Last week I was reminiscing about how as kids we always had a parchment copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Last week I ordered parchment copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address to show my students. I wanted them to hold and read them!
Agreed. And I would add the need for context to articulate the brilliance and beauty of the documents. Why are they so groundbreaking for humanity? Government by the people for the people. So what? Why is this so profound?
We talk a lot about sins of the West and of the U.S. in particular. Slavery for instance is a horror that has plagued the U.S. but the western nations were the ones who put an end to it. Slavery was endemic to all peoples world wide throughout history. Essentially, everyone is likely a descendant of slaves. The West put an end to it. The U.S. ended slavery in less than 100 years of its founding. This is incredible.
The documents you present gain awe and appreciation when examined within the context of humanity.
When I went to school back in the 50's and 60's, 3 of the 5 documents you recommend were required reading. It's a shame schools don't have civics classes anymore. I am grateful to live in the greatest country in the West.
Another Substack recently mentioned that the Great Books of the Western World should be incorporated into school curriculums. Volume 43 contains the American State Papers and The Federalist.
I sometimes wonder how many elected officials (from the local level to the national) have read and understood these documents!!!
I also wonder. Too few, I think, understand them.
Dear Jenna,
Last week I was reminiscing about how as kids we always had a parchment copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Last week I ordered parchment copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address to show my students. I wanted them to hold and read them!
Thanks for writing this important suggestion. Next week we are hosting this program at Cornell: https://events.cornell.edu/event/things-i-think-every-college-student-should-know-about-the-constitution
Randy
Sounds like a great event, Randy!
Agreed. And I would add the need for context to articulate the brilliance and beauty of the documents. Why are they so groundbreaking for humanity? Government by the people for the people. So what? Why is this so profound?
We talk a lot about sins of the West and of the U.S. in particular. Slavery for instance is a horror that has plagued the U.S. but the western nations were the ones who put an end to it. Slavery was endemic to all peoples world wide throughout history. Essentially, everyone is likely a descendant of slaves. The West put an end to it. The U.S. ended slavery in less than 100 years of its founding. This is incredible.
The documents you present gain awe and appreciation when examined within the context of humanity.
I’m grateful that my high school taught us all of these
When I went to school back in the 50's and 60's, 3 of the 5 documents you recommend were required reading. It's a shame schools don't have civics classes anymore. I am grateful to live in the greatest country in the West.
Thank you
Another Substack recently mentioned that the Great Books of the Western World should be incorporated into school curriculums. Volume 43 contains the American State Papers and The Federalist.
Your insight was referenced and woven into this meditation:
https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/a3f60618-fa71-4b73-a848-d31539642200
Grace and peace to you sister, Semper Fortis! 🇺🇲