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.
My students at Colgate University and I just returned from a short trip to Washington that began with a visit to the National Archive Rotunda to see the founding documents. The seminar, sponsored by the Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions, is called “Arts, Letters, and Liberty in Enlightenment America and Europe”; we examine the founding ideals/principles through a variety of sources and the excursion is central to this. It’s always humbling to see and read these texts, and everyone was grateful for the opportunity and the time we had for meaningful dialogue about our nation’s early years. So you can imagine how disappointing it was when one of the nice guards who stands next to the Constitution every day declared to the students that this was “really just a document by and for white men.” My students are very bright, articulate, well-informed, and polite. But the comment struck all of us as ungracious, even though we all know it took some time to work out the amendments that granted more liberties and shuttled us toward a union that would offer more opportunity for all. I just think the damage done of the last few decades is real; I’m perfectly fine with people speaking their minds freely. We will always remember the encounter with the documents, monuments, the Library of Congress, our beautiful buildings, and how they moved us.
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.
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.
I remember memorizing The Gettysburg Address in elementary school. As an adult his words would bring tears to my eyes when I understood how important they were for the nation. I have read all these but The Declaration stands atop the rest.
🇺🇲🔔🦅 The founding writers of these ⚖️✍🏼📜🗽 powerful documents had a far greater understanding of the philosophy behind them 🏺🦉🪔 than most of us, from either end of the political spectrum, do today. 🤔🕰️📡
I hope that it’s not only elected officials, but all citizens. After all, elected officials are just citizens. If you want better government, then it starts with each of us.
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.
Based on what I hear come out of their mouths, very few.
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.
My students at Colgate University and I just returned from a short trip to Washington that began with a visit to the National Archive Rotunda to see the founding documents. The seminar, sponsored by the Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions, is called “Arts, Letters, and Liberty in Enlightenment America and Europe”; we examine the founding ideals/principles through a variety of sources and the excursion is central to this. It’s always humbling to see and read these texts, and everyone was grateful for the opportunity and the time we had for meaningful dialogue about our nation’s early years. So you can imagine how disappointing it was when one of the nice guards who stands next to the Constitution every day declared to the students that this was “really just a document by and for white men.” My students are very bright, articulate, well-informed, and polite. But the comment struck all of us as ungracious, even though we all know it took some time to work out the amendments that granted more liberties and shuttled us toward a union that would offer more opportunity for all. I just think the damage done of the last few decades is real; I’m perfectly fine with people speaking their minds freely. We will always remember the encounter with the documents, monuments, the Library of Congress, our beautiful buildings, and how they moved us.
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.
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.
I remember memorizing The Gettysburg Address in elementary school. As an adult his words would bring tears to my eyes when I understood how important they were for the nation. I have read all these but The Declaration stands atop the rest.
I’m grateful that my high school taught us all of these
100% Thank you for writing and sharing your voice!
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! 🇺🇲
🇺🇲🔔🦅 The founding writers of these ⚖️✍🏼📜🗽 powerful documents had a far greater understanding of the philosophy behind them 🏺🦉🪔 than most of us, from either end of the political spectrum, do today. 🤔🕰️📡
Thank you
This Brit declares the Declaration of Independence one of the finest documents Homo sapiens has produced.
I hope that it’s not only elected officials, but all citizens. After all, elected officials are just citizens. If you want better government, then it starts with each of us.