Mind Your Liberty

In this podcast episode I read through a rousing oration given by patriot Samuel Adams in Philadelphia on August 1st, 1776 American Independence. The following day, the members of congress affixed their signatures to the parchment copy of the Declaration of Independence. 
 
British paper quoted in the speech: https://classicliberal.tripod.com/price/ncl04.html
 
Text of the American Independence oration: https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/historical-documents/american-independence/
 
www.mindyourliberty.com
 

In this short episode I read through America’s favorite document, the Declaration of Independence. Most of us probably read through it in grade school, some of us have studied it since then, but I believe all of us could benefit from once again listening to these timely, intentional words.
 
Pauline Maier’s book  American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence.
 
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense - https://oll.libertyfund.org/page/1776-paine-common-sense-pamphlet

Today I celebrate the the historic Supreme Court decision, where they get something right and recognize our God-given right to self defense, specifically carrying pistols in public. I read though the syllabus of the opinion. Follow along, I bet you'll learn something!
 
Epoch Times article - https://www.theepochtimes.com/supreme-court-strikes-down-new-yorks-unconstitutional-concealed-carry-gun-law_4553435.html
 
The Opinion - https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-843_7j80.pdf Federlaist 37 (referenced) - https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed37.asp
 
Further reading on the incorporation doctrine: "Government by Judiciary" by Raoul Berger.

In this episode we cover A Summary View of the Rights of British America, by Thomas Jefferson (1774) There are a lot of timeless quotes taken out of this piece. I point out a few of these and break down the document a little bit before reading through the whole thing, so we can get a grasp on the context these quotes are being taken from. 
 
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/a-summary-view-of-the-rights-of-british-america-2/
 
https://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/
 
www.mindyourliberty.com

This is episode #2 in the Wordy Wednesday series. Today we cover some old words I encountered while preparing a forthcoming episode covering A SUMMARY VIEW OF THE RIGHTS OF BRITISH AMERICA, by Thomas Jefferson. The words covered in today's episode are: Imperious, Recognizance, Nugatory, Salutary, Allodial, Feudal, Burthens, Venal
 
www.mindyourliberty.com
 
https://webstersdictionary1828.com/
 
https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/
 
 

In this episode I read Washington’s Farewell Address. Our first president was offering some parting advice, while looking forward to retirement after over 20 years of service to his country. Issues he addressed back then may sound familiar to us even today. He mentioned the dangers of party politics, overgrown military establishments, entangling European alliances, choosing favorite nations, what to do with the national debt, encroachment upon liberty, and public morality. Hopefully at least some of those sound to you like something worth listening to, from our first president! 
Links:
 
Transcript of George Washington’s Farewell Address - https://www.mountvernon.org/education/primary-sources-2/article/washington-s-farewell-address-1796/
 
“my proclamation of the twenty-second of April, I793” - https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-12-02-0371
Wordy Wednesday #1 - https://www.mindyourliberty.com/e/wordy-wednesday-1/

Words are our primary means of expressing ideas. As such, they are natural means of subversion of liberty, which is, among other things, an idea. This is the inaugural episode for an ongoing series of episodes called "Wordy Wednesday". Sometimes, we'll dive into high-impact words and spend a full length episode digging into the word and the ideas behind it. Other days, like this episode, we will simply define some old words that I ran into while studying for a future or past episode. These will be shorter episodes, but hopefully will help us understand the documents we are looking at better. 
 
Today we cover the following words: solicitude, specious, weal, antipathy, umbrage, odium, caprice
 
Johnson's Dictionary Online  - https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/
Websters 1828 Dictionary - http://www.webstersdictionary1828.com/
www.mindyourliberty.com
 

February 11th, 1768, 254 years ago today, the Massachusetts Colonial Legislature sent out what we today would call an open letter to the British Parliament, with copies sent to the other colonies as well. Recent acts of Parliament were felt in the colonies to be "encroaching" on the public liberty. The rights asserted in this letter were felt to be universal among the British Colonies, and so any infringement upon them was to be met with a united front of resistance. This letter forms part of the important context of the American Revolution. As these rights are inalienable and the principles timeless, it is worth studying to see how we can apply it today. 
 
 
Links:
 
The Stamp Act
 
The Declaratory Act
 
The Townshend Act
 
The Massachusetts Circular Letter
 
Samuel Adams: A Life Ira Stoll
 
TAC- How to read an 18th century legal document
 
The Massachusetts Circular Letter: A Springboard for Colonial Defiance

The Second Amendment Preservation Act, commonly referred to as SAPA, has been in the news a lot lately. Everybody, if you listen to the mainstream news, is against it now. Gun-grabbing leftists, news and media outlets, and maybe surprisingly to some, the law enforcement community has come out against the act. However, this is a historic bill that took 8 years to get passed, and was passed at the insistence of tens of thousands of Missourians. So what's so bad about this bill? In this quick episode I look at some of the complaints from the LE community. Then I simply read the bill. It’s only six pages, or about 15 minutes. Then it’s up to you to go out and have an informed conversation about it when you hear people cutting it down, or supporting some bill that would castrate it. 
 
Links:
 
The Second Amendment Preservation Act
 
Missouri Police Sue to Block Second Amendment Preservation Act
 
ATF HAS NEARLY 1 BILLION RECORDS IN A REGISTRY
 
The Tenth Amendment Center on the Tenth Amendment
 
2nd Amendment Preservation: Foundation to Nullify Federal Gun Control
 
Fox News article cited: Why police are concerned about Missouri’s new gun law
 
Missouri agencies can comply with SAPA and still accept federal help to fight crime

John Witherspoon is one of the greatest, yet overlooked, influencers of the founding generation. This episode features a sermon preached he preached at Princeton University on May 17th, 1776. Witherspoon admits “that this is the first time of my introducing any political subject into the pulpit. At this season however, it is not only lawful but necessary”.  My hope is that you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording it!