In the Tradition of Liberty.
In the Tradition of Liberty.
FUSION’s archive of commentary.
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Captain James Lawrence’s famous exhortation to the crew of Chesapeake, “Don’t give up the ship,” has inspired Americans since it was first uttered by the mortally wounded sailor during the War of 1812. One of the first to be motivated by Lawrence’s call to persevere and keep fighting in the face of fire was fellow officer Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Flying a flag stitched with Lawrence’s words, Perry later went on to win a great naval victory in the Battle of Lake Erie despite his flagship being severely battered in…
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I am not now, nor have I ever been, a liberal. Most Americans would not be surprised to hear this, not because they know anything about me or my politics, but because most Americans do not consider themselves liberal, either. Only 25 percent identify as liberal, according to Gallup, compared to 36 percent who describe themselves as conservative. Despite this, among educated Americans there is today an almost universal belief that the United States is an essentially liberal country. In 1955 the Harvard professor of government Louis Hartz gave classic…
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Freedom is an uncomfortable condition, particularly when enjoyed by others. Whatever the other blessings of liberty, it also inflicts upon us the agony of decision, the weight of responsibility, the dread of consequences, and the burden of regret. And when others have freedom, well, you just wouldn’t believe what damn fool things they’ll get up to. So freedom is always hanging in an uneasy balance. America, founded upon a ringing declaration that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among…
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The erosion of economic freedom in many places has been as real and as destructive as the erosion of political freedom. Countries that once seemed to be marching towards free-market capitalism, including two of the West’s former foes, Russia and China, have now readopted dirigiste economic models. Across much of the developed world, the liberalization of economies at the end of the 20th century has stalled, and the state is capturing an ever-larger share of economic output. Yet it is important to remember the victories that free market economics has…