inside independence hall

Natelson: The Run-up to the Declaration of Independence

In the years before 1763, the British Empire—although in theory a unified entity—was really a federation. The central government in London controlled foreign affairs and the imperial post office. It also regulated trade with foreign countries and among units of the empire. But otherwise, the 13 future American states were largely self-governing. In each, the … Read more

The Real Root Cause of the American Revolution

Think the American Revolution was just about taxes, tea parties, and representation? Think again. The real conflict wasn’t about a few policies. It was about power – a British claim to unlimited, centralized power “in all cases whatsoever.” James Madison later called this the “fundamental principle” on which independence itself was declared. And he was far … Read more

Meritocracy… What is it?

In his 1958 novel George Young coined the term meritocracy. Classicists complain about the word because it has two roots. Merit is from Latin and cracy is from Greek. They claim the term is a hound dog in a thoroughbred language. Yeh, yeh, it’s a niggle. The more correct term would be the all Greek … Read more

Lasagna With A Kick….and a Whinny?

This page in history will not be written from the back of a horse, unless of course you are riding a frozen lasagna from Findus, a frozen food manufacturer that has been supplying Britain with lasagna’s made with 100% horsemeat. And while that might be cause for concern to the average frozen-lasagna loving Brit, particularly … Read more

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