited to 15 students and met once a week for four straight hours each week. Professor VerSteeg made two big impressions on me. First, no one […]

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