The inhabitants of the Chagos Islands were expelled by the British 60 years ago. Refugees were anxious to return this year, but their hopes have been caught in a morass of geopolitics.
They came to unite the colonies — and nearly failed on the first day. Before independence… before war… America’s fate was decided inside one quiet hall. In September 1774, delegates from 12 colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, responding to Britain’s Intolerable Acts and debating how far resistance should go. What began with arguments over rules, voting, and even whether to open with a prayer soon became the first true test of American unity. Over seven tense weeks, figures like John Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry wrestled with impossible questions: Could the colonies act together? Could they resist British tyranny without war? And what would unity cost? This episode explores how the…
Professor Penn opens with Iran, NATO, Ukraine, and the Strait of Hormuz, framing the latest oil shock as more than another foreign-policy crisis. He uses the moment to return to first principles, arguing that true republicanism begins with small government, personal sovereignty, civic duty, minority rights, and a commonwealth built by givers rather than takers. From Matthew Chapter 6 to the Patriot economy, Penn connects faith, charity, forgiveness, and self-governance to the political fight in Minnesota and the need to organize beyond entertainment. The episode then follows the money through British imperial history, Persian Gulf oil, the Strait of Hormuz, the City of London, derivatives, financialized markets, and the deep state’s…
Before 1776, there was a war that changed America forever. In this first episode of Road to Liberty, we go back to the French and Indian War — the forgotten conflict that helped shape George Washington, redrew the map of the continent, and planted the seeds of the American Revolution. Britain, France, and Native nations collided in a brutal struggle for the future of North America, and one disastrous battle — Braddock’s Defeat at the Monongahela — thrust a young Washington onto the path to history. You’ve heard of the Revolutionary War. But do you know the war that made it possible? In this episode: Why the French and Indian War started Why the Ohio Country mattered so much How Native alliances shaped the war What happened at the…
'Lexington and Concord, then Boston, were just the first steps'
Indian postcolonialism and Western populism sometimes converge. The post Lamenting Lutyens appeared first on The American Conservative .
Of all the British imperials to coerce India into modernity, four men—a Welshman, two Englishmen, and a Scot—stand out as the most influential. Contrary to the fantasies of most fevered online onanists, none of them were either military conquerors or plunderers. One was a judge, two were historians, and the last was an architect. Sir William Jones, a Welsh scholar and judge, founded the Asiatic Society in Calcutta and modern qualitative and historical research in India. An early historian of Indo-European languages, his efforts led to the foundation of the Journal of the Asiatic Society (his name is still prominently displayed on the cover of the journal ), along with its editor, James Prinsep. Jones and Prinsep were foundational in…Open
Richard Vague’s new book provides an interesting look at the economic history of the early U.S. but fails as a biography. The post Financing the American Revolution appeared first on The American Conservative .
Books Financing the American Revolution Richard Vague’s new book provides an interesting look at the economic history of the early U.S. but fails as a biography. The Banker Who Made America: Thomas Willing and the Rise of the American Financial Aristocracy, 1731–1821 by Richard Vague. Polity. 448 pages Thomas Willing is a name that few people, even those well-versed in the history of the American Revolution, will probably recognize. Those who do will likely associate Willing with only two achievements: voting against American independence as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress of 1776, and serving as the head of…Open
Professor Penn hosts solo and opens the episode with prayer, using the Beatitudes to frame a broader reflection on faith, suffering, healing, and the need for spiritual discipline in public life. He connects Christian teaching with ideas of self-governance, humility, and human consciousness, arguing that America has lost touch with the foundations that once shaped its republic. The episode then shifts into a critique of Minnesota Republican politics, the recent debate, Michelle Tafoya, Adam Schwarze, and what Penn sees as establishment candidates using polished messaging while avoiding deeper truth. Penn also warns about militarizing politics through veteran branding, arguing that electing warriors and defending the military-industrial…
Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York suggested that Britain should return the gem, a symbol of colonial plunder. Here’s the back story.