Acton Line

On December 2nd, 2020, the economist Walter E. Williams passed away at the age of 84. Williams worked his way out of grinding poverty in the Philadelphia housing projects to chair George Mason University’s economics department. Over his career he authored 10 books and more than 150 other publications, and become one of the most recognized commentators on our American public life of the last four decades. Williams spread his message of racial equality, the dignity of work, and the morality of capitalism through his syndicated newspaper column, PBS documentaries, and frequent radio and TV appearances. In this episode, we feature a conversation with Dr. Williams from 2014 for the Acton Institute’s podcast, then called Radio Free Acton.  Host Paul Edwards discusses with Williams the significance of Frederic Bastiat’s classic publication The Law, and the insights into modern America that come from reading that classic defense of limited government, authentic justice and human freedom. At that time, Williams had ju