First Principles Policy Studies and Research | Leadership for America

First Principles

The future of liberty depends on reclaiming America’s first principles. Learn More... Statement of Purpose “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization,” as Thomas Jefferson warned, “it expects what never was and never will be.” Widespread ignorance of American history is but the most recognized symptom of the troubling decline in popular knowledge of fundamental principles. We face an education system that upholds mediocrity in the name of relativism; an ever-expanding and centralized government, unmoored from constitutional limits; judges openly making laws and shaping society based on pop-philosophy rather than serious jurisprudence; and growing confusion over America’s legitimate role in the world, made all the more apparent by the fundamental threat posed by radical Islamists. At the root of all these problems is a pervasive doubt about the core principles that define America and ought to inform our politics and policy.

As the leading public policy institution focused on American liberty, The Heritage Foundation must lead the call to awaken our country and get it back on course. We must recall the nation to its first principles, reinvigorate American constitutionalism, and revive the sturdy virtues required for self-government. We must restore the principles of America’s Founders to their proper role in the public and political discourse, influencing public policy and reforming government to reflect constitutional limits. We must rebuild and unify a robust conservatism around, and in defense of, these core principles, and identify and develop current and future policymakers, opinionmakers, and leaders who understand, articulate, and will promote these principles. In short, our vision, building on the great successes of the modern conservative movement, must now be to save America by reclaiming its truths and its promises and conserving its liberating principles for ourselves and our posterity.

Latest Research

The latest research on America' s First Principles from Heritage Foundation experts:

How to Think About the Foundations of American Conservatism

December 10, 2008

The Culture-Creed distinction that some commentators apply to the conservative movement favors the Cultural category and attempts, with no basis in principle or fact, to place faith inside of Culture, suggesting a natural grouping of traditionalists and religious conservatives in opposition to natural-rights or neoconservatives. Its effects could have serious and negative implications for the conservative movement.

By James W. Ceaser, Ph.D.

The Perils of Judicial Policymaking: The Practical Case for Separation of Powers

September 23, 2008

Critics of the judiciary’s ever-growing role in American politics usually focus on how it erodes self-government or, most severely, leads to judicial tyranny. If, as James Madison argued, the accumulation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the same hands “is the very definition of tyranny,” these concerns are well-founded, with the courts today determining public policy on everything from abortion to obscenity to public displays of the Ten Commandments.

By Joshua Dunn, Ph.D.

Constitutional Discourse and American Government

August 22, 2008

Constitutional rhetoric in the process of governing educates America's citizens and serves as a barometer of what is on the national mind. Most important, constitutional rhetoric in the White House and on the floor of Congress gives us an imperfect but useful indication of whether the nation's leaders are actually taking into consideration the nation's highest law.

By Andrew E. Busch, Ph.D.

More Research...

Featured Research

Powerful research from Heritage Foundation experts on America's First Principles:

How to Read the Constitution: Self-Government and the Jurisprudence of Originalism

The argument that original meaning should guide constitutional interpretation is nearly as old as the Constitution itself. Before there were strict constructionists, before there were judicial activists, there were originalists. In those early days, few seriously objected to the notion that the Constitution should be read in accord with its original meaning, though there were plenty of debates over how best to ascertain that original meaning and what exactly was required to be faithful to the Constitution of the founding.

By Keith Whittington

The Progressive Movement and the Transformation of American Politics

Progressivism was the reform movement that ran from the late 19th century through the first decades of the 20th century, during which leading intellectuals and social reformers in the United States sought to address the economic, political, and cultural questions that had arisen in the context of the rapid changes brought with the Industrial Revolution and the growth of modern capitalism in America. The Progressives believed that these changes marked the end of the old order and required the creation of a new order appropriate for the new industrial age.

By Thomas G. West and William Schambra

The Mythical "Wall of Separation": How a Misused Metaphor Changed Church–State Law, Policy, and Discourse

No metaphor in American letters has had a more profound influence on law and policy than Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation between church and state." Today, this figure of speech is accepted by many Americans as a pithy description of the constitutionally prescribed church?state arrangement, and it has become the sacred icon of a strict separationist dogma that champions a secular polity in which religious influences are systematically and coercively stripped from public life.

By Daniel L. Dreisbach

Commentaries

Heritage Foundation experts constantly add their uniquely useful expertise on America's First Principle's. Look here to find the absolute latest in commentaries:

The Star of Bethlehem and the Star-Spangled Banner

December 22, 2008

In recent weeks, Washington has gobbled up troubled institutions like they were Christmas cookies. Whether through bailing out businesses or nationalizing industries, Uncle Sam's shadow over our economy seems to grow by the day.

By Ryan Messmore

Liberalized center is 'Capitol' crime

December 2, 2008

As an expert in the U.S. Constitution and America’s founding, I thought I had lost the ability to be shocked by politically correct distortions of our history. Then I visited the new Capitol Visitor Center.

By Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.

Ensuring That Only Citizens Vote

November 18, 2008

A report on FOX affiliate WFLD-TV in Chicago that aired just before the election showed how easy it is for non-citizens to register: They used a hidden camera in a DMV office to show a Chinese citizen illegally registering to vote as she obtained a driver’s license.

By Hans A. von Spakovsky

More Research...

The Foundry

The Foundry seeks to further those conservative principles and policies through daily commentary on current news and events, following in Heritage's long tradition of responding quickly to the public policy debates taking place in Washington. It is a product of Heritage's Center for Media & Public Policy. Nothing written on The Foundry is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. For more information or to contact the editors, send an e-mail to Robert Bluey or Conn Carroll.

Same-Sex Marriage Shuts Down Methodist Camp Ground

01/06/2009

A paper recently published by The Heritage Foundation outlined the threat to religious liberty posed by nondiscrimination laws that elevate sexual orientation to a “protected status” just like race or gender. One of the cases used to illustrate this point involved a Methodist campground ministry in New Jersey that refused to allow a lesbian couple to Read More...

75 Years Ago, Ford’s Better Idea

12/17/2008

“A Conservative,” that anonymous scribe within Heritage, surfaces again for the second time in three days with a cautionary tale for the Big Three about Henry Ford, FDR and Big Government strings. This latest edition of New Common Sense, titled “Ford Faced Down FDR’s Blue Eagle,” reads as follows: Out of the rubble of the proposed bailout Read More...

It’s Not All About ‘Rights’

12/15/2008

Just in time for today’s recognition of Bill of Rights Day, the anonymous scribe within The Heritage Foundation – self-identified only as ”A Conservative” — pushed the send button on a fifth electronic circular under the nameplate “New Common Sense.” The e-circular, which bears the headline “The Constitution Protects Us Too,” reads as follows: On Dec. 15, 1791, the first 10 Read More...

Capitol History Lesson, Revisited

12/12/2008

Amid all the news out of Chicago and Detroit, don’t forget the ongoing scandal simmering at the U.S. Capitol. We stand by our criticism of historical outrages and leftward re-imagining of the Constitution at the $621 million Capitol Visitor Center, here and elsewhere. From talk radio hosts to regular taxpayers, the common question is: Where do we Read More...

Video: This Week in Washington Dec. 8-12

12/09/2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyPQ5ARVzOo Automakers or on the Hill this week making their case for a taxpayer sponsored bailout bill. Heritage’s James Sherk wrote a paper on why Bankruptcy would be the best option by allowing them to reorganize. The new 621 Million Dollar Capitol Visitor Center opened last week and it gives a one-sided, liberal interpretation of the Constitution. Heritage’s Matthew Read More...

Congressional Fellows

The Heritage Congressional Fellowship is a training and educational program to instruct junior congressional staffers in the key ideas—from the principles of the American Founding to the fundamentals of economic freedom to the leading concepts of conservative thought—necessary for them to address current legislative issues and grapple with contemporary politics and policy.

Internships

The Heritage Foundation takes great interest in young conservative minds. Our highly competitive Internship Program is intended to introduce bright, innovative undergraduate and graduate students to the policymaking process and encourage them to become active and effective participants in public affairs. Working directly with our research analysts and policy-makers, or with professionals in one of our external departments, Heritage interns gain solid professional experience. In addition to their day-to-day assignments, interns attend weekly seminars designed to introduce them to conservative ideas, current policy debates, and have the opportunity to meet top Heritage Fellows and other outside scholars. We also arrange tours to places like the United States Capitol, the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, and the Pentagon.

Guest Scholars

The B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies invites scholars to write essays (approx. 7,000 words) on a “First Principle” that they are particularly familiar with or interested in making available to the Center’s audiences. Scholars typically give a public lecture based on their paper and then lead a private discussion with one of our target audiences. While in town, scholars might work privately with Heritage experts, create a Heritage YouTube video, or teach Heritage interns. The Center offers a generous honorarium for the published essay and lecture and reimburses travel expenses.

To Apply:
Mail or e-mail the following materials to the Center:

Curriculum Vita
Letter explaining field of interest, qualifications to speak and write on topic, and relevance to the work of the Center.
Copies of relevant academic work

Applications are received and considered on an ongoing basis.

For a list of current topics the Center is considering, email julia.shaw@heritage.org.

Guest Scholars include:

Dr. Gordon Lloyd, Pepperdine University
Dr. Joshua Dunn, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Dr. Andrew E. Busch, Claremont McKenna College
Dr. Lucas E. Morel, Washington and Lee University
Dr. Peter Schramm, Ashland University
Dr. Jeremy Rabkin, George Mason School of Law
Dr. Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College
Dr. R.J. Pestritto, Hillsdale College

Research Associate

A ten month residency at Heritage, for post undergraduates, that provides the opportunity to research issues relating to the Constitution, the American Founding and conservative principles.

First Principle Forums

First Principles Forums are held on college campuses around the country. These conferences seeks to provide a much-needed education in the principles of liberty and constitutional self-government, as well as important issues of public policy, to a broad audience of students, policymakers and citizens.

Quotes Database

The quotes in this database are only approved for entry after careful review to ensure their accuracy. No quote from this database which has not been verified can be displayed. In many cases, the quotes are drawn directly from the various Works of the authors quoted, which are multi-volume, authoritative collections of the writings of the various founders. In others, the quotes are drawn from secondary commentaries on the founding, or edited volumes of the writings of the founders, but only after verification in other secondary sources or by recurring to the authoritative Works of the particular author.

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