As we eagerly await the demise of the devastating but instructive Obama interregnum, it is time to prepare seriously for the restoration of a limited government that lives by the principles embodied in the great documents of America’s founding. “We The People” must find a way to ensure that America will never again be ruled by its government. As Alexander Hamilton aptly said, “ Here sir, the people rule”—not the government.
To achieve that restoration, we will need to find a way to institute what William Bennett calls “a great relearning.” We must rediscover America’s founding principles and restore them to their proper place in our political life, as the cornerstone of America’s public philosophy. When that moment arrives, Heritage Foundation scholar Matthew Spalding will be one of our leaders.
Matthew Spalding’s We Still Hold These Truths will be the handbook for the new era of “constitutionalism” that seems to be emerging today.
In one relatively short volume, Spalding demonstrates that America’s founding principles offer an invaluable source of practical guidance for today. He explains the history and philosophy of the founding era and then ably describes how we got off track. He then provides an eloquent set of prescriptions for restoring our government and our society. This is an invaluable book.
Happily, the Heritage Foundation will be launching a companion study guide on July 4, 2010 that is designed to promote group study of these ideas.