AENN By Paul Preston Fundamental to our Constitution is what form of government will it produce? A republic or a democracy. From the ThoughtCo In a republic, an official set of fundamental laws, like the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, prohibits the government from limiting or taking away certain inalienable rights of the people—even if that government was freely chosen by a majority of the people. In a pure democracy, the voting majority has almost limitless power over the minority. ...

AENN By Paul Preston "Now it was passed by Congress, ratified by the states two years later. So 1866 it was passed by Congress and ratified by the states in 1868. And its original intent was to grant citizenship to slaves and their descendants. And it was part and parcel of post civil war era of America fixing itself. It was a good thing".

AENN Jul 4, 2026 MARLINTON John Leyzorek reads the Declaration of Independence on the lawn of the Pocahontas County West Virginia Courthouse in Marlinton, WV. Today, 4 July, 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of John’s reading. Following the reading was a conversation with attendees as to perspectives, historical observations and opinions concerning the importance of the Declaration and its impact. Following the presentation was a social gathering as watermelon was served to all.