Post Tagged 'calvin coolidge'

September 17, 2024

Some Issues Never Die: The 1924 and 2024 Presidential Elections

Historical comparisons rarely offer definitive guides to the present. Such juxtapositions, however, can reveal ways in which conditions from the past persist into the present, thus providing a reminder of the consistency of history. Continue Reading...

December 21, 2016

Calvin Coolidge on the spiritual power of Christmas

In his many addresses to the nation, President Calvin Coolidge made a point of routinely redirecting the country’s attention to the “things of the spirit.” In his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, he encouraged the country to reorient its vision of abundance, progressing not only in material prosperity, but also “in moral and spiritual things.” Continue Reading...

September 17, 2014

Coolidge and Reagan on the Constitution

This afternoon I delivered the Constitution Day lecture at Cooley Law School in Grand Rapids. The school did an excellent job promoting the event and I was thankful for an opportunity to speak about our founding documents and introduce Acton ideas and thought to law students. Continue Reading...

July 03, 2014

The Declaration of Independence reminds us to put tyrants on notice

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Declaration of Independence is that it sought to overturn the long abuses and powers of tyrants. It revealed the truth of self-government and that power is inherent in the people. Continue Reading...

June 26, 2014

Calvin Coolidge’s warning against an entrenched bureaucracy

As we read about the increase of scandal, mismanagement, and corruption within our federal agencies, it is essential once again to revisit the words of Calvin Coolidge. Recent actions at the IRS, Veterans Administration, and the ATF gunwalking scandal all point to systemic problems that come from an entrenched bureaucracy. Continue Reading...

June 12, 2014

Calvin Coolidge at Acton University

Next week at Acton University I am giving a lecture titled, “Calvin Coolidge and his Foundational Views on Government.” One of the great things about studying Coolidge is that he is extremely accessible. Continue Reading...

May 19, 2014

Calvin Coolidge on the Death of American Civilization

“The Power of the Moral Law” is the title of an address delivered by Calvin Coolidge at the Community-Chest Dinner in Springfield, Massachusetts on October 11, 1921. Published in The Price of Freedom, the text is only available online through Google Books. Continue Reading...

March 21, 2014

Visualizing ‘The Forgotten Man’

In November of last year, we had the privilege of welcoming bestselling author Amity Shlaes for a visit here at the Acton Building while she was in Grand Rapids to speak about Calvin Coolidge at Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. Continue Reading...

March 19, 2014

Calvin Coolidge on the Importance of Teachers and Spiritual Instruction

Calvin Coolidge’s autobiography was published in 1929, shortly after Coolidge left the White House. He wrote the book in long hand completely by himself. Sales at the time were great but some commentators panned it as being too short and simplistic with little new information or juicy tidbits. Continue Reading...

March 11, 2014

Calvin Coolidge Jr.’s Powerful Poem on Success

In reading Amity Shlaes’ marvelous biography of Calvin Coolidge, I was struck by a brief poem written by Coolidge’s son, Calvin Jr., during his father’s stint as vice president to Warren Harding. Continue Reading...

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