Examining the History and Legality of Executive Branch Czars
The rise of government by bureaucrats--due to the delegation of power from Congress to administrative agencies, combined with the removal of those agencies from the President's control--has given rise to efforts by Presidents from both parties to get the bureaucratic state under control through various mechanisms. The rise of "czars" in the current administration is just another manifestation--albeit, an unfortunate one--of this phenomenon.
The Originalist Perspective
Written constitutionalism implies that those who make, interpret, and enforce the law ought to be guided by the meaning of the United States Constitution--the supreme law of the land--as it was originally written. This view came to be seriously eroded over the course of the last century with the rise of the theory of the Constitution as a "living document" with no fixed meaning, subject to changing interpretations according to the spirit of the times.
The Meaning Of The Constitution
The Constitution is our fundamental law because it represents the settled and deliberate will of the people, against which the actions of government officials must be squared. In the end, the continued success and viability of our democratic Republic depends on our fidelity to, and the faithful exposition and interpretation of, this Constitution, our great charter of liberty.
The Birth of the Administrative State: Where It Came From and What It Means for Limited Government
For those who hold the Constitution of the United States in high regard and who are concerned about the fate of its principles in our contemporary practice of government, the modern state ought to receive significant attention. The reason for this is that the ideas that gave rise to what is today called "the administrative state" are fundamentally at odds with those that gave rise to our Constitution. In fact, the original Progressive-Era architects of the administrative state understood this quite clearly, as they made advocacy of this new approach to government an important part of their direct, open, comprehensive attack on the American Constitution.
Energy in the Executive: Re-examining Presidential Power in the Midst of the War on Terrorism
Conduct of the war on terrorism raises novel, complex, and unprecedented legal and policy issues. This should be expected from a conflict that knows no borders and involves enemy combatants who do not fight on behalf of any nation. But critics go beyond claiming that President George W. Bush has made poor policy decisions to alleging that he has acted unconstitutionally by seizing Congress’s authority to wage war.
How to Read the Constitution: Self-Government and the Jurisprudence of Originalism
The argument that original meaning should guide constitutional interpretation is nearly as old as the Constitution itself. Before there were strict constructionists, before there were judicial activists, there were originalists. In those early days, few seriously objected to the notion that the Constitution should be read in accord with its original meaning, though there were plenty of debates over how best to ascertain that original meaning and what exactly was required to be faithful to the Constitution of the founding.
America's Enduring Exceptionalism
In any given year, countless men, women and even children die in the hot, arid U.S.-Mexico border region while trying to sneak into this country. What drives so many to risk their lives just for the chance to live in this country? Indeed, why have so many been so eager to leave their homelands and their families for this country? Could there be something uniquely "American" that makes this country exceptional?
Why We Should Celebrate
Why were people cheering and dancing and drinking champagne atop the Berlin Wall on the evening of Nov. 9, 1989?
Curbing a Constitutional Crisis
These are the times that try conservatives' souls. A liberal president wants funding for defense slashed.
A Leviathan of Land: Perspective on the Size of the US Gov’t In Pictures
With the takeover of health care and frenzied government growth front and center, many are wondering when we will - if we haven’t already - reached a tipping point that fundamentally alters America. Much of what’s been done is described as a temporary fix. However, as President Reagan noted, “There is nothing so permanent as Read More...
We Still Hold These Truths: The Progressive Assault on America
This is the second of a five part series. Matthew Spalding’s new book, We Still Hold These Truths, examines the timeless principles and practical wisdom that have been the source of America’s monumental success. In this video segment Spalding discusses the progressive assault on the Founders’ principles that began more than a century ago and that continues—indeed, Read More...
In the Green Room: Michael Barone & Ramesh Ponnuru on the Rising Tide of Conservatism
For Michael Barone and Ramesh Ponnuru, conservative principles remain empirically true despite elections. The growing revolt against tired tax-and-spend policies embodied in the Tea Party movement and recent electoral wins for conservative candidates seem to indicate Americans are remembering their conservative heritage, the one that understands the growth of government inherently restricts personal freedoms. “I’d say conservatism Read More...
‘At the Heart of Our Common Defense’
Heritage constitutional scholar Matthew Spalding has quite a few things to say about Americans’ love of liberty in his book, “We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future.” Some of the passages stand out all the more this week as the nation again saluted its defenders on Veterans Day, which this year Read More...
We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering America’s Founding
This is the first of a five part series. In the midst of frenzied efforts to remake our nation—of endless government initiatives involved in virtually every aspect of our daily lives—Americans are increasingly concerned: How did we get so far off track? And how can we get America back on course? Matthew Spalding answers these questions Read More...
Congressional Fellows
The Heritage Congressional Fellowship is a training and educational program to instruct junior congressional staffers in the key ideas—from the principles of the American Founding to the fundamentals of economic freedom to the leading concepts of conservative thought—necessary for them to address current legislative issues and grapple with contemporary politics and policy.
Internships
The Heritage Foundation takes great interest in young conservative minds. Our highly competitive Internship Program is intended to introduce bright, innovative undergraduate and graduate students to the policymaking process and encourage them to become active and effective participants in public affairs. Working directly with our research analysts and policy-makers, or with professionals in one of our external departments, Heritage interns gain solid professional experience. In addition to their day-to-day assignments, interns attend weekly seminars designed to introduce them to conservative ideas, current policy debates, and have the opportunity to meet top Heritage Fellows and other outside scholars. We also arrange tours to places like the United States Capitol, the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, and the Pentagon.
Guest Scholars
The B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies invites scholars to write essays (approx. 7,000 words) on a “First Principle” that they are particularly familiar with or interested in making available to the Center’s audiences. Scholars typically give a public lecture based on their paper and then lead a private discussion with one of our target audiences. While in town, scholars might work privately with Heritage experts, create a Heritage YouTube video, or teach Heritage interns. The Center offers a generous honorarium for the published essay and lecture and reimburses travel expenses.
To Apply:
Mail or e-mail the following materials to the Center:
- Curriculum Vita
- Letter explaining field of interest, qualifications to speak and write on topic, and relevance to the work of the Center.
- Copies of relevant academic work
Applications are received and considered on an ongoing basis.
For a list of current topics the Center is considering, email julia.shaw@heritage.org.
Guest Scholars include:
- Dr. Gordon Lloyd, Pepperdine University
- Dr. Joshua Dunn, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
- Dr. Andrew E. Busch, Claremont McKenna College
- Dr. Lucas E. Morel, Washington and Lee University
- Dr. Peter Schramm, Ashland University
- Dr. Jeremy Rabkin, George Mason School of Law
- Dr. Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College
- Dr. R.J. Pestritto, Hillsdale College
Research Associate
A ten month residency at Heritage, for post undergraduates, that provides the opportunity to research issues relating to the Constitution, the American Founding and conservative principles.
First Principle Forums
First Principles Forums are held on college campuses around the country. These conferences seeks to provide a much-needed education in the principles of liberty and constitutional self-government, as well as important issues of public policy, to a broad audience of students, policymakers and citizens.
Heritage Research
Heritage Papers
- Comments by Edwin J. Feulner on Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial (forthcoming)
- Edwin Meese III, “Abraham Lincoln: Statesman for All Ages” (Heritage Lecture 1109, forthcoming)
- Allen Guelzo, “Prudence, Politics, and the Proclamation” (Heritage First Principles Series #14)
- Matthew Spalding, “How to Understanding Slavery and the American Founding” (Heritage WebMemo #1)
- The Honorable Frank J. Williams, “Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties in Wartime” (Heritage Lecture 834)
Heritage Lectures
- Shelby Steele, “Lincoln vs. Obama: Freedom vs. the Good”
- Lewis E. Lehrman, “Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point”
- Allen Guelzo, “Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America”
- Gabor Boritt, “The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows”
- Ronald C. White, “The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln through his Words”
- Harold Holzer, “Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President”
Heritage Experts
- Dr. Matthew Spalding, Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies
- James Swanson, Senior Legal Fellow, Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
- Joe Postell, Assistant Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies
- Visit here for more Heritage Research on America’s First Principles
Other Resources for Further Research:
A Clause-by-Clause Analysis of the Constitution!
“The Constitution,” pledged George Washington, “is the guide which I will never abandon.”
Can we say the same today?
Under the leadership of former Attorney General Edwin Meese, and in conjunction with the nation’s preeminent think tank—The Heritage Foundation—The Heritage Guide to the Constitution brings together more than 100 of the nation’s best legal experts to provide the first ever line-by-line examination of the framers’ Constitution and its contemporary meaning.
Buy the Book
- The Claremont Institute
- Teaching American History
- The Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs
- The James Madison Center at Princeton University
- The Bill of Rights Institute
- The Jack Miller Center for Teaching America's Founding Principles and History
- The Grove City College Center for Vision and Values
- St. Vincent College Center for Political and Economic Thought
- The Constitutional Source Project
- The Lehrman American Studies Center
- The Velvet Revolution: Twenty Years of Freedom in Central Europe - Slovak-U.S. Partnership Through the Eyes of Ambassadors
Read | Listen | Watch - Montesquieu and the Founding Fathers: Federalism, The Separation of Powers, and The Crisis of American Democracy
Read | Listen | Watch - American Self-Government: James Madison and the Idea of Republican Citizenship
Read | Listen | Watch - Picture of Silver, Apple of Gold: Withstanding the Assault on America's Constitutional Principles
Read | Listen | Watch - Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech
Read | Listen | Watch
Heritage Experts on First Principles
Media Information Line: (202) 675-1761
Lee Edwards Ph.D.
Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought , B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies
Edwin Meese III
Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy and Chairman of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
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