A century after his death in 1902, it is worth remembering more of Lord Acton than his most famous quote. After all, as his Acton Institute biography states, "he was considered one of the most learned people of his age, unmatched for the breadth, depth, and humanity of his knowledge," and "became known as one of the most articulate defenders of religious and political freedom" in the 19th century.
Because of his concern with freedom, Lord Acton was intensely interested in and concerned about America's experiment in liberty. And he left no doubt about how important our founding was to the cause of liberty throughout the world, when he said:
...Washington and Hamilton...Their example...teaches that men ought to be in arms even against a remote and constructive danger to their freedom, that even if the cloud is no bigger than a man's hand, it is their right and their duty to stake the national existence, to sacrifice lives and fortunes...to shatter crowns and scepters and fling parliaments into the sea. On this principle of subversion they erected their commonwealth, and by its virtue lifted the world out of its orbit and assigned a new course to history. Professor Tonsor said of Acton that "it is a pity that American historians so rarely read him." And it is hard to dispute that conclusion. Acton may have been unable to produce the comprehensive history of liberty he intended to write, but his collected works provide us with plenty of wisdom, now all but forgotten.
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