Reflecting on Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, 245 Years Later
Don't let presentism sully a great man
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
The first ten days in the month of March 1776 brought forth momentous events that...
Ronald Reagan at 110: Twenty of His Best Quotes on Freedom, Government, and America
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Saturday marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of America’s 40th president, Ronald Wilson Reagan, in Tampico, Illinois in 1911.
Now...
The Harlem Hellfighters: The Incredible Story Behind the Most Decorated US Regiment in WWI
No matter what you think about America entering World War I, and no matter what color your skin, you can celebrate the heroic Harlem...
Jan Ernst Matzeliger: The Henry Ford of Shoes
In 1991, the US Postal Service issued a 29-cent stamp in memory of inventor Jan Ernst Matzeliger, whose lasting machine revolutionized the manufacturing of...
New Zealand’s Path to Economic Prosperity Began With Rejecting Democratic Socialism
New Zealand’s experience is one of numerous examples in which socialism caused ruin that capitalism then fixed.
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
For producing both material goods...
6 Lessons on the History and Economics of Taxation
Here are six observations derived from both the history and economics of taxes.
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
In the first century A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero...
The Mayflower Compact: As an Idea, America Began in 1620, Not 1776 – Lawrence...
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
For the 102 English people aboard the Mayflower, this very week four centuries ago was one they would never forget.
After more than...
Economics in Rhyme: the Illuminating Poetry of Willford I. King
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Willford I. King believed broadly in private property, free enterprise, and limited government.
"The Minimum Wage"
To make a horse drink
It is foolish...
The Coronavirus Whistleblower Who Gave His Life
Dr. Li Wenliang, who bravely told the world of the deadly coronavirus, leaves behind a pregnant wife and a small child. He was 34.
BY...
Margaret Thatcher on Socialism: 20 of Her Best Quotes
In 1979, the Iron Lady assumed the premiership of a country riven with labor strife, racked by stagflation and run down by decades of...
The Spirit of Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly lived life to its fullest. There was nothing boring about this woman.
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
On this date—January 25—in 1890, 25-year-old Nellie Bly...
How a Lowly Monk Ended Rome’s Bloody Gladiator Duels
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Fought in stadiums before tens of thousands of boisterous onlookers, ancient Roman gladiator duels are well known today—more than 1,600 years...
My Response to Time Magazine’s Cover Story on Capitalism
The case for true capitalism is a moral one that’s rooted in human nature and human rights.
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
The inventor of the now-famous...
The Courage of a Nurse: the Story of Edith Cavell
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Edith Cavell was responsible for one thousand Allied soldiers eventually making their way home from Belgium in WWI.
Nazi Germany forced France...
The Golden Rule Is as Golden as Ever
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
For three hours, the famous “standoff at the schoolhouse door” riveted the country’s attention. Alabama Governor George Wallace physically blocked the...
The Constitution of the Killing Fields
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
The contents of a nation’s constitution, its most supreme law, ought to be composed with care and precision and implemented with...
Iraq’s Economic Crisis is Self-Inflicted
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Iraq is in the news again and sadly, it’s not good.
More than 100 Iraqis were killed in violent protests during the...
About That Che T-Shirt
Think twice about adding a Che Guevara T-shirt to your Christmas giving this year.
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Let’s say that all you knew about Adolf...
Advice for Presidential Candidates from Bastiat
BY LAWRENCE W. REED
Whether conjured up by something I ate before bedtime, or by the cheesy horror flick I watched a few nights before,...
Guns Prevent Thousands of Crimes Every Day, Research Shows
LAWRENCE W. REED, FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION
It never fails. A split-second after a mass shooting occurs, grandstanders and ideologues issue statements demanding new gun...