Based on the examination given out to participants of the 1994 Libertas Academy, organized and presented by Michael Everling, Director of Operations of the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County, and co-developed by Sam Wells (BA, Political Science; MA, Political Philosopny and Economics) with input from consultants Ernst Ghermann and Dennis Decherd, the FBI Libertarian Certification Exam is an objective test in format and covers basic economics, political philosophy, history, and American Constitutional rights and principles from a libertarian (pro-freedom) frame of reference. Although there is much intentional overlapping of topics among the questions, in general the first fifty questions tend to dd soeal with basic concepts and history of economics, while the remaining questions generally relate to political philosophy, the U.S. Constitution, and general history relating to the issues of liberty and statism.When an applicant passes the exam with a score of 90 percent or better, he or she will be awarded a Certificate of Libertarian Authenticity, suitable for framing and hanging.
So, if you believe you are a real libertarian, and your spouse and friends have suggested for years that you are certifiable, well . . . maybe you are! Find out for sure by taking the Libertarian Certification Exam. If you pass it, you can objectively prove to others that you are a Certified Authentic Libertarian! So, don't delay -- join the elite of constitutional freedom activists fighting for the principles that made America great.
The
following books, articles and other sources are but suggested readings
on the topics covered by the exam questions. The background material, facts,
and principles covered on the test are included in -- but not limited to
-- the information in these sources, which are familiar to most libertarians
and Libertarians. Most, if not all, the books listed below are available
from Laissez-Faire Books, the Foundation for Economic Educaiton, Blackstone
Audio Books, or amazon.com. The articles and other online sources are "clickable"
to the appropriate links.
The
Law by Frederic Bastiat -- Softback
The
Law by Frederic Bastiat -- Hardcover
The
Law by Frederic Bastiat -- Unabridged Audio Cassette
The
Law (as Chapter 2 of Selected
Essays on Political Economy) by Frederic Bastiat (as translated
by Seymour Cain) -- Online
Economic
Sophisms by Frederic Bastiat
The
Incredible Bread Machine by Richard W. Grant
"That
Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen" by Bastiat
Economics
In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
"Textbook
of Americanism" by Ayn Rand
"The
Physiology of Plunder" by Bastiat
"The
Essence of Liberty" by David Nolan, cofounder of the American LP
"Some
Basic Definitions" by Wells
"What
a Libertarian Is -- and Is Not" by Wells
"The
Three Categories of Human Activity" by Wells
On
the Proper Role of Government by Ezra Taft Benson
Cliches
of Politics ed. by Mark Spangler
Government
and Legal Plunder: Bastiat Brought Up To Date by Dean Russell
Libertarianism,
a Primer by David Boaz
Libertarianism
In One Lesson by David Bergland
"A
Petition from the Candlemakers" by Frederic Bastiat
Capitalism:
The Unknown Ideal by Ayn Rand
Healing
Our World: The Other Piece of the Puzzle by Dr. Mary Ruwart
Libertarianism
by Dr. John Hospers, the LP's first Presidential candidate
The
Libertarian by Robert LeFevre (Bramble minibook)
Anything
That's Peaceful: The Case for the Free Market by Leonard Read
Free
To Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman
What
Has Government Done To Our Money? by Rothbard
The
Case Against the Fed by Rothbard
Two
Treatises of Government -- 2 Audio Tapes, excerpts & historical
analysis
Origins
of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights by Mayer -- 2 Audio Tapes
The
Intellectual Foundations of American Constitutionalism by Mayer
The
Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
The
Constitution of the United States
The
U. S. Bill of Rights (First ten amendments)
Major
Documents in the Historical Development Toward the American Constitutional
Republic (web links)
The
People's Pottage by Garet Garrett
The
Task Confronting Libertarians from chapter 24 of Man Versus the
Welfare State
The
Wisdom of Henry Hazlitt
Suggestions for More In-Depth Investigations
Books & Articles
Capitalism:
A Treatise On Economics by Prof. Goerge Reisman
Atlas
Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Anarchy,
State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick
The
Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
America's
Great Depression by Rothbard
The
Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar
by Rothbard
The
Economics of a Pure Gold Standard by Mark Skousen
"Gertrude
Coogan and the Myths of Social Credit" from
Introduction
to Christian Economics by Dr. Gary North
Hoodwinking
the Nation by Julian Simon
Second
Treatise on Civil Government by John Locke
The
English Bill of Rights of 1689
The
Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason
The
Federalist Papers
The
Anti-Federalist Papers
The
Papers of James Madison
The
Levellers: Libertarian Radicalism and the English Civil War
by Hoiles
Philosophic
Sources of the American Founding --
Claremont Institute
The
Independent Whig & Cato's Letters of Trenchard &
Gordon
The
Founders' Constitution ed. by Kurland & Lerner
A
General Outline of Political Systems -- analyzed in terms
of Governmental Form and Governmental Scope
A
"Vertical" Political Spectrum A new slant on an old conflict
Not
Yours To Give A speech before the U.S. House of Representatives
by Congressman Davy Crockett
The
Noblest Triumph Property & Prosperity Through the Ages
by Tom Bethell
The
Industrial Revolution and Free Trade by Folsom
The
Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism by F. A. von Hayek
More
Guns, Less Crime by Lott
The
Seven Myths of Gun Control by Poe
On
Liberty and Drugs: Essays on the Free Market and Prohibition
by Milton Friedman & Thomas Szasz
The
Creature from Jekyl Island by G. Edward Griffin
The
Libertarian Reader by David Boaz
The
Ayn Rand Lexicon ed. by Harry Binswanger
Antitrust:
The Case for Repeal by Dom Armentano
The
Case Against Government Schools: Getting Politics Out of Education
by Frank E. Fortkamp
A
Basic History of the United States Vol 2: The Beginning of the Republic
1775-1826 by Clarence B. Carson
A
Basic History of the United States Vol 4: The Growth of America, 1878-1928 by
Clarence B. Carson
A
Basic History of the United States Vol 5: The Welfare State, 1929-1985 by
Clarence B. Carson
The
Conquest of Poverty by Henry Hazlitt
Man
Versus the Welfare State by Henry Hazlitt
Time
Will Run Back by Henry Hazlitt (Hazlitt's one and only novel)
In the year 1850, not long before his untimely death from tuberculosis, Bastiat wrote and published perhaps the most eloquent essay on the proper role of government ever written. It is entitled "The Law" and is filled with Bastiat's usual clarity of expression and profound insights. Click on the following link and read the full text of the American translation of this classic exposition: The Law (HTML version) by Frederic Bastiat
The Law (plain text version) by Frederic Bastiat