Following the American Revolution, it was a cliche that the new republic's future depended on widespread, informed citizenship. However, instead of immediately creating the common schools--accessible, elementary education--that seemed necessary to create such a citizenry, the Federalists in power founded one of the most ubiquitous but forgotten institutions of early American life: academies, privately run but state-chartered secondary schools that offered European-style education primarily for elites. By 1800, academies had become the most widely incorporated institutions besides churches and transportation projects in nearly every state. In this book, Mark Boonshoft shows how many Americans saw the academy as a caricature of aristocratic European education and how their political reaction against the academy led to a first era of school reform in the United States, helping transform education from a tool of elite privilege into a key component of self-government. And yet the very anti-aristocratic critique that propelled democratic education was conspicuously silent on the persistence of racial and gender inequality in public schooling. By tracing the history of academies in the revolutionary era, Boonshoft offers a new understanding of political power and the origins of public education and segregation in the United States.

The Constitution has governed the United States since 1789, but many Americans are not aware of the structural rules that govern the oldest democracy in the world. Important public policy challenges require a knowledgeable, interested citizenry able to address the issues that represent the rich pageantry of American society. Issues such as climate change, national debt, poverty, pandemics, income inequality, and more can be addressed sufficiently if citizens play an active role in their own republic. Collectively, citizens are vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation if we place limits on our individual political knowledge. A more informed, engaged citizenry can best rise to the great policy challenges of contemporary society and beyond. Brian L. Fife provides readers with essential information on all aspects of American politics, showing them how to use political knowledge to shape the future of the republic. Activist citizens are the key to making the United States a more vibrant democracy. Fife equips citizens and would-be citizens with the tools and understanding they need to engage fully in the political process. At the end of each chapter, he analyzes why citizenship matters and how citizens can use that chapter’s material in their own lives. Fife also provides readers with a citizen homework section that presents web links to further explore issues raised in each chapter.

The United States of America has been blessed with the world’s greatest political success formula. In a little over a century, this formula allowed a small segment of the human family—less than 6 percent—to become the richest nation on earth. It allowed them to create more than half of the world’s total output in production and enjoy the highest standard of living in the history of the world. In this book, we learn how the Founding Fathers discovered this success formula. Much of this discovery is told in the words of the Founders themselves, so that the reader can feel the power of their minds sweeping away thousands of years of bad government and illogical laws to formulate a whole new society based on human freedom. By returning to the roots of the Founders’ thinking, and contemplating the logic that they used in establishing the Constitution, we can better understand the challenges and solutions that confront us in today’s political world. This eBook includes the original index, illustrations, footnotes, table of contents and page numbering from the printed format.

Reginald Horsman's powerful and comprehensive survey of the early years of the American Republic covers the dramatic years from the setting up of the US Constitution in 1789, the first US presidency under George Washington, and also the presidencies of Adams, Jeffersen and Madison. A major strength of the book is that the coverage of the traditional topics about the shaping of the new government and crisis in foreign policy is combined with chapters on race, slavery, the economy and westward expansion, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the government and society that came into being after the Revolution. Key features include: Combines extensive research with the best recent scholarship on the period A balanced account of the contributions of the leading personalities Impressive coverage is given to questions of race and territorial expansion Chapter One provides a concise and lucid account of the state of American politics and society in 1789 Extensive chapter bibliographies The work will be welcomed by students studying the early republic as well as general readers interested in a stimulating and informative account of the early years of the American nation.

In Restoring Our Republic, Ned Ryun examines the genesis for the ideas which inspired our constitutional republic, from the ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Romans to the English and their common law. Ryun also discusses the machinery of the republic built by the Founders meant to protect the rights of the American people and how that machinery has been dismantled by Progressives. "Restoring Our Republic is powerful love letter to the United States of America. Detailed and sweeping, yet digestible and engrossing, this is the book America needs right now, a potent antidote to the poisonous lies promulgated by today's elite, those unworthy heirs of the exponential greater men of the founding. Ned Ryun gives us back our history, and in doing so reveals the truth about who we are asAmericans."-- Kurt Schlichter, Senior Columnist at Townhall.com"Ned Ryun nails it with Restoring Our Republic. Our Founder Fathers weren't anarchic revolutionaries. They fought instead to preserve our Judeo-Christian Civilization. That civilization, the greatest ever, is under lethal assault once more from those who detest PresidentTrump's MAGA agenda. Read Restoring Our Republic to refuel your commitment and help win back our country."-- Sebastian Gorka Ph.D. Former Strategist toPresident Donald Trump, Host of America First"The success of our republic isn't by chance: it is due to disciplined, deliberate choices. The growth of socialism now threatens the freedom this success provides. How will Americans now choose? Ned Ryun's Restoring Our Republic examines this and celebrates the DNA of American liberty."-- Dana Loesch, nationally syndicated radio host and best-selling author"Restoring Our Republic is both a love letter and a call to arms. As the republic of liberty created by the settlers of this country is slowly replaced with a new regime, Ryun reminds us of what we had and how we can get it back. This is not simply a diagnostic, much less a eulogy, it is a plan for the reinvigoration of our nation, for the unity of her people, and for the restoration of the Republic."-- Chris Buskirk, Publisher and Editor of American Greatness"Ned Ryun incisively details the fundamental principles and history of freedom and liberty that made America great, as well as the disastrous consequences of throwing overboard the constitutional ideals of theFounding Fathers. Restoring Our Republic makes clear that the only way to make America great again is to keep America free."-- Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist"Ned Ryun's Restoring Our Republic is a great analysis of what we've fought for, where we've been, and where we're going."-- Dan Bongino, The Dan Bongino Show"Restoring Our Republic is a historical road map of how the United States of America came to be the greatest force for good the world has ever known. Ned Ryun explains the complex underpinnings of the American experiment and pulls no punches in warning of the fragility of American exceptionalism. Understanding that America's constitutional and legal foundation was laid thousands, not hundreds of years ago, Ned calls on Americans to appreciate the gift they've been given, while warning of the dangers ahead if they stray from the Founders' course. A celebration of western civilization and values,Restoring Our Republic reminds us that a strong America means a return to our core tenets. This book is sure to become the must read manifesto of Constitutional conservatives."-- John Cardillo, Host of America Talks Live

A peer-reviewed open U.S. History Textbook released under a CC BY SA 3.0 Unported License.