Articles

Articles recommended by the John Locke Foundation

(** indicates highly recommended)

**“The Political Economy of the U.S. Constitution.” by Dwight Lee, The Freeman, vol 37, issue 2, 1987, Foundation for Economic Education.
Lee offers evidence that the US constitution was written with limited government, not democracy, in mind. By using competing governmental powers, the founding fathers turned the strength of government on itself.

“The European Miracle,” by Ralph Raico, Mises Daily, Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2006.
Raico explains how free enterprise contributed to the rise of Europe. Competing political systems and decentralization where among the preconditions that allowed it to flourish.

**The Idea of Change in American Politics: Meaningful Concept or Empty Promise? by Wilfred McClay. The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #21, 2008.
In light of the 2008 Presidential election, McClay looks at the idea of change in American history and argues that “[w]e should resist the grandiose invocation of themes of constant transformational change.”

**Limited Government, Unlimited Administration: Is it Possible to Restore Constitutionalism?, by Gary Lawson. The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #23, 2009.
Lawson examines the constitutional foundations for key enumerated powers of the federal government, and shows how important historical events that have caused them to erode over time.

**“The Birth of the Administrative State: Where it Came From and What it Means for Limited Government.” by Ronald J Pestritto, The Heritage Foundation. First Principles Series, #16. 2007.
Pestritto explains that limited governmental authority and the separation of powers protect the rule of law. The rise of progressive thinking has degraded both of these protections and has lead to arbitrary bureaucratic rule.

**“The Progressive Movement and the Transformation of American Politics,” by Thomas West and William Shambra, The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series, #12, 2007.
West portrays progressivism as a rejection of the foundation of the American political system. Specifically, it rejects natural law, voluntary association as the basis of society, a limited purpose of government, religion as a beneficial social institution, and a constrained foreign policy.

“How to Read the Constitution: Self-Government and the Jurisprudence of Originalism.” by Keith Whittington, The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #5, 2006.
Whittington advocates that, since the US constitution is law, it ought to be interpreted in a manner in accordance with its original intent.

The Moral Basis for Economic Liberty, by Robert Sirico, The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #30, 2010.
Sirico argues that there is an inherent and mutually reinforcing connection between economic liberty and moral virtue.

Extended Republic of Centralized Nation-State? Herbert Croly, Progressivism, and the Decline of Civic Engagement by Brian Brown The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #27, 2009.
Brown argues that “transforming domestic policy into a climatic struggle between the national government and every conceivable social ill” like poverty or drug use “eliminated civil society from the picture…and thus guaranteed that the war would be impossible to win.”

What Separation of Powers Means for Constitutional Government by Charles Kesler. The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #17, 2007.
Kesler explains the founders’ reasoning behind separating government powers and gives a description of the successful progressive assault on constitutional checks and balances and the rise of the central state.

Faith and the American Founding: Illustrating Religion’s Influence by Michael Novak. The Heritage Foundation, First Principles Series Report #7, 2006
Novak draws on the history of the U.S. revolution and founding to argue that religion was integral to the establishment and maintenance of liberty.