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
The American Book of Fables is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The post A Manatee, a Mouse, and a Hillsdale Professor Walk Into a Bar appeared first on The American Conservative .
Books A Manatee, a Mouse, and a Hillsdale Professor Walk Into a Bar The American Book of Fables, is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The American Book of Fables by Matthew Mehan, illustrated by John Folley. Sophia Institute Press, 396 pages. I’m certainly not the first person to remark upon this, but the chief moral fable of the United States—young George Washington admitting he chopped down a beloved cherry tree because he “can’t tell a lie”—is a far cry from the trickster tales passed down by peoples like the Yoruba in Africa, the Norse in Scandinavia, and the Apache in North…Open
Samuel Moyn has something to say about the elderly, but it’s not exactly clear what. The post New Book, Old Look appeared first on The American Conservative .
Books New Book, Old Look Samuel Moyn has something to say about the elderly, but it’s not exactly clear what. Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth—and What to Do About It by Samuel Moyn. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 288 pages. Here is the first paragraph of Samuel Moyn’s book on gerontocracy: For two centuries, Democracy in America, published by the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville starting in 1835, has been the most famous book about the United States. It deserves to stay that way. But it might need an update. What do these sentences mean? Do they mean anything? Of course, I get the joke—or what is…Open
There’s nothing wrong with caring about your backyard. The post Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor appeared first on The American Conservative .
Culture Lookin’ Out Your Backdoor There’s nothing wrong with caring about your backyard. Say the powers-that-be determine to site something truly noxious—a radioactive waste dump, a halfway house for child molesters, a data center—in your neighborhood. (These almost inevitably will be government projects or enabled by corporate welfare and subsidies to developers.) You protest. Instead of meeting your sincere remonstrations with arguments, you will be sneeringly called a NIMBY—a Not in My Backyard obstructionist. This epithet can be disorienting. Not in My Backyard? Well, yeah—not in my backyard. What’s wrong with caring…Open
For decades, Hulk Hogan was the avatar of the national id—for better or worse. The post The Surreal American appeared first on The American Conservative .
Culture The Surreal American For decades, Hulk Hogan was the avatar of the national id—for better or worse. Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea embodied professional wrestling at its best and at its worst. He could thrill, inspire and amuse people. He was also a prolific liar and a comical charlatan. “I think people want to know the truth,” says Hogan at the beginning of the beautifully produced series Hulk Hogan: Real American, which was under production when he died. “Who was this guy really?” “It’s two different people,” says Hogan of the difference between the Hulkster and Terry Bollea. Of course, no one thought that…Open
Ethan Rundell discusses The Camp of the Saints, its Amazon de-listing, and the pretense of free speech. The post Saving Camp of the Saints appeared first on The American Conservative .
Ethan Rundell is a translator, journalist, alumnus of University of California–Berkeley and Paris’s School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences. He has translated over a dozen books, as well as scores of academic articles. After several years in France, he now lives in North Carolina, where he co-founded Vauban Books, which specializes in French dissident literature. Mr. Rundell and Vauban Books recently earned headlines after Amazon briefly delisted Vauban’s 2025 English translation of Jean Raspail’s 1973 novel The Camp of the Saints. How did you become the face of The Camp of the Saints in America? How did Blowing Rock, NC, of all places, become a hub of dissident French literature? It’s funny. That’s a funny…Open
A new biography from one of his students examines Richard Pipes, the historian and Cold Warrior. The post The Russianist appeared first on The American Conservative .
The Man Who Knew Russia: Richard Pipes, Humanist and Cold Warrior Jonathan Daly Stanford University Press, 408 pp. $65.00 In 1985, I invited Richard Pipes to speak at Oberlin College. As chairman of the College Republican club, I hosted a variety of neoconservative and conservative thinkers, ranging from Carl Gershman, who headed a fledgling organization called the National Endowment for Democracy, to William Rusher, the publisher of the National Review. But my biggest, or at least most controversial, catch was Pipes. Pipes was a professor of Russian history at Harvard and a former Reagan administration national security council adviser on Soviet and Eastern European affairs. At Oberlin, then as now a hotbed of political…Open
Alicia Pederson is trying to revolutionize American urban development. The post Towards American Courtyards appeared first on The American Conservative .
If you are a fan of European mystery shows, you may have been watching one and had the thought, “Wow, this murder victim had a fantastic apartment”: High ceilings, beautiful natural light, an open floor plan, and a deck facing out over a lovely green space. Unlike apartments in America, which “live like a hotel,” these apartments really look like a place to live. The reason many European apartments, particularly in older buildings, look so different is because they are centered around courtyard blocks. The reasons we don’t have such housing in America are fairly banal, largely due to a jumble of building regulations that few Americans know about or understand. This has created the situation that everyone knows: There is an…Open
Petro cries fraud in the first round of the Colombian presidential election. The post Colombia at the Crossroads appeared first on The American Conservative .
Latin America Colombia at the Crossroads Petro cries fraud in the first round of the Colombian presidential election. President Gustavo Petro is scrambling to keep Colombia in the hold of the country’s left after voters on Sunday, in the first round of the national elections, sent a sharp message that they are ready to take the country in a new direction. Right-wing populist candidate Abelardo de la Espriella took first place with 43 percent of the vote, a result which Petro declared Sunday “has no binding force.” Petro argued that “hundreds of thousands of votes were added” to the rolls to swing the election, sparking…Open
Children's wellbeing declined nationally from 2019 to 2024, with kids in 29 states faring worse than before the COVID pandemic, according to a new report. Why it matters: Children's wellbeing affects future workforce participation and economic growth, and researchers warn rising costs and safety-net reductions could further strain families. - "Research shows that kids who are healthy, safe, fed, educated and surrounded by strong family relationships have a much better chance to thrive and contribute as independent adults," says Leslie Boissiere, Annie E. Casey Foundation vice president of external affairs. - "We know that today's children are tomorrow's workforce so the strength of the economy in the future is tied to the wellbeing of…
Children's wellbeing declined nationally from 2019 to 2024, with kids in 29 states faring worse than before the COVID pandemic, according to a new report. Why it matters: Children's wellbeing affects future workforce participation and economic growth, and researchers warn rising costs and safety-net reductions could further strain families. - "Research shows that kids who are healthy, safe, fed, educated and surrounded by strong family relationships have a much better chance to thrive and contribute as independent adults," says Leslie Boissiere, Annie E. Casey Foundation vice president of external affairs. - "We know that today's children are tomorrow's workforce so the strength of the economy in the future is tied to the wellbeing of…Open