Author Archives: Matthew Pinsker

Note-Taking

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Matthew Pinsker

James Madison is the Father of Note-Taking.  Of course, the former US president is better known as Father of the Constitution, but that designation is at least partly the by-product of the man’s incredible note-taking prowess.  As a delegate to … Continue reading →

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Historians For and Against Wikipedia

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Matthew Pinsker

Sooner or later, as a modern-day history major you have to figure out where you stand on Wikipedia.  It’s either something you depend on, something you avoid, or something you use but try not to acknowledge.  Where do you stand?  More … Continue reading →

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Dred Scott Case

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Matthew Pinsker

In Lincoln’s Constitution (Chicago, 2003), Daniel Farber identifies the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) as the turning point in Lincoln’s constitutional attitudes.  “Before Dred Scott,” Farber writes, “Lincoln does not seem to have questioned the role … Continue reading →

Posted in Supreme Court Cases | Leave a comment

Rotundo on Birthright Citizenship

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Matthew Pinsker

Law professor Ronald Rotunda offers an especially clear argument in favor of birthright citizenship in his Chicago Tribune op-ed from September 16, 2010 (“Birthright Citizenship Benefits the Country”).  In this short piece, Rotunda argues that allowing practically anyone born in … Continue reading →

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James Wilson: Father of the American Presidency

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Matthew Pinsker

In Plain, Honest Men (2009), Richard Beeman claims that “Only one member of the Convention envisioned an American government, and a president, much like those we have today” (129).  That man, according to Beeman, was James Wilson.  Though he remains … Continue reading →

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