The study guide for The American Revolution with Michael Novak in Washington DC as seen on Small Business School the series on PBS member stations. Small Business School is the best television show in America

The Case Study Guide

last update: July 4, 2006

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small business is an institution

Lupe Fraga believed his parents when they told him he could achieve his dreams in America. He is just one of the hard-working, job creating, independent thinking owners in the US.

Small Business Is The Most Important Institution In A Civil Society

Michael Novak told us that our founders understood that to build a free republic you have to, "build it on commerce and industry." They understood that small can be trusted, that's where you get an independent citizenry who can, "act like sovereigns." Those who are masters of their own destiny interact to create things responsive to a changing environment.

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Key Ideas of this episode


1.		Capitalism is the Only Proven Path from Poverty to Prosperity
2.		The American Version Of Capitalism Has Not Been Articulated Well
3.		Many Owning A Little Is Better Than a Few Owning A Lot
4.		Business Owners Are Not Elites
5.		Capitalism Requires A New Attitude About the Creation of Wealth
6.		Struggle for Improvement Is A Moral Duty
7.		Capitalism Does Not Thrive Unfettered
8.		Capitalism Depends Upon Hard-Working People
9.		Democratic Capitalism Is A Three-Legged Stool
10.		Business Is Not About Greed
11.		Capitalism Is Good For The Soul
12.		Capitalism Is Organized Around The Mind
13.		Small Business Is The Most Important Institution In A Civil Society

Topic for Discussion: Is the spirit of our founding fathers still alive today?

Answer: You bet it is! We see it every week here at Small Business School. From recognizing the opportunity, to figuring out a way to get it done, to living our dreams, we small business people are not that different from our forefathers. Each generation improves our lives for the next and much of that improvement comes from the work places of small businesses.

In the United States, only 11 million of the workforce works at Fortune 500 companies. Most of the 120 million American workers work for small businesses. We are the foundation of the American economy as we have been from the very beginning. We buy and sell from one another, and together we inspire the self-confidence and strength in those around us which result in new small businesses with new opportunities.

You think about it: Is there any other country on earth where you'd rather be in business?

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