Andrew Schwartz
Andrew Schwartz is a licensed historian and Marine Corps veteran with specialties in philosophy, intellectual history, and early American history.
Virginia’s Yesterday, Today: Punishment and Pardon
We’ve come a long way when it comes to punishments here in the Old Dominion.
Yesterday’s Virginia Today: A Cromwellian Assembly
Suddenly the House of Burgesses was given not just legislative authority, but executive and judicial authority, as well.
Today in Virginia’s Yesterday: Early Westward Exploration
Lederer’s expedition was the first Virginian expedition into the frontier and greatly expanded the colonists understanding of the continent, especially that part of Virginia we call Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge mountains.
This Day in Virginia History: A First for American Slavery
On March 8, 1655, the face of American slavery was given a new precedent in the case of Johnson vs. Parker.
This Day in Virginia History: Scandal in Henricus
On March 6, 1626, a case was heard in James City in the Governor’s council and General Court involving rumor, rape, slander, and ulterior motives.
This Day in Virginia History: Virginia Laws & Orders
As the General Assembly enters its final week of the dutiful business of enacting laws for the common-wealth of Virginia, we remember that this august body of elected representatives has a long and distinguished history.
Why I’m Leaving the GOP
Why it’s time for me to leave the GOP.
Lessons from Rhetoric and the Past
To disallow the comparison of modern political figures to those of the past – like Hitler, Stalin, and Lenin – is to disallow the possibility that the world could ever see such a manifestation of their specific attributes again.
Is the Free Market Experiment Over?
There are several preconditions to a successful Free Market economy: private property, economic liberty (voluntary exchange), and personal security being among them; but I believe these can all be reduced to a single virtue – Trust.
No, Virginia, There Is No Santa Claus
Thanks to countless Christmas movies and stories, children from Protestant, Catholic, and non-Christian families alike encourage their children to “believe in Santa” in a way that doesn’t just acknowledge his existence, but that the belief itself is efficacious for receiving his blessings. To believe in Santa Claus is to know objectively how to answer Ezekiel’s question, “How should we then live?” Those who do not believe in Santa do not experience the joy and wonder of his ubiquitous Goodness. Except this man be born again as a child, he cannot see the kingdom of Santa.
