The weakening of the public school system

 As a believer in and a supporter of a strong public school system, I have found the loss of confidence in our public schools in general over the last 40 or so years to be a most disturbing aspect of American life today. Our public school system seemed to serve us very well since its inception in the early 19th century. Why it has fallen into some disfavor is a matter of concern to all of us whether or not we have children in the system.

Dana Goldstein, a reporter for the New York Times who covers education, has written extensively about this phenomenon and has recently posited these reasons a voucher system has become so popular and why parents are looking for more choice:

What’s driving this change? The pandemic prompted many families to reconsider how their children learn. Republican lawmakers embraced private-school choice as part of a broader push for parental rights. (They also see the issue as a way to appeal to young parents — often Black and Latino — who are critical of how public schools serve their children.) And teachers are reporting intense burnout, with some leaving public schools to open small businesses that can accept these vouchers.

Goldstein’s reporting is worth reading.

Despite these problems, I still believe that the nation is better off with a strong public school system that has the confidence of every part of society. Such a system will never be perfect or even perfectly acceptable, but it is certainly a goal worth pursuing.

Illustration: An abandoned schoolhouse

August’s Free Book: There Must Come a Change

NOTE: This is the book I am offering free to the more than 4,500 people on my newsletter list. If you want to join these folks, go to JPROF.com and sign up. 

Before Jackie Robinson, there were the Pythians.

In the summer of 1869, a team of young Black men took the field against white opponents in Philadelphia—the first recorded interracial baseball game in American history. They called themselves the Pythians, and their captain was Octavius Valentine Catto: scholar, athlete, Civil War veteran, and the most dangerous Black man in Philadelphia.

Catto and his teammates weren't just playing baseball. They were waging a campaign for equality, using athletic excellence to challenge the assumptions of a nation struggling to define itself after the Civil War. When organized baseball formally banned Black players in 1867, the Pythians applied anyway. When they were rejected, they kept playing—and kept winning.

There Must Come a Change tells the full story of this remarkable team: their undefeated 1868 season, their historic games against white opponents, and the tragic Election Day in 1871 when Catto was assassinated on the streets of Philadelphia while defending the right of Black men to vote.

Drawing on primary sources from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and contemporary newspaper accounts, Jim Stovall brings to life a forgotten chapter of American history—one that connects the baseball diamond to the ballot box, and the struggles of Reconstruction to the long fight for civil rights that continues today.

This is the story of the men who challenged baseball's color line eight decades before Jackie Robinson—and paid the price for their courage.

Upheld: The Supreme Court and Birthright Citizenship,

Upheld: The Supreme Court and Birthright Citizenship, a full book about the controversy, was published in June just after the Supreme Court announced its decision. 

It is on Amazon now, in ebook and paperback, and is included in Kindle Unlimited. If you followed this case and wanted more than the news coverage could give you, this is the book I wrote for you. 

Here's the Amazon blurb:

She is known only as Barbara. A Honduran asylum seeker living in New Hampshire, she gave birth to a daughter in October 2025 — a daughter born on American soil, a daughter the president's executive order said was not an American citizen. On April 1, 2026, her case reached the Supreme Court of the United States. A sitting president attended the arguments, the first in the official record to do so. On June 30, 2026, the Court ruled.

Upheld is the complete story of Trump v. Barbara — the most consequential citizenship case in more than a century. It begins where the story actually begins: with the wreckage of Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857, the drafting of the Fourteenth Amendment in the aftermath of the Civil War, and the landmark 1898 Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark that established birthright citizenship as settled constitutional law for the next 128 years. It traces the thirty-year political journey that carried the idea of ending birthright citizenship from the margins of American politics to a presidential executive order signed on the first day of a second term. It explains the originalist debate — the genuine, serious scholarly disagreement about what the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment understood themselves to be doing — and what was actually at stake for the more than 250,000 children born on American soil every year to parents without citizenship or permanent residency.

It closes with the ruling itself: a 6-3 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, a notable separate opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh that leaves a constitutional question unresolved, and the words with which the Chief Justice closed his opinion — "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights... We keep that promise today."

Written and published within hours of the Supreme Court's decision, this is the book that could only exist after the ruling came down. The news covered the decision. This book covers everything that led there — and what it means.

The Backstory series. Because the event is just the ending.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H3HNF4FD

Friends of Liberty podcast: all 36 episodes still available

 The complete Friends of Liberty podcast series remains available here at friendsofliberty.substack.com. This Revolutionary War series contains 36 episodes, all with stories about the war for independence that you have probably never heard. 

We dig deep and find the spies, the enslaved Americans, and the unsung heroes and heroines that historians have left behind. Thousands of people pledged their lives, liberties, and fortunes (people such as Agrippa Hull, pictured at right) to help this nation free itself from a king and an arrogant Parliament who thought they could tax and act with impunity. 

This podcast gives you just a few of their stories. Take some time during this 250th year celebration to find out more about these folks — people who should not be forgotten.

Published: Erasmus: Seven Things You Should Know

Erasmus of Rotterdam was supposed to be a monk. Instead, he became one of the most famous writers in Europe, rewrote the New Testament, made a bestseller out of a joke, and ended up trusted by neither side of the biggest religious split in a thousand years.

I'm no expert on Erasmus. But I went looking for what was most interesting, most surprising, and most useful to know about him — and came back with seven things I'm glad I know now.

Curious, a little lost, and taking notes.

Now on Amazon in ebook or paperback.

The futility of suppression: the case of Baruch Spinoza

One of the enduring lessons that those in authority — or those who assume to have authority — never learn is the futility of trying to suppress ideas, even ideas that seem to be evil, harmful, or simply out-of-step with the tenor of the times.

One great example of this futility is the life of an obscure intellect who made his living during his all-too-short life as a lens grinder.

Baruch Spinoza was born on November 24, 1632, in Amsterdam, and was destined to become one of history’s most influential philosophers. He did so despite the fierce opposition of people who were once his family and friends but who ended up shunning him.

Of Portuguese-Jewish descent, Spinoza’s life and works are a testament to intellectual bravery and the relentless pursuit of truth. Despite living only 44 years, his ideas have had a lasting impact on philosophy, particularly through his magnum opus, Ethics. Spinoza’s radical philosophy, especially his concept of pantheism, drew severe opposition from religious and civil authorities, who made significant efforts to suppress his works.

And yet, Spinoza’s ideas have transcended time, influencing countless thinkers and contributing to the foundation of modern philosophy.

Spinoza grew up in the Portuguese-Jewish community of Amsterdam, a group of exiled Sephardic Jews who had fled the Inquisition. His early education was grounded in Jewish religious studies, but he soon expanded his horizons. Fascinated by the scientific and philosophical developments of his time, Spinoza began studying Latin and immersed himself in the works of René Descartes and other contemporary thinkers. This intellectual curiosity led to a break with traditional religious teachings, which culminated in his excommunication from the Jewish community in 1656. The cherem, or excommunication decree, described him as an “evil influence” and a “corrupter,” effectively severing his ties with his family and community.

Central to Spinoza’s philosophy is the concept of pantheism, the belief that God and the universe are identical. In his seminal work, Ethics, Spinoza argued that there is only one substance, which he called “God” or “Nature” (Deus sive Natura). According to Spinoza, everything in the universe, including human beings, is a part of this single substance. This view contrasts sharply with the traditional Judeo-Christian conception of God as a distinct, transcendent being who created and governs the universe.

Holbein: Painting the rich, the royal, and the well-connected

If you were anybody (as opposed to a nobody) in or around the court of Henry VIII (1491-1547), you wanted your portrait painted, and the guy you wanted to paint it was Hans Holbein.

Holbein’s near life-like characters and his ability to work with his subjects to project the image that they wanted netted him dozens of commissions and a very good living during his years in London.

Many of those portraits, including those of the king and his several wives, survive today and are currently on display in an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles. Those who can’t get there in person can view the exhibition at the link below.

Here’s part of what the exhibition notes say about Holbein’s work:

In his portraiture Holbein immortalized a vibrant Renaissance culture of self-definition, luxury, knowledge, and wit. He devised inventive pictorial solutions for a variety of clients: celebrity scholars, ambitious merchants, and officials at the English court. Holbein achieved the powerful impression of presence and specificity by means of a flexible working process and rapport with his sitters. Some patrons demanded not just accurate likenesses but celebrations of their values, aspirations, and professional identities. Source: Holbein: Capturing Character in the Renaissance

Holbein was born in Augsburg, Germany, in 1497 (or thereabouts), the son of Hans Holbein, a well-known and respected painter of the time. The son eventually surpassed his father in fame, wealth, and artistic ability, so that today the father is known as Hans Holbein the Elder and the son as Hans Holbein the Younger.

The Younger moved to Basel, Switzerland in 1515, where he launched his career and enjoyed the vibrant culture of the time. That vibrancy turned to turmoil with the stirrings of the Protestant Reformation, and commissions for his work dwindled. Still, in 1523 he painted a portrait of the well-known humanist and writer Erasmus of Rotterdam—a portrait that made the painter famous. Not only did he paint portraits, but he also mastered the art of woodcuts, which had revolutionized the way books were designed and printed, and he achieved a good deal of fame for his work in that realm.

Holbein felt constrained by the growing conflicts in central Europe and in 1526 looked for a better environment in which to pursue his art.

London, he believed, was a town where he could stretch out his talents and make a good living, and he did just that. It didn’t hurt that he carried a letter of recommendation from Erasmus to his friend Sir Thomas More, then a close advisor to the King of England. More did his part by arranging commissions for the young painter, including one of his entire family. That painting doesn’t survive, but the preliminary sketches do. The group portrait was an original concept and would eventually gain acceptance throughout Europe.

Holbein went back to Basel in 1528 and stayed for about four years. During that time, Reformation conflicts again arose, and Holbein’s art was not universally admired or accepted. In 1532, he returned to London where the atmosphere was also politically charged but the king was in firm control. Holbein distanced himself from Thomas More and his humanist circle and found favor with the court’s rising stars, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell.

He traveled back and forth to Europe, painting portraits of the rich, the royal, and the well-connected. One of those was Anne of Cleeves. The portrait, which was said to be a flattering one, is thought to be one of the reasons Henry VIII chose her as his third wife after Anne Boleyn was executed. The king was disappointed with her appearance when he met her, but he never blamed Holbein. The fall of Thomas Cromwell from the king’s graces did damage his career, however.

Holbein died in 1543 at the age of 45. The cause of his death was probably the plague, although this is not known for sure. What is certain is the large body of work that he created and the influence on painting, particularly portraiture, that he left behind.

But Now I See: Photographs and Reflections on Grace

 Cliff McCartney

Cliff McCartney, good guy and good friend, has published a book of extraordinarily beautiful and meaningful photographs, each accompanied by a story and a meditation. The stories include the when and where of the photos, including occasional technical information, and the meditations are about what these pictures — and the process of photography itself —are teaching him about his life and faith. This is a wonderful book that you should take a look at for yourself and as a gift for friends,

Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/But-Now-See-Photographs-Reflections/dp/B0H6GSMKQZ/ref=sr_1_1?

JPROF-First Inning Press newsletter

 

 Jim publishes a newsletter every Friday that contains a variety of articles, news about his books, and giveaways. The newsletter is free. You can sign up for it at JPROF.com.

Dominick Dunne on the best writing advice

 

The best advice on writing was given to me by my first editor, Michael Korda, of Simon and Schuster, while writing my first book. ‘Finish your first draft and then we’ll talk,’ he said. It took me a long time to realize how good the advice was. Even if you write it wrong, write and finish your first draft. Only then, when you have a flawed whole, do you know what you have to fix.

Dominick Dunne

Erasmus, the first professional writer

The theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam was, according to historian Thomas Cahill, the first person in modern times to make his living solely by being a writer. The assertion is arguable, but quite likely true.

Erasmus appeared on the world scene in the 1460s, the dawn of the printing age. In Western Europe, literacy was on the rise, and the hunger for the printed word was nearly insatiable. Erasmus could write, and write well. He wrote with facility and agility.

And Cahill, in his book Heretics and Heroes, not only credits Erasmus with being the first professional writer, but also with being the person who invented the best-seller.

Even if Erasmus had not been the first professional writer, or the first best-selling author, we would remember him today for the enormous contributions he made to the ideas and creativity of his time, and the long-lasting effects they have had. Along with his contemporary, Martin Luther, Erasmus had no equal as an intellectual giant.

The Nathan Tower Espionage Series

About the Series

In the years after the Civil War, the United States had no real intelligence service — and Commander Nathan Tower built one anyway.

Operating out of a modest post at the Office of Naval Intelligence, Tower assembles a network of operatives who work in the shadows of Gilded Age Washington, Europe, and the Americas: gathering secrets, running operations no one will officially acknowledge, and defending American interests against rivals who have been playing this game far longer. Tower himself rarely takes the field. He orchestrates — recruiting, training, and deploying operatives whose skills he understands better than they do themselves.

The Nathan Tower Espionage Series is historical spy fiction grounded in real events, real institutions, and real historical figures of the 1860s–1880s. Each book stands on its own — new readers can start anywhere — but longtime readers will find a network of characters, relationships, and consequences that deepens across the series.

The series can be read in any order, but for readers who want the full arc, the suggested order is below: the prequel novellas first, then the main sequence of novels, with the short story collection filling in the gaps between them.

READ MORE ABOUT THE SERIES HERE