About The Unfinished Republic

The Unfinished Republic evolved from The Federalists Reloaded and a question that still drives this publication: what can the arguments that shaped the Constitution tell us about the country we live in now?

That question led beyond the Federalist Papers themselves. The debates that surrounded the founding did not end when the Constitution was ratified, and they have never really gone away. Every generation inherits them, argues over them, and leaves its own mark on the answers.

This is not nostalgia, and it is not about judging the past by the standards of the present. The aim is to keep the past and present in conversation, because many of our hardest questions are older than we think. The founders did not finish the republic, nor could they have. Each generation inherits it unfinished and leaves it changed, for better or worse.

About the Author

Scott English is a nonprofit executive, writer, and student of American political history. Earlier in his career, he worked on Capitol Hill and served as chief of staff to Governor Mark Sanford. Those experiences continue to shape his interest in institutions, leadership, and the practical realities of self-government.