Lecture series · recorded 2005
The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective
The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective is a free lecture series (20 recordings, 28.9 hours) you can stream or download at freecapitalists.org, with Thomas E. Woods, Jr..
Thomas E. Woods, Jr. presents this seminar covering the material in his books, and details and defends the Jeffersonian-Rothbardian perspective.
BiographiesLegal SystemBooms and BustsU.S. HistoryWar and Foreign Policy
Cover painting: a Homestead striker behind scrap iron as a Pinkerton barge nears the Monongahela landing, July 1892. See every painting in the art gallery.
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01
1:27:24 Download MP3
Thomas Jefferson and the Principles of '98 2005
The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 had criminalized excessive criticism of government. Jefferson feared it would be used in a partisan way. The Acts violated the Tenth Amendment by encroaching on a state prerogative.
Political TheoryBiographies
Read the transcript 14,371 words
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03
1:28:29 Download MP3
States' Rights in Theory and Practice
Read the transcript 14,268 words
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05
1:29:22 Download MP3
The States' Rights Tradition Nobody Knows 2005
New England was not in favor of the War of 1812 and it considered seceding, but the death of Hamilton in his duel with Burr destroyed that plan. The idea of secession was more embraced by the Northern than by the Southern states.
Political Theory
Read the transcript 14,252 words
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07
1:27:04 Download MP3
The Fourteenth Amendment 2005
This is a difficult issue. Most of the controversy is from Section One. What exactly does the first sentence mean? If the Fourteenth Amendment was in fact intended to bind the states to the Bill of Rights that the federal government could enforce, then it dramatically increases the police power of the federal government.
Political TheoryLegal System
Read the transcript 13,792 words
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09
1:24:29 Download MP3
The Great Depression, World War II, and American Prosperity, Part I 2005
The 1920s had difficulties, but the depth of the Great Depression was in 1931. Any theory of boom-bust events must ask why so many entrepreneurs made terrible errors in a cluster. Why do busts hit capital goods industries harder than they do consumer goods industries?
Business CyclesBooms and BustsU.S. HistoryWar and Foreign Policy
Read the transcript 13,543 words
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10
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05. The Great Depression, World War II, and American Prosperity, Part I (video)
Read the transcript 12,591 words
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11
1:28:35 Download MP3
The Great Depression, World War II, and American Prosperity, Part II 2005
FDR’s stated New Deal purpose was to keep work weeks short and to extend minimum wages which were extremely high. But, production is what makes demand possible and what increases purchasing power, not federal mandates.
Business CyclesBooms and BustsU.S. HistoryWar and Foreign Policy
Read the transcript 13,620 words
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12
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06. The Great Depression, World War II, and American Prosperity, Part II (video)
Read the transcript 7,940 words
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13
1:29:41 Download MP3
Major Episodes in American Labor History: An Austrian Reevaluation, Part I
Read the transcript 13,743 words
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14
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07. Major Episodes in American Labor History: An Austrian Reevaluation, Part I (video)
Read the transcript 13,235 words
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15
1:19:43 Download MP3
Major Episodes in American Labor History: An Austrian Reevaluation, Part II 2005
Up until the 1930s there was freedom of contract between workers and employers by which they could make, accept, or reject any offers of remuneration. With the 1930s comes the idea of exclusive bargaining agents decided upon by a majority of workers, and compulsory to all.
Monopoly and CompetitionU.S. History
Read the transcript 12,286 words
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16
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08. Major Episodes in American Labor History: An Austrian Reevaluation, Part II (video)
Read the transcript 11,919 words
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17
1:20:48 Download MP3
The American Presidency: Critical Episodes in Its Growth, Part I 2005
No President should leave a citizen in doubt about his person or property. However, this original comforting view is contrasted with more modern theory of the Presidency in which Wilson held the President to be the “unifying force of the country”. He represents no constituency, but the “whole people”.
Political TheoryBiographiesU.S. History
Read the transcript 12,436 words
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18
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09. The American Presidency: Critical Episodes in Its Growth, Part I (video)
Read the transcript 11,722 words
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19
1:29:58 Download MP3
The American Presidency: Critical Episodes in Its Growth, Part II 2005
The Mexican War 1846-48 involved unpaid debts to Americans, a desire for West coast territory, and the issue of Texas whose independence was not recognized by Mexico. The Southern boundary was in dispute also.
Political TheoryBiographiesU.S. History
Read the transcript 13,553 words
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20
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10. The American Presidency: Critical Episodes in Its Growth, Part II (video)
Read the transcript 2,367 words
People in this series
Speakers
Thomas E. Woods, Jr..
Recording dates, summaries and topics for 8 of these 20 lectures come from the Mises Institute's page for The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective, checked 2026-09-27.
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About this series
- Is The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective free to listen to?
- Yes. All 20 mirrored recordings stream in the browser or download as video and audio, at no cost and with no signup.
- How long is The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective?
- 20 recordings, 28.9 hours in total.
- Who lectures in The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective?
- Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
- When was The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective recorded?
- 2005, per the recording dates recovered for this series.
- Is there a transcript of The Truth About American History: An Austro-Jeffersonian Perspective?
- Yes. Every lecture in the series has one, 243,349 words in total, free to read on each lecture's page and searchable in the browser.
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