John Jay

The Revolution by Last Best Hope of EarthFebruary 15, 2016February 9, 2016

The Scum Will Rise

The social structure of America was being turned upside down during the Revolution. As James Otis warned in 1776: “When the pot boils, the scum will rise.” John Eliot to Jeremy Belknap, Jan. 12, 1777, Belknap Papers, 104.

The Revolution by Last Best Hope of EarthFebruary 11, 2016February 6, 2016

The Inadequacy of the Confederation

By 1787, the strength and stability of the states was under scrutiny. Shays’ Rebellion had erupted, citizens had become more licentious, and state legislatures appeared to be running rampant, doing significant damage to the health of the country as a whole. See Gordon Wood, The Creation of the American Republic: 1776-1787, 465.

Early Republic by Last Best Hope of EarthOctober 23, 2015

A Most Flawed Inheritance

Prior to the Revolution, the colonists relied on a court system with royally appointed judges that served indefinitely “during good behavior,” which ultimately meant that judges would hold office so long as the crown was pleased with them. Gordon Wood, Empire of Liberty, 400. This led to the colonists ultimately associating the judiciary with the “resented […]