Rediscover the Spirit of 1776. Our fathers beat the greatest army in the world. They tamed the West. They landed on the moon. The next chapter is ours to write together in America’s new Golden Age. Learn about our inspiring past, so that you can help shape our boundless future.
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A proper celebration of the Declaration will be helpful in all our troubles. It will be helpful to the young men and women who are lost today by helping them to rediscover nature and reason.
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“What is government, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?”
James Madison asks this question in one of the most iconic Federalist Papers—a series of newspaper articles explicating the Constitution that was presented to the judgment of the American people in the fall of 1787.
From the Massachusetts patriots who answered the midnight call to arms, to the brave generals who led the young nation through a revolution, these stories of the American Founding still guide and inspire us today.
The United States Constitution was designed to secure the natural rights proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. Signed by Constitutional Convention delegates on September 17, 1787—Constitution Day—it was ratified by the American people and remains the most enduring and successful constitution in history.
Americans have overcome many challenges throughout our history, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Studying the great stories from our past inspires us to preserve the blessings of liberty in our day. Now you can study these stories with Hillsdale College.
In a republic, every citizen has a duty to understand their government. The Federalist is the greatest exposition of representative government and the institutional structure of the Constitution. It explains how the Constitution established a government strong enough to secure the rights of citizens and safe enough to wield that power.
Almost 250 years ago our Founders established the freest and most prosperous nation in human history. But today we have moved so far away from the political theory of the American Founding that we risk losing sight of what made America great in the first place.