Notable publications by subject
James Madison
“A Bulwark Against Faction,” (this piece was never cleanly transcribed from print to electronic form; the 2nd paragraph is a quote), published by the Heritage Foundation in 1993, began my obsession with some essential political beliefs held by James Madison.
Twenty-nine years later, in Zocalo Public Square, I published a livelier and broader essay on James Madison, and why Madison’s wisdom is so applicable today.
Finally, there’s my book, What Would Madison Do? The Journey Progressives and Conservatives Must Make Together. Note that this book is about my personal journey trying to bring thought leaders on the Left and Right together for political reform during the years 2010 through 2016.
US Congress
To see how the power of incumbency in the US House of Representatives evolved and strengthened over time, check out, “The Entrenching of Incumbency: Reelections in the US House of Representatives, 1790-1994,” published in the Cato Journal.
Political Sytems
Public trust is the yardstick of democratic government. By that standard, Western nations are falling short. It’s a subject I explore in, “Why the People Must Take Control,” at Spiked!
Municipal Government
I’m happy to share, “Save Our Cities: It’s time to Make America’s Urban Political Systems Far More Democratic,” published in the National Civic Review, the nation’s most venerable publication concerning municipal political reform.
Here is my response to the Tennessee’s legislative attempt to reduce the size of the City Council in Nashville, published in 2023 in the Tennessean.
School Board Reform
In many places, school boards are run by politicians. Why on earth do we do this? Shouldn’t parents be in charge? Here’s a piece published in the Sun Sentinel outlining a democratic vision for school boards that would do just that.
Historical Publications: The Wreck of the Nottingham Galley
Around 2007, I came across the conflicting accounts of the Captain and First Mate of the Nottingham Galley, which wrecked on Boon Island, Maine, during the winter of 1710/1711. Not knowing which man to believe, I decided to investigate what was, in fact, the most famous and controversial shipwreck of the early 18th Century.
What I discovered was the truth, or something close to it.
The New England Quarterly, an academic historical journal, published my article, “To Obviate a Scandalous Reflection: Revisiting the Wreck of the Nottingham Galley.”
My research turned into an award-wining book, Boon Island: A True Story of Munity, Shipwreck and Cannibalism.
Playwriting and Production
I am the writer and producer of Lexington Green, a stage play that debuted at the Players’ Ring Theater in Portsmouth NH, in April, 2007. Contact me if you’d like to read the script. I’d love to see this piece on stage again!
Stephen Erickson 