8 Unforgettable Lessons from the American Freethought Movement to Revive Your Intellectual Independence

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Showtime. It’s 1879, and the hall in New York is packed well past legal capacity. People are sitting in the aisles, propping themselves against the back wall, leaning in because they don’t want to miss a syllable. The man gripping the lectern is tall, with a voice that lands like a friendly check. His name is Robert Ingersoll, and he has just announced the title of his lecture: Some Mistakes of Moses.

American Intellectual History on Rational America

8 Unforgettable Lessons from the American Freethought Movement to Revive Your Intellectual Independence