Exploring and celebrating the history, theory, and practice of free, prosperous, and tolerant societies.

“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
– John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859)
About libertarianism
Independence Day
Writing the Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 1776, a group of revolutionaries declared that all individuals are endowed with unalienable rights. This week, we celebrate the courage the American founders had when they declared independence from Britain to pursue a more limited, representative government. In celebration, we have chosen a few articles from our archives related to the American founding.

Articles
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Interest Rightly Understood
George H. Smith
“That Audacious Document”: Notes on the Declaration of Independence (The Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence: Part 1)

Smith begins a series of essays on the Declaration of Independence by examining colonial reaction to its list of grievances.

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George H. Smith
The Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence: Part 2

Smith continues his series on the Declaration of Independence by looking to the intellectual history behind its famous reference to unalienable rights.

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George H. Smith
The Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence: Part 3
A photograph of the desk used by Thomas Jefferson when writing the Declaration of Independence, and for much of the rest of his life.
Thomas Jefferson
Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee about the Declaration of Independence

Jefferson explains that the Declaration of Independence sought to capture a particular strain of political thought that was important and prevalent in the time leading up to the American Revolution.

Elizabeth Freeman
Paul Meany
Elizabeth Freeman’s Legal Fight for Freedom

During a time when enslaved Americans sought freedom through escape, Elizabeth Freeman challenged her legal status as property—and won.

Declaration of Independence
John Rankin
An Excerpt from Letters on American Slavery

In this excerpt from Letter IX of John Rankin’s Letters on American Slavery, Rankin argues that slavery is incompatible with the American republican ideals shared in the Declaration of Independence.

Dan Klein
Daniel B. Klein
Correcting Superiors from Below

Dan Klein prompts us to think about the relationship between superiors and inferiors, and how this sheds light on our understanding of hierarchy, equality, and liberty in social and political affairs.

fedfundunis
Andrew Gillen
Libertarians and the Federal Funding of Universities

Libertarians Are the Rare Political Tribe That Is Undecided About the Trump Administration’s Strings on Federal Funding for Universities.

A Conversation with Ben Powell
Benjamin Powell and Barbara Galletti
A Conversation with Benjamin Powell: Anarchism as a Feasible Alternative

In an exclusive interview with Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org, Benjamin Powell talked about the feasibility of anarchism. He discussed how it might be a better alternative for a lot of countries, its real world application in Somalia, and how the economics of anarchism could be applied to sweatshops.

Erik W. Matson
Erik Matson
Economics as a Moral Science

“The right defence against false sentiments is to inculcate just sentiments”

C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
 

A picture of Patrick Henry delivering his Liberty or Death speech.
Patrick Henry
Liberty or Death!

Before leading Virginia’s militia and becoming its first governor, Patrick Henry stood against British rule, including unjust taxes and restrictive laws.

A photograph of F. A. Hayek in front of a bookshelf at the University of Chicago.
F. A. Hayek
The Pretence of Knowledge (Nobel Prize Lecture)

Hayek warns the economics profession—and the world—that attempting to use economic science to “scientifically” manage society can only end in disaster.

Nobel prize winning economist Professor Friedrich Hayek, 84, at a presentation ceremony at which he received the Aims of Industry organisation's first International Free Enterprise Award.
F. A. Hayek
Nobel Banquet Speech

F. A. Hayek addresses the banquet associated with the 1974 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, arguing that the establishment of the prize was a mistake.

An illustration of a woman purchasing a book. Pointing to the book, a bubble contains illustrations of some of the inputs that went into making the book, both raw materials and processes.
Donald J. Boudreaux
From The Essential Hayek: How We Make Sense of an Incredibly Complex World
A photo of Eric Mack speaking to employees of the Cato Institute in October 2024.
Eric Mack
Anarchy, State, and Utopia on Individualist Anarchism vs. the Minimal State

In this third and final essay in the series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Eric Mack returns to a fuller consideration of how Nozick defends the legitimacy of the minimal state against the anarchist arguments advanced by Murray Rothbard.

Special July Episode

Portraits of Liberty

We revisit the lives of Elizabeth Freeman, Lemuel Haynes, and James Forten, three Black Americans who lived through the contradictions of the Revolutionary era and helped expand its ideals. These three did not passively await emancipation but seized the rhetoric of liberty and used it to reshape law, religion, and civil society. Their stories illuminate the untold Black contribution to the founding vision of the American Republic.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

You Dont Control Your Health Care

A CONVERSATION WITH CANNON

Michael Cannon explains how government intervention and forced spending have not only left the United States with an expensive and low-​quality health care system, but have also infringed on our right to make our own decisions.