The future of liberty depends on renewing America's principles
In the midst of frenzied efforts to remake our nation—of endless government initiatives involved
in virtually every aspect of our daily lives—Americans are increasingly concerned:
How did we get so far off track? And how can we get America back on course?
Matthew Spalding answers these questions by looking to the timeless principles and practical
wisdom that have been the source of America’s monumental success. Spalding, an expert
in American political history at The Heritage Foundation, the esteemed research and educational
institution, calls for a great renewal of these unchanging principles—and a new appreciation of their preeminent status in our nation’s life.
In We Still Hold These Truths Spalding explains and brings to life ten core principles that
define us as a nation and inspire us as a people—liberty and equality, natural rights and the
consent of the governed, private property and religious freedom, the rule of law and constitutionalism, all culminating in self-government at home and independence in the world. His enlightening and engaging tour through America’s founding not only recalls the deep roots of our
"first principles" in Western civilization but also reveals their enduring lessons for today.
We Still Hold These Truths also offers a bracingly fresh analysis of how and why we have lost
our bearings as a nation. Spalding masterfully examines the progressive assault on the
Founders’ principles that began more than a century ago and that continues—indeed, is
accelerating—in our time. Modern political leaders and cultural elites have all too readily
abandoned the principles to which America is dedicated; even more troubling is how readily
we all let it happen. Do we still hold these truths? Before we can rededicate our country to the
core principles that made America the most prosperous, the strongest, and the freest nation
in history, we must rediscover them ourselves. They must become again, as Thomas Jefferson
said, "an expression of the American mind." In a world of moral confusion, and of arbitrary and
unlimited government, America’s principles are our best access to permanent truths and the best
ground from which to question the current direction of our nation. Upon this sure foundation,
Spalding lays out a strategy to reclaim our future, and to secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity.
What They're Saying...
"Change is the watchword of the moment, yet there is little consideration about where it is that we may be going. . . . We Still Hold These Truths makes a clear and compelling case for America's founding principles as an enduring source of real, practical guidance for today, explaining how we got so far off track and laying out how to get our nation back on course."
— William J. Bennett, bestselling author of America: The Last Best Hope and nationally syndicated radio host, from the Foreword
"In his splendid new book, Matthew Spalding provides a spirited defense of the truths
asserted by our Founders when they conceived the American republic. Combining the
skills of the historian, the philosopher, and the political scientist, Spalding shows
why Americans in our time should be no less confident than our forebears in holding
these truths, and no less forceful in asserting them."
— ROBERT P. GEORGE, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University
"This book recovers the timeless truths on which our self-governing nation was
founded and which made America the model of human freedom. These first principles
are the indispensable guides policymakers need now."
— PAUL RYAN, United States Congress
"At a time when the very freedoms we so recently fought and died for are being
challenged on every front, Spalding’s robust defense of America’s universal principles
reminds us why the United States must always be the champion of liberty, and
why the self-evident truths it proclaims still inspire all those yearning to live free."
— MART LAAR, former prime minister of Estonia
"In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty. But what are those essentials? And where
do we get them from? Matthew Spalding, both a scholar and Knight Templar of
American constitutionalism, is uniquely qualified not only to shed light on these questions but also to slay the intellectual dragons pitted against our Republic. This is vital armament in the battle for constitutional restoration."
— JONAH GOLDBERG, editor at large, National Review Online
"A splendid, strongly written study. . . . An eloquent explication and defense of our nation's first and Founding principles. One suspects that Ronald Reagan would strongly approve."
— John R. Coyne Jr., washingtontimes.com
"An exciting and timely new book."
— Augusta Chronicle
"We Still Hold These Truths should be at the top of everyone's reading list."
— Gary Palmer, president of the Alabama Policy Institute