A Christian denomination ahead of its time, the Religious Society of Friends or ‘Quakers’ as they are better known cast a long shadow over U.S. society and the greater world at large. Having survived vicious religious persecution in their native England, the Quakers managed to emigrate to the newly colonized…

A man whose influence often precedes his own reputation, Edmund Burke remains one of the most important shapers of modern conservatism. Although more or less considered a “liberal conservative” in his day, Burke’s legacy still influences the modern right. Key to his ideology were his views on property. Property, according…

Mysteriously found with two gunshot wounds to the head in his own home in Carmichael, California, Gary Webb, one of the U.S.’s most assertive dissenting reporters was dead at 49. Whether or not Webb did indeed kill himself still remains in question, however, Webb was likely in a difficult position…

One of the most popular alcoholic drinks the world over, beer remains a timed-tested beverage of choice for those who desire to kick-back and relax. This fact was well known to the ancients who managed to turn fermented fruit and grains into alcohol sparking a revolution that facilitated the development…

An enigmatic figure, Karl Marx and his legacy remain hotly controversial. Today derided by many the world over, Marx’s ideas still prove potent over two hundred years after the the noteworthy philosopher-intellectual was born. Marx’s reputation, many of his modern critics argue, has been severely damaged by the various ‘Marxist’…

Charlie Chaplin and the Making of Modern Film Charlie Chaplin, an actor so famous the world over he hardly needs an introduction, was also one of the major contributors to the development of modern film. Chaplin had an aptitude for expressive acting clearly conveying his emotions and intentions in the…

The only American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Eugene O’Neill remains one of the greatest American dramatists of all time. His legacy rests upon a series of plays that successfully turned the stage into a literary medium. By the highpoint of O’Neill’s career during the 1920’s the American…

Undergirding American economic policy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the so-called American System contributed to the development of a sturdy American economy. Tracing its ideas to the American School developed by Alexander Hamilton, the American System sought to establish a tariff to enhance American industry, a national bank…

Beginning in 1848, a series of revolts broke out across Europe engulfing the continent in a power struggle for democratic representation. Starting in Italy in January of that year, the movement quickly spread to France in February and then through the rest of Europe. Although initially met with success, in…