Restoring America with Grace Reilly

Episode 71: The Thread of Liberty is Fraying. Can We Save It?

The republic hangs by a thread. That's the warning at the heart of The Thread of Liberty, Ned Ryun's new documentary for America's 250th birthday. In this episode, I sit down with Ned, the founder and CEO of American Majority, to talk about the film and what keeping the republic asks of us. We get into Tocqueville's observation that religion was America's first political institution, how schools taught a generation to resent its own country, why breaking the administrative state comes before restoring the republic, and where virtue comes from in a self-governing people. Ned's answer to all of it starts with getting involved. The film is free at ThreadofLiberty.com, and it's worth all 85 minutes.

Episode 70: The Truth About The Founders and Slavery

Why wasn’t slavery abolished at our founding 250 years ago? This is one of the most misunderstood questions about our country’s history— the relationship between the Founding Fathers and slavery. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, Paul Kengor and Grace Reilly attack this topic head-on in partnership with The American Spectator. Special Guest: Paul Kengor.

Episode 69: America Turns 250, and the Truth That Built Her Is Under Attack

America just turned 250, the greatest country ever created. So why are we having an identity crisis over what it even means to be American? In this episode, I celebrate our 250th birthday and get honest about the moment we're in: a war on truth, a culture that acts like we've somehow outgrown God, and a country that can't agree on the principles that made it. We were founded on liberty, life, and rights that come from God, not the government. Most nations never make it this far, and whether we see another 250 years is our choice. There's real reason for hope, and it starts with us knowing the truth and passing it on. Happy 250th, America.

Episode 68: Your Taxes Today are WAY WORSE Than What The Founders Protested

The founders went to war over taxes far lighter than what leaves your paycheck today. So how did a country built on "no taxation without representation" end up with a tax system this BIG? How did spending become so high and widespread? In this episode, I dive into the establishment of the federal income tax from 1913, when the top rate was just 7% and the whole thing was sold as temporary, up to the 73% and 94% rates that came later under Woodrow Wilson and FDR. I get into what Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan understood about property and freedom, why a heavy progressive income tax is actually the second plank of the Communist Manifesto, and why Reagan called endless government growth "creeping socialism." 250 years in, this is a conversation we can't afford to stop having.

Episode 67: The American Dream Isn't Dead.

47% of Americans think the American Dream is dead. William Hearn's new 250th-anniversary film, The Impossible Dream, asks whether we have lost the hope that made America possible. In this episode, I sit down with William to talk about what the American Dream meant before it got reduced to a bigger house, a better job, or a more comfortable life. We talk about the founders’ understanding of happiness, the people William followed for the film, and why he believes America’s future cannot be separated from its Christian roots. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, William’s film puts a harder question in front of us: do we still have the faith, responsibility, and courage to build a country worth handing down? Special Guest: William Hearn.