Many Americans view history as little more than a collection of semi-interesting stories. History, they believe, has little bearing on contemporary life. They believe that that was then, and this is now. Times have changed. Viewed properly, history is an intellectual laboratory. We can trace the intellectual causes and motivations of events, movements, and individuals….
It has been said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. But what if the lessons of history are worth repeating? What of the events, people, and ideas of the past that moved mankind forward? Shouldn’t we seek to emulate them? Consider Sam Insull and the electric industry as…
Politicians and pundits regularly decry the increasingly divisive nature of American politics. From the Tea Parties to Occupy Wall Street, Americans are not happy with their government, and they are making their displeasure known. But what is causing this divide? And what is the solution? “In his book, Individual Rights and Government Wrongs, Brian Phillips…
This article was published in the September 1987 issue of The Freeman. $ $ $ The last quarter of the nineteenth century was a turning point for American capitalism. Just when free enterprise seemed to be enjoying its greatest success—with technological advances creating many new industries, opportunities opening for millions of workers, and living standards…