by Robert Fischer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It frequently strikes me that every once in awhile we should take the time to read a good book about the country\u2019s antecedents. This is especially important for those of us who have formed our own understanding of American history and politics. I know that I need to do this as it is easy to drift away from the truth about things as we take sides or become more partisan. Too much of our thinking is influenced by contemporary bickering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this spirit, I recommend reading Thomas Ricks\u2019 First Principles: What America\u2019s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and<\/em>How That Shaped Our Country <\/em>(Harper, 2020). This book may not be for everyone, but it does help clarify and explain the problems that faced the first four presidents – Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison – as they struggled to get the new nation off to a good start. Their efforts were only the beginning as new and changing conditions have continued to challenge us up to the present. From Revolution through the Civil War, national expansion, two world wars and overseas conflicts, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, urbanization and immigration to the present pandemic our world has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ricks\u2019 study of the early years gives us much to think about. For me it confirms the momentous decisions that faced the Founders and how these same decisions in many ways affect our thinking today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It frequently strikes me that every once in awhile we should take the time to read a good book about the country\u2019s antecedents. This is especially important for those of us who have formed our own understanding of American history and politics. I know that I need to do this as it is easy to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-robert-fischer"],"yoast_head":"\n