“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”— Thomas Paine, Common Sense, January 1776
The Phoenix City: How Atlanta Rose From Ashes
Stephen Long drove the final stake into Georgia red clay in 1837, marking the spot where the Western & Atlantic Railroad would terminate. He couldn't have known that his surveyor's mark—in what would become Five Points—would anchor a city that would rise, burn, rise again, and become the capital of an entire region.
The settlement that grew around that railroad stake was first called Terminus, a fitting name for what seemed like the edge of civilization. Hardy Ivy opened a general store. Whitehall Tavern served travelers. By 1842, six buildings and thirty residents constituted the entire town. When the railroad finally arrived in 1845, connecting the port of Savannah to the Tennessee River, the town's future was sealed. It needed a better name. Engineer J. Edgar Thomson suggested…
1.Atlanta is one of only four U.S. cities (along with Phoenix, Boston, and Chicago) whose seal features a phoenix rising from ashes—a literal representation of the city's rebuilding after 1864.
2.Fulton County has 588,472 registered voters as of 2024, with Atlanta's downtown ZIP code 30303 serving as the governmental heart where City Hall, the State Capitol, and federal courthouses all operate within a half-mile radius.
3.Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on January 2, 1788, and Atlanta's location was chosen as state capital specifically because it had no ties to the old plantation aristocracy that dominated antebellum politics.
Stephen Long drove the final stake into Georgia red clay in 1837, marking the spot where the Western & Atlantic Railroad would terminate. He couldn't have known that his surveyor's mark—in what would become Five Points—would anchor a city that would rise, burn, rise again, and become the capital of an entire region.
The settlement that grew around that railroad stake was first called Terminus, a fitting name for what seemed like the edge of civilization. Hardy Ivy opened a general store. Whitehall Tavern served travelers. By 1842, six buildings and thirty residents constituted the entire town. When the railroad finally arrived in 1845, connecting the port of Savannah to the Tennessee River, the town's future was sealed. It needed a better name. Engineer J. Edgar Thomson suggested 'Atlantica-Pacifica,' merging the railroad's origin and destination. Thankfully, it was shortened to Atlanta.
What made Atlanta different from other Southern towns was its lack of plantation aristocracy. This was a merchant's town, a hustler's town, built by people who came for opportunity rather than inheritance. When the Civil War arrived, Atlanta had grown to nearly 10,000 residents and had become the Confederacy's second-most-important manufacturing center after Richmond. The city produced everything from locomotives to pistols, uniforms to ammunition. Its four railroads made it the supply hub for Confederate armies across the Deep South.
That strategic importance made Atlanta General William Tecumseh Sherman's target in the summer of 1864. The Battle of Atlanta raged from July through September. Mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city on September 2, and Sherman ordered all civilians evacuated. In his famous exchange with Mayor Calhoun and city councilmen, Sherman refused to reconsider: 'War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.' On November 15, 1864, Sherman's troops set fire to everything of military value. The fires spread. When Sherman's army marched toward Savannah the next morning, roughly 90% of Atlanta's buildings were destroyed. Only 400 structures remained standing.
Principle of the Quarter
The laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them to a separate and equal station.— Declaration of Independence, 1776
The Founders built the entire American system on one premise: certain principles of right and wrong exist independent of any government. They called it Natural Law — the idea that reason and observation reveal universal rules for human conduct. Just governments don't create rights. They recognize ones that already exist.
•Atlanta's City Council recently approved a $837 million operating budget, with significant funding allocated to public safety and infrastructure improvements along the BeltLine corridor.
•Atlanta Public Schools serves 52,000 students across 87 schools, with the elected school board controlling a $1.8 billion annual budget and making decisions on curriculum, facilities, and teacher contracts.
•Fulton County Commission manages a $1.2 billion budget covering libraries, health services, senior services, and the county court system, plus maintains 1,376 miles of county roads outside city limits.
“Flora teaches A Virtuous and Moral People — one of the 28 founding principles that shaped America. Every quarter, a new character and principle arrive at your door. Collect all 28 to complete the set.”
Georgia offers free online voter registration at mvp.sos.ga.gov, where you can register, check your registration status, find your polling place, and view a sample ballot before every election—all in under three minutes.
Attend the next Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday, June 2 at 1:00 PM at City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue SW—public comment is heard at the start of each meeting.
Here's where Atlanta's story intersects with the founding principle of Natural Law: the city rebuilt not because any government granted permission, but because its residents claimed the inherent right to economic liberty and self-determination. Former slaves and white residents alike returned to the ruins and began rebuilding within weeks. They didn't wait for Federal reconstruction programs or Southern state approval. They simply started building.
By 1868—just four years after the burning—Atlanta had 20,000 residents, double its prewar population. The city's boosters successfully lobbied to move Georgia's capital from Milledgeville to Atlanta, arguing that the state needed a capital that represented the future rather than the plantation past. The Constitutional Convention of 1868, held in Atlanta, included Black delegates for the first time in Georgia history—men like Henry McNeal Turner and Tunis G. Campbell, who invoked Natural Law principles to argue for civil rights. Though their gains would be rolled back during the Jim Crow era, the principle they articulated—that rights exist independent of state recognition—would echo forward to the Civil Rights Movement a century later.
The city's next transformation came through education and commerce. In 1881, two missionary teachers from the North founded Spelman Seminary (now Spelman College) to educate formerly enslaved Black women. That same year, Morehouse College relocated to Atlanta. Atlanta University, Clark College, and Morris Brown College followed. Atlanta became home to the largest concentration of historically Black colleges and universities in the nation—what would become known as the Atlanta University Center. These institutions created a Black professional class of doctors, lawyers, teachers, and ministers who would lead the Civil Rights Movement in the next century.
Commerce boomed alongside education. In 1886, pharmacist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in his backyard laboratory. Businessman Asa Candler bought the formula and built it into a global empire headquartered in Atlanta. The city positioned itself as the 'Gateway to the South,' hosting the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895, where Booker T. Washington delivered his famous Atlanta Compromise speech.
Auburn Avenue—'Sweet Auburn'—became the center of Black prosperity. In the early 20th century, it was known as 'the richest Negro street in the world,' home to Black-owned banks, insurance companies, newspapers, and the Royal Peacock Club, where legends like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin performed. On Auburn Avenue in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in a modest Queen Anne-style house that still stands today.
King's leadership during the Civil Rights Movement placed Atlanta back at the center of American history. Unlike Birmingham and Selma, Atlanta desegregated its schools and businesses relatively peacefully—not because its white leaders were more enlightened, but because the city's business elite understood that 'the city too busy to hate' was also too busy to turn away customers and investment. Mayor William Hartsfield and his successor Ivan Allen Jr. worked with Black leaders like John Wesley Dobbs and Martin Luther King Sr. to navigate desegregation while keeping the economy growing.
The crown jewel of modern Atlanta came in 1996 when the city hosted the Centennial Olympic Games, showcasing itself to the world as an international city. Centennial Olympic Park, built for the games, remains a downtown gathering place. The Atlanta BeltLine—a massive urban redevelopment project converting 22 miles of historic rail corridors into parks, trails, and transit—represents the city's latest reinvention.
Today, Atlanta is home to 498,715 residents in the city proper and over 6 million in the metropolitan area. It hosts the world headquarters of Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, and UPS. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest by passenger traffic. The city's gold-domed State Capitol, its gold mined from Dahlonega in north Georgia, shines as a symbol of prosperity built on transportation, commerce, and the relentless drive to build something new.
As America marks its 250th anniversary, Atlanta's story offers a powerful lesson about Natural Law and self-governance. Three times—after the burning in 1864, after Jim Crow oppression, and after white flight in the 1970s—Atlanta's residents refused to accept that their rights depended on someone else's permission. They rebuilt because they understood, as the Founders did, that the right to work, to trade, to build, and to govern themselves existed whether or not any law recognized it. That's the spirit that drove Stephen Long to pound that first surveyor's stake in 1837. It's the spirit that still drives Atlanta today.
Principle of the Quarter
The Founders built the entire American system on one premise: certain principles of right and wrong exist independent of any government. They called it Natural Law — the idea that reason and observation reveal universal rules for human conduct. Just governments don't create rights. They recognize ones that already exist.
Ancient Philosophy: Cicero's De Legibus (c. 52 BC) argued that true law is right reason in agreement with nature, universal and unchanging — an idea that lay dormant for centuries before the Founders revived it. The Founders drew directly from this classical tradition to argue that British law violated a higher standard of justice.
Civil Rights Movement: In his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. distinguished between just laws and unjust laws, citing St. Augustine and Aquinas — invoking the same Natural Law tradition the Founders used. King's argument demonstrated that Natural Law reasoning remained a tool for challenging unjust statutes 187 years after the Declaration.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." — Declaration of Independence, Paragraph 2, 1776
"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature." — Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted, 1775
This Quarter's Challenge: Name one right you believe exists whether or not any government recognizes it. Where does that right come from?
1. Atlanta is one of only four U.S. cities (along with Phoenix, Boston, and Chicago) whose seal features a phoenix rising from ashes—a literal representation of the city's rebuilding after 1864.
2. Fulton County has 588,472 registered voters as of 2024, with Atlanta's downtown ZIP code 30303 serving as the governmental heart where City Hall, the State Capitol, and federal courthouses all operate within a half-mile radius.
3. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on January 2, 1788, and Atlanta's location was chosen as state capital specifically because it had no ties to the old plantation aristocracy that dominated antebellum politics.
Flora's Story
Flora teaches A Virtuous and Moral People — one of the 28 founding principles that shaped America. Every quarter, a new character and principle arrive at your door. Collect all 28 to complete the set.
Georgia offers free online voter registration at mvp.sos.ga.gov, where you can register, check your registration status, find your polling place, and view a sample ballot before every election—all in under three minutes.
City Council: Atlanta's City Council consists of 15 members—12 representing geographic districts and 3 elected at-large—plus the Council President. The council meets every other Monday at 1:00 PM in City Hall at 55 Trinity Avenue SW. The council approves the city's annual budget (currently $837 million), passes local ordinances on everything from zoning to noise regulations, confirms mayoral appointments, and oversees city departments. Citizens may speak during public comment at the beginning of each meeting by signing up in person or online. Recent notable actions include approving major funding for affordable housing initiatives and BeltLine expansion. All meetings are live-streamed at atlantacityga.gov.
School Board: Atlanta Public Schools is governed by a nine-member elected Board of Education, with members serving four-year staggered terms representing geographic districts. The board controls a $1.8 billion annual budget, sets curriculum policy, approves construction and renovation projects, negotiates teacher contracts, hires and evaluates the superintendent, and establishes academic standards for 87 schools serving 52,000 students. The board typically meets on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Atlanta Public Schools headquarters, 130 Trinity Avenue SW. Parents and community members can attend in person or watch online, and public comment is accepted at every meeting by signing up in advance. The board's decisions directly affect everything from school start times to STEM program funding.
County Commission: The Fulton County Board of Commissioners consists of seven members—six representing districts and one chairman elected countywide. The commission meets twice monthly (typically the first and third Wednesdays at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM) at the Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street SW. The commission manages a $1.2 billion budget covering services outside municipal boundaries, including 1,376 miles of county roads, libraries, public health clinics, senior services, animal control, the county court system, and property tax assessment. Citizens can speak during public comment by registering in advance online or in person. Recent significant actions include infrastructure funding for road improvements and expansion of library services. The commission also oversees development and zoning in unincorporated areas of the county.
The laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them to a separate and equal station.
— Declaration of Independence, 1776
The Founders built the entire American system on one premise: certain principles of right and wrong exist independent of any government. They called it Natural Law — the idea that reason and observation reveal universal rules for human conduct. Just governments don't create rights. They recognize ones that already exist.
This Quarter's Challenge
Name one right you believe exists whether or not any government recognizes it. Where does that right come from?
Mon 9Atlanta Public Schools Board Meeting, 6:00 PM
Sat 14Flag Day
Mon 16Atlanta City Council Meeting, 1:00 PM
Thu 19Juneteenth (Federal Holiday)
JULY
Fri 4Independence Day
Mon 7Atlanta City Council Meeting, 1:00 PM
Mon 14Atlanta Public Schools Board Meeting, 6:00 PM
Mon 21Atlanta City Council Meeting, 1:00 PM
AUGUST
Mon 4
How Your Government Works
City Council
Atlanta's City Council consists of 15 members—12 representing geographic districts and 3 elected at-large—plus the Council President. The council meets every other Monday at 1:00 PM in City Hall at 55 Trinity Avenue SW. The council approves the city's annual budget (currently $837 million), passes local ordinances on everything from zoning to noise regulations, confirms mayoral appointments, and oversees city departments. Citizens may speak during public comment at the beginning of each meeting by signing up in person or online. Recent notable actions include approving major funding for affordable housing initiatives and BeltLine expansion. All meetings are live-streamed at atlantacityga.gov.
School Board
Atlanta Public Schools is governed by a nine-member elected Board of Education, with members serving four-year staggered terms representing geographic districts. The board controls a $1.8 billion annual budget, sets curriculum policy, approves construction and renovation projects, negotiates teacher contracts, hires and evaluates the superintendent, and establishes academic standards for 87 schools serving 52,000 students. The board typically meets on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM at the Atlanta Public Schools headquarters, 130 Trinity Avenue SW. Parents and community members can attend in person or watch online, and public comment is accepted at every meeting by signing up in advance. The board's decisions directly affect everything from school start times to STEM program funding.
County Commission
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners consists of seven members—six representing districts and one chairman elected countywide. The commission meets twice monthly (typically the first and third Wednesdays at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM) at the Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street SW. The commission manages a $1.2 billion budget covering services outside municipal boundaries, including 1,376 miles of county roads, libraries, public health clinics, senior services, animal control, the county court system, and property tax assessment. Citizens can speak during public comment by registering in advance online or in person. Recent significant actions include infrastructure funding for road improvements and expansion of library services. The commission also oversees development and zoning in unincorporated areas of the county.
Cicero's De Legibus (c. 52 BC) argued that true law is right reason in agreement with nature, universal and unchanging — an idea that lay dormant for centuries before the Founders revived it.
The Founders drew directly from this classical tradition to argue that British law violated a higher standard of justice.
Civil Rights Movement
In his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. distinguished between just laws and unjust laws, citing St. Augustine and Aquinas — invoking the same Natural Law tradition the Founders used.
King's argument demonstrated that Natural Law reasoning remained a tool for challenging unjust statutes 187 years after the Declaration.
The Ninth Amendment declares that the Constitution's listing of specific rights—speech, assembly, bearing arms, trial by jury—shall not be interpreted to mean those are the only rights Americans possess. It's the Founders' acknowledgment that Natural Law recognizes more rights than any document can enumerate. In practical Atlanta terms, this means that when you start a business, choose your career, decide where to live, or make medical decisions for your family, you're exercising Ninth Amendment rights that exist whether or not they're explicitly named in the Constitution. The right to privacy, the right to travel, the right to marry, and the right to direct your children's education have all been recognized by courts as unenumerated rights protected by the Ninth Amendment's broader principle.
Your Civic Responsibility
Because the Ninth Amendment protects rights not explicitly listed, Atlanta citizens bear the responsibility to understand and articulate why certain freedoms matter—even when they're not written down. This means participating in public comment at city council meetings when zoning laws threaten property rights, attending school board meetings when curriculum decisions affect parental authority, and voting for representatives who respect limits on government power. Your responsibility is to be the guardian of unlisted rights, because if you don't defend them, they disappear by default.
Common Misconception
Many people think that if a right isn't specifically mentioned in the Constitution, the government can regulate or eliminate it at will. The Ninth Amendment exists to correct exactly that error—it states plainly that unenumerated rights are 'retained by the people,' not granted by government permission.
Attend the next Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday, June 2 at 1:00 PM at City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue SW—public comment is heard at the start of each meeting.
Contact
Contact Mayor Andre Dickens at (404) 330-6100 or via the Atlanta311 app to report issues or share concerns about city services and priorities.
Register
Register to vote online at mvp.sos.ga.gov—Georgia requires registration at least 29 days before an election, and you can check your status anytime at the same site.
Natural Law Lives in Atlanta's Small Business Community
Every morning, thousands of Atlanta small business owners unlock their shops without asking government permission to open—they're exercising a Natural Law right the Founders would recognize instantly. When entrepreneur Pinky Cole opened Slutty Vegan in 2018, she didn't need a constitutional amendment protecting plant-based burger stands; she needed only the inherent freedom to trade, build, and serve customers. When Sweet Auburn Curb Market has hosted farmers and vendors since 1918, it has embodied the principle that the right to buy and sell predates any statute. Atlanta's modern gig economy—Uber drivers, freelance designers, food truck operators—proves the Founders' core insight: people possess economic liberty whether or not any law grants it. The role of Atlanta's city government isn't to create that right through licensing and permits, but to protect it by ensuring fair rules apply equally to all. That's Natural Law in action, 249 years after the Declaration.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”
“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature.”
When Hardy Ivy opened his general store at the future site of Five Points in 1838, he was claiming a right older than any Georgia statute—the Natural Law principle that free people may trade and build without royal permission. Atlanta's founding as 'Terminus' embodied the American experiment in miniature: a settlement created not by aristocratic decree but by merchants, railroad workers, and traders seeking economic opportunity. After Sherman burned 90% of the city in 1864, residents rebuilt without waiting for government reconstruction programs, exercising the inherent right to self-determination the Founders had articulated in 1776. A century later, when Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from Birmingham Jail invoking St. Augustine's teaching that 'an unjust law is no law at all,' he was channeling the same Natural Law tradition his Atlanta neighbors had practiced since the city's founding—the conviction that moral principles exist independent of statutes, and that citizens bear responsibility for distinguishing just laws from unjust ones.
Every sponsor on this postcard teaches a civic lesson. Tap any sponsor to read their full story.
Capitol City Legal Group
Legal & Estate Planning
The Fifth Amendment protects your right to pass down what you've built. But before 1789, the government could seize your property without a hearing. Estate planning exercises a freedom that took a revolution to win.
The first property deed recorded in Okaloosa County dates to 1917 — but the property rights behind it trace to the Magna Carta in 1215. Your home title is backed by 800 years of legal evolution.
Cosmetology licensing didn't exist in America until 1927. Before that, anyone could hang a sign and call themselves a barber — no training, no standards, no inspections. Today your stylist holds a state-regulated professional license.
