To say Australians are captivated by American affairs would be an understatement. Indeed, Kim Beazley is fond of saying more Australians are highly engaged with US politics than even Americans. In 2016, it was reported that Australian TV and radio gave the US election campaign double the coverage they gave our own federal election campaign a few months earlier.
Though we may have a modern affinity with US politics, how much do we understand its history? America has built a successful, longstanding, and powerful democracy. Does it owe the success of its constitution and its statehood to the former British rule or from its renunciation of it? Are there any lessons for Australia’s own republic debate?
On Thursday, November 25, as we hosted this live in-person event. We addressed the first year of the Biden Presidency, marked Thanksgiving day festivities, and publicly launched Two Revolutions and the Constitution (Hamilton Books) penned by lawyer and long-time CIS board member James Philips.