Victor Davis Hanson and Sami Winc discuss on this special July 4th edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” why the U.S. republic has endured for 250 years. They cite secondary advantages—vast resources, continental unity, and ocean buffers—but emphasize the Constitution’s mixed government, intricate checks and balances, and the Bill of Rights for… Continue reading Why the American Republic Has Survived for 250 Year
Founders’ Fire: From 1776 to Trump—Arthur Herman on Innovation, Wealth, and American Renewal
Victor Davis Hanson interviews historian Arthur Herman about his book “Founders’ Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump,” linking the Founding Fathers to later American business and technology founders and arguing they drive American exceptionalism through risk-taking and innovation. Herman describes a recurring cycle in which founder energy becomes institutionalized and bureaucratic until crises… Continue reading Founders’ Fire: From 1776 to Trump—Arthur Herman on Innovation, Wealth, and American Renewal
Memorial Day, Civic Duty, and the Cost of Leadership
Political dysfunction in California, the collapse of communist regimes, the meaning of Memorial Day, and the importance of the citizen soldier all point back to the same question: what happens when leaders become detached from the people they govern? Cuba remains impoverished decades after revolution while political elites continue to prosper. California continues to struggle… Continue reading Memorial Day, Civic Duty, and the Cost of Leadership
The Untold Story of the Declaration of Independence
It’s a miracle the Declaration survived 250 years. It was rolled through battlefields during the Revolutionary War, nearly destroyed when the British burned Washington in 1814, and spent decades being moved from city to city before becoming America’s most treasured national document. Today’s conversation with Michael Auslin, author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of… Continue reading The Untold Story of the Declaration of Independence
‘We Never Get Any Thanks for What We Do’
The Decivilizing of America
Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness Secure borders and stationary populations were considered the mark of emerging civilization by classical historians. In contrast to nomadism and constant strife over disputed territory, peoples who had clearly defined and protected borders ascended to statehood, maintained a distinct culture, and achieved greater prosperity and security. In contrast, what we… Continue reading The Decivilizing of America
Are the Years of Madness Ending?
Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness Never in U.S. history has a president-elect been welcomed as the real president before his January 20 inauguration. And never has the incumbent president so willingly surrendered his last two months in office and all but abdicated—to the relief of his nation and the rest of the world. One reason… Continue reading Are the Years of Madness Ending?
Our Revolutionary Times
Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness Sometimes unexpected but dramatic events tear off the thin veneer of respectability and convention. What follows is the exposure and repudiation of long-existing but previously covered-up pathologies. Events like the destruction of the southern border over the last three years, the October 7 massacre and ensuing Gaza war, the campus… Continue reading Our Revolutionary Times
2024—the Year of our Reckoning
Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness We should remember the now modern proverb of Nixon-era economic advisor Herb Stein to the effect that what cannot go on (without destroying the nation), simply will not go on. In some sense, the country for recent years has been cruising on the fumes from prior and likely better wiser… Continue reading 2024—the Year of our Reckoning
Premodern Diversity Vs. Civilizational Unity
Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness Few Romans in the late decades of their 5th-century AD empire celebrated their newfound “diversity” of marauding Goths, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Huns, and Vandals. These tribes en masse had crossed the unsecured Rhine and Danube borders to harvest Roman bounty without a care about what had created it. Their agendas were… Continue reading Premodern Diversity Vs. Civilizational Unity