In the summer of 1795, a Scottish-born American merchant named James Swan did something extraordinary: he personally paid off the entire US debt $2,024,899 owed to France from the Revolutionary War. Let’s set the stage. When the war ended in 1783, America’s total debt reached $75 million, with France being the largest foreign creditor. The…

Dred Scott, a 28 year old precedent overturned.  The timeline: The argument, once free always free, was compelling, the Missouri courts had upheld it for 28 years. But suddenly everything changed.

Revert and a bit of growth. Revert and a bit of growth. But mostly, revert.

To feel heard. To feel misunderstood. To feel heard.

When the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, think of this as Napoleons insane invading spree, Europe’s great powers were tired. And a way to protect from this debacle again was to make Switzerland permanently neutral. Switzerland, being wise, said we won’t just be neutral we will practice armed neutrality. Universal militia: Every able-bodied male trained…