Archives

• 01/16/2025

Context Julia again makes reference to the Star Route scandal, a case involving bribery of the U.S. post office. She first mentioned this…

• 01/16/2025

Context Julia references the death of Charles Guiteau. After being convicted of President Garfield’s murder, Guiteau was sentenced to death and hanged on…

• 01/16/2025

Context Julia references her brother, Theodore Sand, whose house she lived in at 46 East 74th St near Central Park in New York…

• 01/16/2025

Context Here Julia follows up on the Newton M. Curtis scandal first referenced in her 9th letter. President Arthur and his Department of…

• 01/16/2025

 Context After the country watched James Garfield fight for his life for over two months, the President passed on September 19, 1881. That…

• 01/16/2025

Context On August 20, 1882, President Arthur arrived unannounced at the Sand residence and spent an hour with Julia and her family. This…

• 01/16/2025

Context The Saratoga Convention references the New York State Republican Convention, where the New York Republican Party would choose its nominee for governor.

• 01/16/2025

Context This letter references President Arthur’s nomination of Samuel Blatchford to the Supreme Court, but alludes to prior questionable actions on the matter.

• 01/16/2025

Context In the summer of 1883, President Arthur spent two months on a trip out west after being invited to explore Yellowstone National…

• 01/16/2025

 Context Following President Arthur’s veto of the first Chinese Exclusion Act, Congress revised the bill, cutting the time frame of most provisions by…

• 01/16/2025

Context During the Arthur Administration, there were several legal cases that arose regarding political assessments – the act of government officials raising money…

• 01/16/2025

 Context This letter makes reference to several of President Arthur’s appointments, beginning with the appointment of Horace Gray to the Supreme Court. Arthur…

• 01/16/2025

Context Julia wrote this letter the day after the New York state elections on November 7, 1882. After all of Arthur’s efforts to…

• 01/16/2025

Context The first Chinese Exclusion Act passed Congress, but on April 2, 1882, President Arthur vetoed the bill.   Julia makes…

• 01/16/2025

Context Julia references Dr. William Holme Van Buren, a well-respected surgeon. Years prior, he had turned down a nomination from Abraham Lincoln to…

• 01/16/2025

Context On October 19, 1881, President Arthur gave a speech at Yorktown for the 100th anniversary of the battle that won American independence.

• 01/16/2025

 Context Beyond the New York state elections, the country as a whole saw similar results in the elections of November 7, 1882 –…

• 01/16/2025

Context President Arthur had recently come back to visit New York City. This move raised concerns – both regarding if the President was…

• 01/16/2025

Context This letter was written a few days after the New York State elections of 1881.   Julia makes reference to…

• 01/16/2025

Context The “Park” referenced is Central Park. As Julia noted in letter 5, she lived near the 72nd Street entrance. Letter 15…

• 01/16/2025

Context Here Julia focuses on the River and Harbor bill of 1882. While intended as a way to improve infrastructure in the U.S.,…

• 01/16/2025

Context On July 2, 1881, President James Garfield – only four months into his term – was shot in the back at…

• 01/16/2025

Context Back in the fall of 1881, one of Charles Guiteau’s prison guards, Sergeant John A. Mason (some records list him as William…

• By: Joel Zinberg
• 01/14/2025

For the first time in many years, health care has not been a top political issue. Nevertheless, there are several important health care…

• By: Brian A. Rankin, Jessica Melugin
• 01/14/2025

Improved Internet connectivity is essential to promote innovation, reduce socioeconomic inequality at home, and improve America’s global economic competitiveness abroad. To further connectivity…

• By: David S. McFadden, Devin Watkins
• 01/14/2025

Restraining the federal government’s powers is at the heart of our Constitution. That document designates the boundaries of federal power as well as…

• By: Ben Lieberman, Daren Bakst, James Broughel, Marlo Lewis, Jr., Paige Lambermont
• 01/14/2025

From the very beginning, the Biden-Harris administration aggressively pursued an agenda that prioritizes climate change considerations above all else, including the production of…

• By: Clyde Wayne Crews, Ryan Young
• 01/14/2025

Regulations raise the cost of groceries, energy, and housing at a time when families are still smarting from the post-pandemic inflation. Regulations make it harder…

• By: Iain Murray, Ryan Young
• 01/14/2025

Mobility for both people and goods is one of a modern economy’s most important needs. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how sensitive the nation’s…

• By: Richard Morrison, Stone Washington
• 01/14/2025

Issues pertaining to corporate governance impact every facet of our financial lives. The regulations from agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission greatly…

• By: Iain Murray, John Berlau
• 01/14/2025

Access to safe and reliable financial services is fundamental to Americans’ prosperity. However, since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, regulators…

• By: James Broughel, Jessica Melugin
• 01/14/2025

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both significant opportunities and challenges for US policymakers. While AI offers the potential to revolutionize…

• By: Iain Murray, Sean Higgins
• 01/14/2025

Employers are struggling to fill open positions and supply chains are still fragile. Federal employment policy needs to adapt to new economic realities…

• 01/14/2025

Civil asset forfeiture is a controversial tool used by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to seize cash, vehicles, houses, or other…

• By: Jessica Melugin
• 01/14/2025

Online speech is under attack on two fronts. The first front is government chipping away or repealing the protections granted by Section 230…

• By: Ryan Young
• 01/14/2025

Inflation was most voters’ top issue in the 2024 election, even amid all the other distractions. While inflation is now back down to…

• By: Matthew Adams
• 01/14/2025

According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s most recent count, federal regulatory agencies issued 44 rules for every law passed by Congress. This “unconstitutionality index” goes…

• By: Alex Reinauer, Clyde Wayne Crews, Iain Murray, Jessica Melugin, Ryan Young
• 01/14/2025

There is a global push to strengthen and broaden antitrust laws. American technology companies are the primary targets. In the US, this fight…

• 01/14/2025

Free to Prosper: A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 119th Congress highlights specific steps lawmakers can take to prevent overreach by executive branch agencies, reduce the…

• By: Iain Murray, Kent Lassman, Ryan Young
• 01/14/2025

The top trade policy priority of Congress should be undoing the Trump and Biden administrations’ failed protectionist policies. Congress can start by taking…