The Brion McClanahan Author & Historian Blog

We often hear that the United States is a “republic not a democracy.” This has great rhetorical effect for “conservatives”, and when I published my first book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers, I often had to use the same language on radio interviews. That is what “conservatives” understand. I remember one leftist journalist asking me at a book signing, in an attempted …more

Any honest person knows the answer to the subject line is no. But that hasn’t stopped “conservatives” from insisting the opposite. This is a curious phenomenon tied directly to the “proposition nation” myth of America history. Lincoln proclaimed that he was fighting for government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” in order to maintain the proposition that all men are created …more

In case you missed it last week, Joe Biden delivered his “State of the Union” address. We used to call these the annual message, but Woodrow Wilson thought that wasn’t parliamentarian enough and started the current tradition of the President getting going to deliver the message to Congress in person. He wasn’t the first. Both Washington and Adams did it, but Jefferson stopped the practice, …more

Pat Buchanan has penned his last weekly syndicated column. That is a real loss for American conservatism and American political intellectual history. Buchanan was a one man wrecking crew against the establishment. I didn’t always agree with his positions–he was too Lincolnian and Hamiltonian for my taste–but he always was thought provoking and often right. He is also loyal. He defends Nixon to this day. …more

Should we follow the original Constitution or the Constitution of 1868? If you suggest the former, then according to many “conservatives” and libertarians, you are walking into a minefield. You see, many Americans see the original Constitution as “pro-slavery.” This stance comes from the arguments of nineteenth-century abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison who considered the document to be a “covenant with death.” On the other …more

People have a hard time separating slavery from racism. The two terms have become synonymous in American society because of the history of the slavery in America. This description lacks complexity, as white Europeans were also enslaved, albeit at a different rate and manner, as white indentured servitude disappeared long before African slavery in the United States. But that does not mean it didn’t exist, …more

Should we adhere to the original Constitution of 1789 or the Constitution of 1868? You might be asking, “What is the difference?” Last year, I talked about the rise of the “Progressive Originalists”, those who buttress their loose construction on a distorted reading of the 14th Amendment. That is the Constitution of 1868, and there is no louder supporter of this position than Professor Randy …more

Jon Meacham is one of the worst Lincoln worshipers in America. His latest book on Lincoln is pure garbage. But every establishment dope wants his approval. Take for example Professor Manisha Sinha. She has been featured on major cable television shows and has won awards for her work on slavery. She is the establishment’s establishment. Yet, she thinks she is underappreciated, that is until Jon …more

World War III seems to be on the horizon, and every establishment politico is rushing headlong into the abyss. This is the message from the stammering, boot-licking hacks during the Davos summit a couple of weeks ago. Except they don’t seem to mind. Climate change, ya know? A little nuclear war could be good for the environment. Anything to stop global warming. This is like …more

The generals are gathering in their masses. And the United States and NATO are sending tanks to Ukraine to fight the Russians. 31 from the United States to be exact. This stupid idea is the result of the stupid establishment. It seems the establishment never learns the lessons of war. Or maybe they know full well that we war helps them expand their power, and …more