Lord Acton

Lord Acton (John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 1834–1902) was a leading 19th-century historian in the classical-liberal tradition. He watched the growth of the United States with great interest, and lamented the decline of states’ rights and federalism. While he was a prolific writer and speaker, his great work, a history of freedom, was never completed.

Articles

American Federalism and the Civil War
Mises Daily Lord Acton
It is remarkable that the Constitution was little trusted or admired by the wisest and most illustrious of its founders, and that its severest and most desponding critics were those whom Americans revere as the fathers of their country.
The American Revolution
Mises Daily Lord Acton
The motive was empire on one side and self-government on the other. It was a question between liberty and authority, between government by consent and government by force.

Publications

Essays on Freedom and Power
Lord Acton
Freedom and Power collects Lord Acton’s most important writings on a theme that would define his reputation for more than a century: the corruptions of power. In addition, the reader learns from his love of liberty as the great creative force in
Lectures on Modern History
Lord Acton
It was announced in February 1895 that John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton, had been appointed to the Chair of Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge in succession to the late Sir John Seeley, who had held the office for

Media

The American Revolution
Lord Acton
The motive was empire on one side and self-government on the other. It was a question between liberty and authority, between government by consent and government by force, writes Lord Acton. This audio Mises Daily is narrated by Floy Lilley.
The Civil War in America
Lord Acton
It is remarkable that the Constitution was little trusted or admired by the wisest and most illustrious of its founders, and that its severest and most desponding critics were those whom Americans revere as the fathers of their country, writes Lord