Become a Member of McClanahan Academy

The Politically Incorrect Gateway to a REAL History Education McClanahan Academy courses sandblast away the years of rust, corrosion, and brain-rot produced by mainstream history curriculum. My courses challenge conventional wisdom and modern group-think. They are for the strong minded, curious student who wants a real history education untarnished by establishment academics. You can watch online, download the MP3, or use the Teachable App to …more

Will This Case Destroy the Federal Government?

A paranoid leftist law professor worries that the Supreme Court will destroy the federal government. That is if a pending case is decided in the way he fears. You see, this professor thinks that originalist “cherry picking” of the Constitution is going to undermine the regulatory state. What will we do without the SEC, FDA, OSHA, or a host of other unconstitutional federal agencies? Who …more

An Activist Historian’s Bad Take on “Insurrection”

If you’ve been listening to my show or reading my emails for even a few weeks, you know I am very hard on establishment activists…historians. And for good reason. They are destroying both the “profession” and more importantly traditional America. Most of these “experts” make glaring mistakes on a regular basis. Their goal is never to understand. They want to wield history like a sword …more

Are Progressives “Liberal”?

I have been teaching the progressive movement in college classes for over two decades. Progressives always had one goal: power. They were born in the Deep North and found a political home in the early Republican Party. They were also smart. Progressives thought locally and acted locally, particularly in the late 19th century when the movement seemed dead. You see, “national” politicos thought they killed …more

Has the Middle Class Been Forgotten?

In 1883, sociologist William Graham Sumner coined the term “The Forgotten Man” in a lecture at the Long Island Historical Society in Brooklyn, New York. This lecture was later published with a collection of essays after his death in 1910. Sumner correctly argued that the American middle class was being squeezed by those at the top and those at the bottom. Those at the top …more

Why Don’t Americans Want to Join the Military?

Young Americans are refusing the join the military. In fact, for several years in a row, the military has fallen short of its recruitment goals. The question is why. Newsweek provided some answers, and surprisingly, were generally spot on. But they missed the larger picture. We take it for granted that the United States needs a standing army over nearly 1 million men and women. …more

African Founders and Albion’s Seed

I’ve often been asked a variation of the same question: “If you had to choose one American history book to recommend, what would it be?” The answer is simple: David Hackett Fischer’s Albion’s Seed. I don’t make this suggestion lightly. There are other fascinating and important works to consider, but Fischer presents a compelling tale of early American culture that cannot be ignored. Culture matters, …more

The Government Can

Back in 2009, the comedian Tim Hawkins created a funny little tune titled “The Government Can“. It went viral for a time–as good as it could get in 2009–but the point was simple. The government can do anything it wants. Why? Because the Supreme Court said so, that’s why. Don’t you know history, McClanahan? You see, the Supreme Court has been expanding the powers of …more

What is the Real Lie About the “Civil War”?

What is the greatest lie about the Civil War[sic]? If you asked a few dopey establishment professors, they would certainly say “The Lost Cause” while pointed a finger at you and sneering “Neo-Confederate.” They really believe that there are in the minority on this issue. I would argue that they have become so entrenched in establishment America that simply uttering anything contrary to their views …more

What is the Greatest Threat to America?

I like reading Jonathan Turley. He is about as honest as a lawyer can get, no offense to any lawyers on my list. I know a few better than Turley. He’s sometimes wrong, but so is everyone else, even yours truly at times. That said, that sometimes happened in a recent column he wrote for Fox News. Turley thinks the greatest threat to America is …more

Do Oligarchs Run America?

In the early 19th century, John Taylor of Caroline warned about the fusion of big government, big banks, and finance capital. All three could be tamed, but only if they never aligned. He particularly worried about the impact unconstitutional tariffs, federally funded internal improvements, and a central bank would have on the American political order. These were the vehicles for the paper jobbers to take …more