A History of Repeated Injuries

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, this volume presents a series of essays that examine the Founders’ grievances against King George III as articulated in the Declaration of Independence, within the context of historical experience.

The essays are framed around these central questions: after 250 years, how successful has America been? Are Americans entirely free of the “injuries and usurpations” the Framers complained of? Or have modern analogues of old tyrannies crept back into the nation’s government, leading to losses of liberty akin to those the colonists suffered? The authors reflect on historical context and bring the discussion into the present, focusing on a select set of grievances from the Declaration in light of contemporary government policy.

Edited by Thomas A. Berry, director of the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, this volume features contributions from expert policy scholars on a wide range of issues that were top concerns for America’s Founders and that remain contentious today. Topics include the nature of limited government, international trade, the administration of justice, executive power, taxation, immigration, and foreign policy.

While Americans have much to celebrate on the nation’s 250th birthday, the authors contend that the wisdom of the Founders serves both as a warning against erosions of liberties and as a source of timeless principles to guide America forward.