Welcome to Statesmen Academy
Reviving the Revolution “in the Minds of the People”
In a nation brimming with innovation, ingenuity, and ambition, it’s astonishing how barren our political options are.
We invent technologies that shrink the globe, cure diseases, and put the sum of human knowledge in our pockets. Yet when it comes to political leadership, our choices too often range from senile economic illiterates to smooth-talking statists, from tired pragmatists to charismatic ideologues—few of whom understand, let alone uphold, the moral foundations of a free society.
Many Americans sense that something is deeply broken. Some blame gerrymandering, social media, or the absence of term limits. Others say we need better parties or more “outsiders.” But these are surface-level issues. At root, we don’t lack politicians. We lack statesmen.
More than two decades ago, Harvard-trained historian J. Rufus Fears observed that we have plenty of politicians—but virtually no statesmen. By statesmen, Fears meant those who are not only personally principled but also versed in the principles of government—especially the principle of individual rights.
That’s what Statesmen Academy is about. It exists to revive and promote a forgotten ideal: the principled political leader who understands what rights are, where they come from, and how to protect them.
Why Does This Matter?
No nation can stay free for long if it forgets what freedom is.
Today, leading figures of all persuasions routinely reject the idea of morally inalienable individual rights. Liberals hold that “rights are powers granted by the political community,” as a top spokesman put it. Of course, what can be granted can also be taken away. On what is supposedly the other side of the political spectrum, “National Conservatives” mock “liberalism” and the very notion of a government devoted to protecting the equal rights of all. “Liberalism,” says one influential thinker, is “the false theory that the state can be neutral.” Politics is a game of pressure groups and power. The job of a good leader is not to secure some mythological notion of “individual rights,” but to wield state power on behalf of the “right” groups.
This is not only wrong—it’s profoundly dangerous.
America was built on the opposite idea. It was built on the principle—most influentially articulated by John Locke—that each individual has a moral right to his own life, liberty, and property. These rights don’t come from government. They arise from the nature of man himself: the fact that to live and flourish, we must be free to act on our own judgment, so long as we respect the equal rights of others.
Nearly 250 years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” that they have “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Today, few political leaders—even those who quote the Founders—understand what those words mean. Fewer still can coherently defend them. We urgently need voices who can.
That’s the mission of Statesmen Academy.
What to Expect Here
Statesmen Academy is a resource for writers, readers, and activists who want to understand—and advance—the principles of a free society. Through essays, moral biographies, and commentary on historic statesmen and their ideas, we aim to “raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.” This is a place for those who still believe, as John Locke put it, that “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.”
Why the Name?
Statesmen Academy is not a literal academy (not yet, anyway)—though I hope you’ll find it intellectually enriching. It’s a rallying point for engaged minds who want more than short-term political wins that will be reversed next cycle. It’s for those who understand that real change will come not from the pragmatist politician of the moment, but from genuine statesmen armed with the kind of ideas that made America possible.
Writing in 1815 to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams reflected on the role of such ideas in the American Revolution:
“What do We Mean by the Revolution? The War? That was no part of the Revolution. It was only an Effect and Consequence of it. The Revolution was in the Minds of the People, and this was effected, from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen Years before a drop of blood was drawn at Lexington.”
That revolution—“in the Minds of the People”—is a focus of my forthcoming book, Heroes of the American Revolution: Why They Still Matter—250 Years Later. It profiles the thinkers, writers, and fighters who laid the groundwork for liberty in America. And when the book is published in 2026—in honor of America’s 250th birthday—everyone with a paid subscription to Statesmen Academy will receive a free copy. “Robert Morris” Founding Members will receive a signed copy and mention in the book’s acknowledgements.
At Statesmen Academy, we aim to revive that revolution “in the Minds of the People” through commentary that clarifies what freedom means and what restoring it requires.
Why Subscribe?
Statesmen Academy is a mission-driven publication. It’s for readers who believe that liberty needs principled defenders—and that our future depends on cultivating a new generation of statesmen who can think clearly, speak courageously, and lead with moral conviction.
If you believe that’s a cause worth supporting, I hope you’ll consider becoming a subscriber.
Free Subscribers
Free subscribers will receive roughly one new essay per week, plus generous previews of all paid posts—enough to get the core ideas before the paywall kicks in.
Paid Subscribers
Paid subscribers support the mission—and get full access to it. That includes:
Full access to every essay, profile, and analysis
The ability to comment, interact, and help shape the conversation
A free copy of Heroes of the American Revolution upon publication in 2026
More than anything, subscribing is a way to say: These ideas matter. It’s a vote for liberty, for principle, and for a new generation of Americans willing to think, speak, and act like true statesmen.
Founding Members (“The Robert Morrises”)
If you’re in a position to go above and beyond, I invite you to become a Founding Member—a “Robert Morris,” in honor of the financier of the American Revolution. Founding Members make this project sustainable. As a thank-you, they will receive:
Everything above, plus
A signed copy of Heroes of the American Revolution
Public recognition in the book’s acknowledgements
This is not just a newsletter. It’s a long-term effort to revive and bolster the moral and political ideals that once made America the freest nation on Earth. If you believe that project is worth supporting, I’d be honored to have you on board.
—Jon Hersey
Editor, Statesmen Academy
Great to read from you! I was waiting for this.
Republic of Letters renamed?