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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2025
** This Week on Reclaiming Civic Responsibility
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** Accountable Government in the Declaration ([link removed])
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This month on A Call to Liberty, our lead essay explores how John Adam’s seized letters in 1775, and later the Declaration of Independence, invited the public into the serious work of reasoning about justice and government. At a time when political deliberation is too often hidden from view or reduced to performance, the piece argues that recovering the Declaration’s example is key to renewing our shared civic responsibility as free citizens.
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** In what ways does civic responsibility strengthen the fabric of a free society—and what duties and virtues preserve liberty and the common good?
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** “A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” — James Madison
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The Declaration of Independence is not just a historical document; it is a living invitation to public deliberation and moral responsibility. By articulating principles of natural rights, consent of the governed, and just powers, it urges both governments and citizens to hold themselves accountable. This week’s featured resources consider how revitalizing civic responsibility in both government and citizens can restore trust and encourage meaningful participation in public life.
** Articles
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** The Youngest Citizens ([link removed])
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Danton Kostandarithes, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
Earlier generations taught that citizenship carried duties as well as rights; recovering this emphasis on responsibility offers a path to renewing civic life today. In attending to these duties, we preserve not only our institutions but also the very conditions of a free society.
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** It Was All So Unlikely: Wilfred McClay's Land of Hope ([link removed])
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Mark C. Schug, EconLib ([link removed])
By presenting America’s past as a vivid and balanced story, the work invites readers to see themselves as citizens shaped by both the nation’s achievements and its flaws. In doing so, it points toward reclaiming civic responsibility through a shared understanding of rights and duties.
** Is There a Role for Monarchy in a Free Society ([link removed])
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Stephen Davies, Elena Woodacre, Helen Dale, and Carolyn Harris, Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])
The endurance of monarchy alongside liberty invites reflection on how institutions, even those seemingly at odds with freedom, can be shaped by civic responsibility. By engaging with history and exercising our duty as free citizens, we discover that preserving liberty requires both adaptable institutions and accountable people.
** Reviving Civic Education through Conversation ([link removed])
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Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr., A Call to Liberty ([link removed])
When students engage directly with the Declaration and other foundational texts, they begin to connect their own moral perspectives with the responsibilities of citizenship. This practice of shared inquiry is essential for sustaining the habits of free people.
** On Voting as a Civic Duty ([link removed])
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Rachel Lu, Law & Liberty ([link removed])
This forum warns against treating elections as all-encompassing, yet insists that voting expresses the accountability between citizens and their government. By treating it as a modest but expected duty, we take a step toward renewing the everyday habits of civic responsibility.
** 18thC Middle Class Radicalism ([link removed])
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Isaac Kramnick, Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])
Eighteenth-century dissenters challenged aristocratic order by insisting on liberty of conscience and careers open to talent. Their struggle illustrates how civic responsibility flourishes when individuals are free to contribute through merit and industry rather than birth.
** Podcasts
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** Katherine Mangu-Ward on Journalism and the State ([link removed])
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The Future of Liberty ([link removed])
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** Constitutional Tensions ([link removed])
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The Law & Liberty Podcast ([link removed])
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** Peter Boettke on Public Administration, Liberty, and the Proper Role of Government ([link removed])
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EconTalk ([link removed])
** Videos
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** A Conversation with Jacques Barzun ([link removed])
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Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])
Barzun emphasized that true education is not just the transfer of information but the cultivation of judgment, taste, and responsibility. This directly supports the idea that civic responsibility is not inherited passively but must be reclaimed through intentional formation.
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