This is part of “The Best of the Online Library of Liberty” which is a collection of some of the most important material in the OLL. A thematic list with links to HTML versions of the texts is available here. Daniel Webster gave a speech in the House of Representatives in which he opposed the introduction of conscription during the War of 1812 against Britain as a violation of the Constitution and the act of a failing government.
This is part of “The Best of the Online Library of Liberty” which is a collection of some of the most important material in the OLL. This influential chapter from “Spirit of the Laws” is a very good example of Montesquieu’s comparative approach to the study of political and legal institutions where he ranges broadly over ancient Greek and Roman, Germanic, modern Italian, Dutch, and English history. His conclusion is that political liberty cannot exist unless the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are controlled by different groups and not in the hands of one person.
My Thoughts (Mes Pensées). Translated, edited, and with an Introduction by Henry C. Clark (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2012).
My Thoughts provides a unique window into the mind of one of the undisputed pioneers of modern thought, the author of The Spirit of the Laws. From the publication of his first masterpiece, Persian Letters, in 1721, until his death in 1755, Montesquieu maintained notebooks in which he wrote and dictated ideas on a wide variety of topics. Some of the contents are early drafts of passages that Montesquieu eventually placed in his published works; others are outlines or early versions of projected works that were ultimately lost, unfinished, or abandoned. These notebooks provide important insights into his views on a broad range of topics, including morality, religion, history, law, economics, finance, science, art, and constitutional liberty.
The Best of the OLL No. 36: Lord Acton, “Inaugural Lecture on the Study of History” (1895) (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2013).
This is part of “The Best of the Online Library of Liberty” which is a collection of some of the most important material in the OLL. A thematic list with links to HTML versions of the texts is available here. Lord Acton’s inaugural lecture following his appointment to the Regius professorship in Cambridge is a tour de force of classical liberal scholarship. Of the many issues covered in his lecture, the role of ideas in bringing about historical change and the place of moral judgements in the writing of history are particularly noteworthy.
The Best of the OLL No. 35: James Madison, “The Utility of the Union As a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection” (1788) (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2013).
This is part of “The Best of the Online Library of Liberty” which is a collection of some of the most important material in the OLL. A thematic list with links to HTML versions of the texts is available here. Madison’s essay on faction for The Federalist papers is a classic defense of an “extended republic” in which the geographic scale of the country and the number of different groups who inhabit it act as a counterweight to the dangers of self-interested factions.
The Best of the OLL No. 34: James Mill, “The State of the Nation” (1835) (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2013).
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