| From | Intercollegiate Review <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Freedom past and future |
| Date | December 5, 2024 7:06 PM |
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The best of intellectual conservative thought.
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CATEGORY: HISTORY (24 MIN)
Fourth facts
[link removed]
America just celebrated Thanksgiving, and one of the most important things to be thankful for in this nation is our country’s own existence. In two years, we will commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday, and some are already planning celebrations of special magnificence.
That day, of course, is July 4, and Bradley J. Birzer, who wrote ISI’s 2016 Conservative Book of the Year, is writing a new work called The Declaration at 250 to remember that day. As reprinted in The Imaginative Conservative, Birzer gave a speech at Hillsdale College this fall to discuss some of the history of the Declaration of Independence.
Birzer listed some interesting and little-known tidbits on the Declaration to his listeners, starting with a “beautiful and bizarre ritual” from the Second Continental Congress on the passing of the document: they placed a crown on their copy of the Bible and divided it into 13 pieces. Birzer goes on to mention other fascinating facts, like the existence of many local declarations, the original preface to the Declaration, and Thomas Jefferson’s pride in his role.
Birzer concludes with one of the most incredible coincidences in American history. He reminds us that both Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day: July 4, 1826—50 years to the day after the Declaration’s adoption. Birzer says the Americans of the time would have seen it as “astounding” and “surely confirmation that God smiled upon the Declaration and upon America.”
Read his address here.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
Did you celebrate Thanksgiving?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[link removed]
RESULTS: 11/21/2024
Should America be more or less engaged in foreign affairs?
[A] More - 29.5%
[B] Less - 46.2%
[C] Right level - 23.1%
[D] Not sure - 1.3%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: POLITICS (19 MIN)
Rebuilding and reform
[link removed]
With each new presidential administration comes a host of promises and plans. But the biggest question facing every new leader is whether he can fulfill those promises and set those plans in motion. There are many, many obstacles to government action, some coming from its modern size and some dating back to the Founders’ checks and balances. So American presidents need to be strategic about how to accomplish their goals.
For City Journal, Christopher F. Rufo, the winner of ISI’s 2024 Conservative Book of the Year Award, details his ideas for President-elect Donald Trump to successfully defeat leftist ideology in the halls of government. Rufo argues that stopping the bureaucracy is in the interest of the American people and our “constitutional order,” so “an ambitious counterrevolution blueprint” is needed.
Rufo urges executive action in several specific areas. He suggests Trump should eliminate every DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) department and program in the administrative state. He says DEI language should be eliminated from all federal documents. He recommends destroying all “racial and sexual bigotry” across federal programs and all funding for leftism in government grants and contracts.
In three remaining points, Rufo argues for banning federal employee activism, finishing off affirmative action, and increasing executive control over poorly performing civil servants. Together, Rufo says these moves can uphold constitutional values and the rights noted in the Declaration.
Read Rufo’s piece here.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Thomas Aquinas & Thomas More (ft. Michael Knowles)
[link removed]
Join Johnny Burtka and Michael Knowles, host of The Michael Knowles Show on the Daily Wire, as they delve into the lives and contributions of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Thomas More—two theologians who sought to reconcile classical philosophy and politics with Christianity.
In this episode of Daring Greatly with Johnny Burtka, Johnny and Michael Knowles explore the role of government in encouraging virtue, advancing the common good through statecraft, and how Christians must embrace politics and not abandon it.
Daring Greatly with Johnny Burtka is the newest video series from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Over the course of this series, join ISI President Johnny Burtka as he explores key leadership characteristics throughout history, from ancient times to the present.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Cato University on Campus Comes to Chicago
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“On November 8th and 9th at the University of Chicago’s downtown Gleacher Center, the Cato Institute, the American libertarian think tank, hosted the “Cato University on Campus” seminar. The two-day event focused on libertarian policy and ideas, partially in the context of the presidential election days prior. The event provided a unique opportunity for the roughly 40-50 attendees to network and explore libertarian economic and political philosophy through discussions led by prominent thinkers. While many attendees, mostly undergraduates, came from local universities, with UChicago students unsurprisingly having a dominant presence, there was representation from students nationwide. The fact that several participants flew in specifically for the event underscored its perceived value.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Review Interviews President Levin
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“Stanford Review: Hi President Levin, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. Also, happy belated birthday! Your father was the president of Yale. Obviously, you are now the President of Stanford. The last year has been difficult for university presidents. What do you think the role of university presidents is? How has it changed?
President Levin: Well. I’ll just start by saying I'm 100 days into this role. So, of course, I’m still at a point where I”m learning a lot about everything. I came into this role knowing that it has been a very challenging period for universities nationally and the experience I've had so far has been really positive. It's been incredibly exciting to see just the breadth of excellence across the university, the feeling of openness and discussion on the campus this year, which has been particularly gratifying given the last couple of years, and just the overall sense of optimism at Stanford, something I really love and value. And that's what I talked about in my inauguration."
Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Claims
[link removed]
via The Cornell Review
“In conjunction with the 55th anniversary of the Willard Straight Hall takeover and Black History Month, the Cornell Review advocated that Cornell should establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the same spirit as the Republic of South Africa. A non-profit in Colorado set up a similar commission which delivered its report last summer. Last spring’s Arts Quad Encampment, Op-ed columns in the Sun, a petition signed by 74 graduating seniors, and aDepartmental blog all have raised a controversy over how Cornell University treated indigenous people and whether Cornell–rather than society as a whole–owes reparations for stolen land. The loudest advocates for the claims that Cornell has been harming Native Americans has been the faculty of the Cornell American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP).”
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrates New UVA Institute
[link removed]
via The Jefferson Independent
“On Friday November 22nd, UVA’s new National Security Data and Policy Institute was inaugurated to great fanfare with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Rotunda’s Dome Room. The new institute has come from a $20 million grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (“ODNI”) for the purpose of developing new research methods to combine data and national security policy. UVA has received a unique advantage in leading this new effort, the first of its kind in the nation. Beginning at 10 a.m., a steady stream of distinguished guests took their seats at the event. Among those in attendance were many from the ODNI and a number of intelligence agencies, officials and staff from UVA (including many who will be involved in the new institute), and a number of faculty and students. In the four chairs at the head of the room sat the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, UVA President Jim Ryan, and Professor Philip Potter
of the Batten School.”
Pomona Disputes Legal Liability Claims Over Student Suspensions
[link removed]
via The Claremont Independent
“On Monday, November 25th, lawyers for Pomona College responded to a November 13th letter from five legal advocacy organizations claiming that Pomona violated the free speech and due process rights of students suspended for participating in the October 7th takeover of Carnegie Hall. Pomona’s letter was shared to students over email by President Gabi Starr. Derek Ishikawa, a Pomona alumnus and partner at Hirschfeld Kraemer, wrote the response on Pomona’s behalf. Ishikawa’s letter denies any wrongdoing by Pomona, claiming that the letter by the legal groups “contains incomplete facts and other materially inaccurate statements that result in incorrect application of the relevant law.“
CATEGORY: HISTORY (8 MIN)
Classical comparison
[link removed]
Although our nation has occupied an extremely unique position in world history, it also reflects the practice of past civilizations—some of what is now American comes from what used to be English, Roman, Greek, and much more. Taking lessons from the experiences of those old cultures might be able to teach us about the present and future of our own.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, Casey Chalk reviews a book about ancient Greece: Sparta’s Third Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 413-404 BC, by Paul A. Rahe. Rahe’s new work analyzes the foreign policy of the Spartan city-state during the closing years of the famous Peloponnesian War. Chalk seeks to take Rahe’s analysis and draw teachings for America today.
Chalk says that Rahe’s research reveals Sparta’s skill in diplomacy and general caution, as opposed to the instability and aggressiveness of Athens. As an example, Athens launched a huge expedition to save an ally in Sicily against Syracuse, a Spartan ally. But the adventure was a disaster, and Sparta took advantage by crushing the Athenian navy. Chalk then notes that Athens suffered brutally at home and eventually lost the war.
Chalk uses this story to ask a question of American policy: “With the prospect of ‘regime change’ and ‘democracy-building’ in the Middle East and Eastern Europe still tempting our internationalist establishment, will we continue to direct massive sums of money and materiel abroad, imperiling our own security interests in the process?”
Read Chalk’s article here on the Modern Age website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
- C.S. Lewis
Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved.
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Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
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[link removed]
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CATEGORY: HISTORY (24 MIN)
Fourth facts
[link removed]
America just celebrated Thanksgiving, and one of the most important things to be thankful for in this nation is our country’s own existence. In two years, we will commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday, and some are already planning celebrations of special magnificence.
That day, of course, is July 4, and Bradley J. Birzer, who wrote ISI’s 2016 Conservative Book of the Year, is writing a new work called The Declaration at 250 to remember that day. As reprinted in The Imaginative Conservative, Birzer gave a speech at Hillsdale College this fall to discuss some of the history of the Declaration of Independence.
Birzer listed some interesting and little-known tidbits on the Declaration to his listeners, starting with a “beautiful and bizarre ritual” from the Second Continental Congress on the passing of the document: they placed a crown on their copy of the Bible and divided it into 13 pieces. Birzer goes on to mention other fascinating facts, like the existence of many local declarations, the original preface to the Declaration, and Thomas Jefferson’s pride in his role.
Birzer concludes with one of the most incredible coincidences in American history. He reminds us that both Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day: July 4, 1826—50 years to the day after the Declaration’s adoption. Birzer says the Americans of the time would have seen it as “astounding” and “surely confirmation that God smiled upon the Declaration and upon America.”
Read his address here.
Read Now
[link removed]
Weekly Poll
Did you celebrate Thanksgiving?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[link removed]
RESULTS: 11/21/2024
Should America be more or less engaged in foreign affairs?
[A] More - 29.5%
[B] Less - 46.2%
[C] Right level - 23.1%
[D] Not sure - 1.3%
[link removed]
CATEGORY: POLITICS (19 MIN)
Rebuilding and reform
[link removed]
With each new presidential administration comes a host of promises and plans. But the biggest question facing every new leader is whether he can fulfill those promises and set those plans in motion. There are many, many obstacles to government action, some coming from its modern size and some dating back to the Founders’ checks and balances. So American presidents need to be strategic about how to accomplish their goals.
For City Journal, Christopher F. Rufo, the winner of ISI’s 2024 Conservative Book of the Year Award, details his ideas for President-elect Donald Trump to successfully defeat leftist ideology in the halls of government. Rufo argues that stopping the bureaucracy is in the interest of the American people and our “constitutional order,” so “an ambitious counterrevolution blueprint” is needed.
Rufo urges executive action in several specific areas. He suggests Trump should eliminate every DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) department and program in the administrative state. He says DEI language should be eliminated from all federal documents. He recommends destroying all “racial and sexual bigotry” across federal programs and all funding for leftism in government grants and contracts.
In three remaining points, Rufo argues for banning federal employee activism, finishing off affirmative action, and increasing executive control over poorly performing civil servants. Together, Rufo says these moves can uphold constitutional values and the rights noted in the Declaration.
Read Rufo’s piece here.
Read Now
[link removed]
[link removed]
CATEGORY: VIDEO
Thomas Aquinas & Thomas More (ft. Michael Knowles)
[link removed]
Join Johnny Burtka and Michael Knowles, host of The Michael Knowles Show on the Daily Wire, as they delve into the lives and contributions of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Thomas More—two theologians who sought to reconcile classical philosophy and politics with Christianity.
In this episode of Daring Greatly with Johnny Burtka, Johnny and Michael Knowles explore the role of government in encouraging virtue, advancing the common good through statecraft, and how Christians must embrace politics and not abandon it.
Daring Greatly with Johnny Burtka is the newest video series from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Over the course of this series, join ISI President Johnny Burtka as he explores key leadership characteristics throughout history, from ancient times to the present.
Watch Now
[link removed]
Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Cato University on Campus Comes to Chicago
[link removed]
via The Chicago Thinker
“On November 8th and 9th at the University of Chicago’s downtown Gleacher Center, the Cato Institute, the American libertarian think tank, hosted the “Cato University on Campus” seminar. The two-day event focused on libertarian policy and ideas, partially in the context of the presidential election days prior. The event provided a unique opportunity for the roughly 40-50 attendees to network and explore libertarian economic and political philosophy through discussions led by prominent thinkers. While many attendees, mostly undergraduates, came from local universities, with UChicago students unsurprisingly having a dominant presence, there was representation from students nationwide. The fact that several participants flew in specifically for the event underscored its perceived value.”
EXCLUSIVE: The Review Interviews President Levin
[link removed]
via The Stanford Review
“Stanford Review: Hi President Levin, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. Also, happy belated birthday! Your father was the president of Yale. Obviously, you are now the President of Stanford. The last year has been difficult for university presidents. What do you think the role of university presidents is? How has it changed?
President Levin: Well. I’ll just start by saying I'm 100 days into this role. So, of course, I’m still at a point where I”m learning a lot about everything. I came into this role knowing that it has been a very challenging period for universities nationally and the experience I've had so far has been really positive. It's been incredibly exciting to see just the breadth of excellence across the university, the feeling of openness and discussion on the campus this year, which has been particularly gratifying given the last couple of years, and just the overall sense of optimism at Stanford, something I really love and value. And that's what I talked about in my inauguration."
Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Claims
[link removed]
via The Cornell Review
“In conjunction with the 55th anniversary of the Willard Straight Hall takeover and Black History Month, the Cornell Review advocated that Cornell should establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the same spirit as the Republic of South Africa. A non-profit in Colorado set up a similar commission which delivered its report last summer. Last spring’s Arts Quad Encampment, Op-ed columns in the Sun, a petition signed by 74 graduating seniors, and aDepartmental blog all have raised a controversy over how Cornell University treated indigenous people and whether Cornell–rather than society as a whole–owes reparations for stolen land. The loudest advocates for the claims that Cornell has been harming Native Americans has been the faculty of the Cornell American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP).”
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrates New UVA Institute
[link removed]
via The Jefferson Independent
“On Friday November 22nd, UVA’s new National Security Data and Policy Institute was inaugurated to great fanfare with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the Rotunda’s Dome Room. The new institute has come from a $20 million grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (“ODNI”) for the purpose of developing new research methods to combine data and national security policy. UVA has received a unique advantage in leading this new effort, the first of its kind in the nation. Beginning at 10 a.m., a steady stream of distinguished guests took their seats at the event. Among those in attendance were many from the ODNI and a number of intelligence agencies, officials and staff from UVA (including many who will be involved in the new institute), and a number of faculty and students. In the four chairs at the head of the room sat the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, UVA President Jim Ryan, and Professor Philip Potter
of the Batten School.”
Pomona Disputes Legal Liability Claims Over Student Suspensions
[link removed]
via The Claremont Independent
“On Monday, November 25th, lawyers for Pomona College responded to a November 13th letter from five legal advocacy organizations claiming that Pomona violated the free speech and due process rights of students suspended for participating in the October 7th takeover of Carnegie Hall. Pomona’s letter was shared to students over email by President Gabi Starr. Derek Ishikawa, a Pomona alumnus and partner at Hirschfeld Kraemer, wrote the response on Pomona’s behalf. Ishikawa’s letter denies any wrongdoing by Pomona, claiming that the letter by the legal groups “contains incomplete facts and other materially inaccurate statements that result in incorrect application of the relevant law.“
CATEGORY: HISTORY (8 MIN)
Classical comparison
[link removed]
Although our nation has occupied an extremely unique position in world history, it also reflects the practice of past civilizations—some of what is now American comes from what used to be English, Roman, Greek, and much more. Taking lessons from the experiences of those old cultures might be able to teach us about the present and future of our own.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age website, Casey Chalk reviews a book about ancient Greece: Sparta’s Third Attic War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 413-404 BC, by Paul A. Rahe. Rahe’s new work analyzes the foreign policy of the Spartan city-state during the closing years of the famous Peloponnesian War. Chalk seeks to take Rahe’s analysis and draw teachings for America today.
Chalk says that Rahe’s research reveals Sparta’s skill in diplomacy and general caution, as opposed to the instability and aggressiveness of Athens. As an example, Athens launched a huge expedition to save an ally in Sicily against Syracuse, a Spartan ally. But the adventure was a disaster, and Sparta took advantage by crushing the Athenian navy. Chalk then notes that Athens suffered brutally at home and eventually lost the war.
Chalk uses this story to ask a question of American policy: “With the prospect of ‘regime change’ and ‘democracy-building’ in the Middle East and Eastern Europe still tempting our internationalist establishment, will we continue to direct massive sums of money and materiel abroad, imperiling our own security interests in the process?”
Read Chalk’s article here on the Modern Age website.
Read Now
[link removed]
Thought of the Day:
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
- C.S. Lewis
Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
Join the Club
[link removed]
Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Forward to Friend
Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
unsubscribe from all emails
[link removed]
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[link removed]
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