Power

A new Library of America edition of John Quincy Adams’s writings demonstrates the enduring appeal—and real shortcomings—of his revolutionary conservatism.

A little understood part of the New Deal.

During World War I, America lurched toward autocracy. Resistance was minimal.

Once upon a time, there was a federal government department that helped design and distribute tools for living the good life. What happened to that vision?

He set a new record for the longest continuous speech in the Senate, surpassing Strom Thurmond’s 1957 attempt to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are just the latest populists to weaponise fears of a sinister “deep state.”

As Democrats became the party of proceduralism, they sidestepped a crucial debate.

The 250th anniversary of "the shot heard round the world" is a reminder of the rights the Patriots fought for.

In 1841, John Tyler said he was the president. The Constitution said he wasn’t. What happened next?

In his latest book, journalist and historian Clay Risen explores how the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senator Joseph McCarthy upended the nation.

Now, and for some years to come, we will need a lot less Paul Weiss, and a lot more Benjamin Warner.

Donald Trump’s authoritarian second term has led critics to describe him as a fascist in the mold of Adolf Hitler.

In the 19th century, debates about contract workers sorted immigrants into "natural" and "unnatural" categories.

All Americans with some education are aware that Manifest Destiny was one of the Bad Things in our past and very few know any more about it than that.

Senator Joseph McCarthy built his reputation on fear-mongering, smear campaigns, and falsehoods about government employees and their associates.

Executive trade power has gone too far.

From "National Greatness" to "Make America Great Again."

The administration is trying to neuter the redistributive and protective arms of the state, while exploiting its bureaucratic powers to silence, threaten, and deport.

Trampling rights, imposing tariffs, gobbling up others’ territories. Trump is imitating his role models to a T.

DOGE's seizure of government databases is not just an act of bureaucratic reorganization. It is an act of constitutional restructuring.

Diplomatic relations, domestic repression. Plus: the truth about Joseph Welch, and a bit of family history.

Trump’s clumsy partisan takeover of the National Archives and Records Administration recalls two consequential and troubling episodes from its history.

In 1978, Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act. It gave rise to some truly miserable air travel—and neoliberalism.

At its height, the political crackdown felt terrifying and all-encompassing. What can we learn from how the movement unfolded—and from how it came to an end?

The early 1920s in the US offers historical lessons on how current pessimism about the state of the country can manifest in dangerous, discriminatory ways.

The first businessman president realized that working with Congress – not alone or against it – was the best way to create an efficient federal government.

The effort to return American government to republican principles is daunting—but the Founders’ wisdom can serve as a guide.

Andrew Jackson set the standard for the most tumultuous presidential term ever — at least until now.

What does history tell us about presidents who have tried to push the limits of the system?

Those who wish to restore democratic rule, regardless of political orientation, must take it seriously.