Celine Chang

Implicit in the language of the 14th Amendment is a certain distrust for the states. With the 14th Amendment , the federal government firmly asserted that “No state shall,” in many cases, obstruct certain rights from the hands of the people. This was a powerful message, and one that held the potential to change the course of citizens’ rights. For the first time, the federal government claimed citizenship to be of the nation first, and of the state second. Individual states would no longer be...

On March 27, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14253 titled, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” Detailed in this order is an objective to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.” The messaging here is clear: the American image is that of glory and exceptionalism, and nothing less. This fabrication of a particular identity is not unfamiliar. Like the British historical practice of stealing art...

The origins of self-defense It is undeniable that the idea of self-defense has been irrevocably ingrained in America's history since its founding. The concept of self-defense in America began with the dissatisfied colonists seeking to defend themselves against a tyrannical British government. As Thomas Jefferson asserted in the Declaration of Independence , “ whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these [certain unalienable Rights], it is the Right of the People to alter or...