A Plea for the Public Lands
Tuesday, July 21 2026
On July 13, 2026, President Trump issued orders reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments for a second time. Grand Staircase-Escalante was reduced by approximately 1.69 million acres, representing a 90% reduction of the monument's land area, shrinking its total size from roughly 1.87 million acres to 181,541 acres. Bears Ears National Monument was reduced from 1.36 million acres to 121,100 acres.
- Published in Features
Is There an Answer to American Decline?
Monday, July 13 2026
Recently, I wrote about what is great about America at 250. This week, I reflect on what I see as palpable American decline. I do not enjoy criticizing America, but if we don’t, on our 250th birthday, step back to reflect on what we have achieved, how we got here, what remains unresolved, and where we seem to be headed, when will we do so?
- Published in Features
Views of the American Dream From Milan, Italy
Monday, July 06 2026
Surprisingly, I did not spend the Fourth of July in America this year. But being thousands of miles away made the promise of our exceptional nation clear.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
History in Context: Thomas Jefferson on War
Monday, June 22 2026
Thomas Jefferson’s view of war was shaped by a deep study of history and hope for a new path for a young American nation.
- Published in Features
Planning America’s 25th Anniversary Celebration — Long Lost Document Discovered?
Monday, June 15 2026
Researchers at the National Archives recently made a startling discovery, uncovering a portion of a document that appears to discuss event planning for America’s 25th Anniversary.
- Published in Features
In a Far Corner of Colorado: One Chapter in the Great Dispossession
Monday, June 08 2026
A recent visit to northwest Colorado reminds me of the paradox of Manifest Destiny and our American history.
- Published in Features
Wind Cave National Park
Tuesday, June 02 2026
Our roving humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson is typically dedicated to the truth and nothing but the truth, but his visit to Wind Cave National Park seems to have addled his brain. No other visitor on his recent tour reported meeting Dante and Virgil at the Seventh Circle of the cave.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Who Knows What to Believe (Or Rule Out) These Days?
Tuesday, May 05 2026
The Destabilization of Truth may be the epitaph of the American republic.
- Published in Features
Who Was the Indispensable President?
Monday, April 27 2026
How would you answer the question of which U.S. president was indispensable to the Republic?
- Published in Features
What Might Theodore Roosevelt Say About America’s Current War in Iran?
Monday, April 13 2026
As a longtime student of President Theodore Roosevelt, historian Clay Jenkinson considers how TR might have approached current events in Iran.
- Published in Features