Dear John,

I’m sure you read the subject line and assumed I was referring to Tuesday night's debate. But I have a much older political showdown in mind.

I’m referring to the new documentary about the Lincoln-Douglas debates, “Might Makes Right,” streaming now on Fox Nation. From vision to execution, this film was very much a product of Claremont scholarship and the influential alumni network we’ve built over the years.

Given your support of Claremont and, by extension, our fellowship programs, I think you’ll appreciate a peek behind-the-scenes to see just how far your support goes.

It started with an idea to re-illuminate “the debates that defined America ” and the perennial challenges democracy must endure—questions very much at play today. Claremont Fellow Ben Judge assembled the plan to bring that idea to life, along with the seed funding provided by supporters of the Claremont Institute.

A former Lincoln fellow who works in programming at FOX brokered the purchase for the network. Another former Lincoln fellow whose company, Madison McQueen, produced the influential documentary, No Safe Spaces, produced this film. Finally, three Claremont senior fellows, Charles Kesler, Allen Guelzo, and Lucas Morel, grace the screen, offering their scholarly insights into this greatest example of political oratory.

The finished product is one our intellectual godfather—and the greatest scholar of Lincoln’s statesmanship—Harry Jaffa would be proud of.

Among other things, Kesler talks about the animating theme of Lincoln’s fight against Douglas: "It was the American idea itself," he says. "That was the biggest barrier to racism and white supremacy. America is systemically just, rather than systematically unjust. That was Lincoln's argument from the very beginning, from the Declaration of Independence."

With anti-American disinformation campaigns like the New York Times’ 1619 Project infiltrating school systems at an alarming rate, we have felt the call to do even more to teach all Americans about why our republic is truly the “last best hope of earth,” as Lincoln put it. The restoration of America’s Founding principles and an education in those principles is, after all, our central mission.

We thank you for supporting this mission and we hope you enjoy this important new documentary – and consider sharing it far and wide! (Fox Nation is a subscription-based viewing platform, but you can start a free trial here.)

Sincerely,

Ryan P. Williams

President

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The mission of the Claremont Institute is to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life.