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CATEGORY: HISTORY (5 MIN)

Who tells his story?

If you remember the hit 2016 musical Hamilton, you might also recall that one of its major themes was the preservation of the memory of the Founding Fathers. As the title of the last song put it: “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?” Unfortunately, the stories most Americans know of the Founders seem to be either highly edited and simplistic or completely negative and corrupted.

In The Imaginative Conservative, Jerry Salyer notes this phenomenon in the specific case of Thomas Jefferson. Salyer says the third president’s legacy has been chopped away at and boiled down to the principle that “all men are created equal.” And although that maxim is important and a piece of Jefferson’s story, Salyer argues for a more “well-rounded” view of Jefferson.

Salyer points to a number of Jefferson’s beliefs and ideals worth remembering today. He discusses Jefferson’s agrarian vision and his love for those who till the earth (as well as his disdain for city life). Salyer recounts Jefferson’s strong view of states’ rights, including the power to nullify. And Salyer even touches on Jefferson’s controversial opinions on slavery, ones which would Salyer says would probably no longer find a welcome in a politically correct society.

Salyer connects this corruption of memory to the degradation of civil discourse. To learn more about this connection, read Salyer’s piece right here. 

Weekly Poll

Which of the following Founding Fathers is your favorite?

[A] George Washington​​​​​​​​​
[B] Alexander Hamilton
​​​​​[C] Thomas Jefferson
[D] James Madison

RESULTS: 4/11/24

Do you have a positive, negative, or neutral opinion of William F. Buckley?:

[A] Positive - 91.3%
[B] Neutral - 4.8%
[C] Negative - 3.8%
CATEGORY: CULTURE (5 MIN)

Waking up

The past few years have seen an explosion in Americans identifying as transgender. Doctors have provided many surgeries and hormonal treatments to children who think they are dissatisfied with their biological sex, sometimes even over the objection of their parents. Media coverage has silenced many of those who question these procedures.

But according to Nina Power, the tide may finally be turning. Power, writing for Compact, notes the recent Cass Report in the UK which highlighted the medical dangers of puberty blockers and other hormonal treatment. Perhaps more importantly, Power says the report associated those procedures with the mental health and emotional crises among youth.

Instead of just celebrating the report, Power takes a step back to ask how the world arrived at a point where transgenderism has been normalized. She points out the effect puberty has on young men and women, putting them in a confusing place and opening them to influence from role models who may not have their best interests at heart. Power uses the writings of René Girard to compare the mimetic effect of eating disorders to the mimetic effect of transgenderism.

Power argues that the fears and flaws in our own culture which the transgender movement has revealed need resolving. Read her full article here to learn more.
CATEGORY: VIDEO

The Legacy of the Early Church | Fr. John Strickland

Join us as Fr. John Strickland delves into his captivating new book, The Age of Paradise: Christendom from Pentecost to the First Millennium. Fr. Strickland, an esteemed scholar and Orthodox priest, provides a rich exploration of the early centuries of Christianity, tracing the development of Christendom from its origins to the first millennium. Discover the profound impact of this transformative era on Western civilization and gain a deeper understanding of the roots of Christian tradition. 

This conversation offers a fascinating journey through history, theology, and culture, shedding light on the enduring legacy of the early Church.

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A Revival and Reinvention of the Traditional University​​​​​ 

Ralston College is offering a one-year M.A. in Humanities, where students encounter transformative works of Western culture that have, for centuries, been central to humanistic learning.

Applications are now open >>>
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here
Carolina Housing, RHA Allegedly Violate First Amendment via Carolina Review
“The Carolina Review has uncovered a series of policies and guidelines by UNC’s Residence Hall Association, the body tasked with organizing social and educational events in dormitories across campus... The specific by-law that causes a potential threat to the First Amendment rights of students who volunteer for the organization is Article VII, Section 6, Subsection D which bans ‘harmful rhetoric’ and ‘hate speech.’ While both are never defined, the by-law says examples of such speech include ‘…Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, colorism, texturism, classism, fatphobia, and other forms of prejudice’... In addition to questionable by-laws, the Review uncovered that the organization has made deep strides to incorporate ‘social justice’ into their work through the creation of a Social Justice Advocate that is tasked with ... ‘teach[ing] social justice modules’ in each community government. One social justice module obtained by the Carolina Review was titled ‘Inclusive Language Workshop’ and discourages students from using words and phrases such as ‘blacklist,’ ‘whitelist,’ ‘guru,’ ‘minorities,’ ‘peanut gallery,’ ‘pow wow,’ and ‘tribal knowledge.’“
This story was picked up in a recent article by The College Fix.

Ann Coulter Speaks With Single Interruption via Cornell Review
“Ann Coulter ‘84, the co-founder of the Cornell Review, discussed immigration on April 16, 2024... to cap off the Free Expression Theme Year. Coulter was interrupted repeatedly when she was invited to speak at Cornell on November 10, 2022, with the degree of interruption preventing her from speaking. [This year,] Coulter was protected by extensive security measures. Tickets were restricted to Cornell students, faculty and staff. Unlike November 2022 when boom boxes were permitted to be brought into the auditorium, no packages or knap sacks were allowed past security.”

Jo Boaler and the Woke Math Death Spiral via The Stanford Review
Jo Boaler is the infamous ‘mathematics education’ professor of Stanford known for charging underfunded school districts $5,000 an hour to advise them to drop middle school algebra classes. In recent weeks, she has acquired a newfound notoriety for her ‘reckless disregard for accuracy,’ even garnering the attention of Elon Musk for her antics... As UC Berkeley professor Jelani Nelson (who was the victim of an intimidation attempt by Boaler) noticed, Stanford University is implicated in a web of funding for Boaler’s shoddy services, and must take action to investigate her alleged misconduct properly. The University is consequently looking into the allegations of Boaler’s work, though it refuses to deem the investigation as a ‘formal’ probe.

Anti-Defamation League Gives U-M a ‘D’ Grade for Antisemitism via The Michigan Review
“The University of Michigan received a D grade on the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Campus Antisemitism Report Card, released April 11. The ADL gives U-M the lowest possible ratings in the categories of ‘hostile anti-Zionist student government activity,’ ‘hostile anti-Zionist student groups,’ and ‘antisemitic speakers or programs on campus.’”

Group of UT Students Demands Town Hall to Discuss DEI Ban via The Texas Horn
“On April 9, 2024, a group of student organizations at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) released a letter demanding a town hall meeting with UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, State Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), and Vice President of Legal Affairs Amanda Cochran to discuss SB 17, also known as the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) ban. The letter, which was posted by Texas Students for DEI and Lotus Project Texas on Instagram, calls for a town hall to be held on April 19, 2024 at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium. The letter comes in response to UT Austin shutting down the Division of Campus and Community Engagement and laying off around 60 employees in DEI-related positions.“

CATEGORY: HISTORY (10 MIN)

Challenging consensus

Most historical rankings of American presidents will have a familiar top five. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington usually finish atop the list, and they’re often joined by a more modern representative: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Despite his esteem, many conservatives see FDR as standing for the New Deal, the forerunner of much destructive government action. What some might not know is that even in the heyday of FDR’s 1940s popularity, there were many who stood against his programs. 

For this week’s article on the Modern Age website, David Lewis Schaefer reviews a new book edited by award-winning author Amity Shlaes. Her new work, New Deal Rebels, is a collection of pieces from FDR’s time criticizing the New Deal and its philosophy. Schaefer says that Shlaes even includes some pieces from those who supported the New Deal because they still reveal something about its weaknesses.

Shlaes’s assembled critics, according to Schaefer, knock FDR’s programs as a blow to the free market and the success of American capitalism. And these opponents were not sitting in the ivory tower.

“It is noteworthy, indeed,” writes Schaefer, “that among the most incisive critics of the New Deal anthologized here were . . . men of modest backgrounds, unlike Roosevelt and his supposedly learned advisors, heirs of the long progressive tradition.”

Read more about New Deal Rebels on the Modern Age website right here.


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Thought of the Day:
 
“I agree with you that it is the duty of every good citizen to use all the opportunities, which occur to him, for preserving documents relating to the history of our country.” 

- Thomas Jefferson
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