You have celebrated (hope it was safe and memorable!), but what about the meaning of the Independence Day holiday? How many of you know or remember the extraordinary events leading up to July 4, 1776? The Lead Up to Independence Day 1774-1775 Take, for example, that meeting of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in […]
What Was It Like for the Signers of the Declaration of Independence?
Summer, 1776. Signers of the Declaration of Independence. What kind of guts does it take to start a nation that puts The People truly in charge while separating from a king with “a decent respect” as they listed their grievances, one by one. Where does such courage come from? I’ve seen it at the National […]
Conversation
Over the holidays, I had a conversation with a man who interprets the Declaration of Independence very differently from how I teach the founding documents. We hit on three areas of disagreement with the Declaration that I thought might interest you. My view is the “point,” and his is the “counterpoint.” See what you think. […]
Why Are There So Many Global Protests?
Have you checked out the number of protests going on around the globe? You may be consuming fluff for news if you aren’t aware of these things. One visual trip around the world viewing global protests causes a true American to treasure our founding American documents, especially the Bill of Rights. Global Protests for Freedom […]
Natural Law
Wrong is wrong. Even if someone declares it right, it is still wrong. Bad is bad, even if it is better than ______________. Do you agree? I mean, how do you know if you’re right and the other person is wrong? Our Founders always returned to “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God.” That was […]
Happy Independence Day!
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! We are considering our American Independence this week by thinking of all the reasons we have to celebrate it- yes, even now. Following the first article is a piece that addresses our need for more and better civics education. Let’s begin: Happy Independence Day! Well, it is […]
“Why Do Americans Put Up With This?”
Maybe you can help me with a vague answer I gave to a Ukrainian national I recently met up with in the Chicago area. This woman lives with her young teen son and mother and works in the midwest. I’m guessing she has been here about seven years from what she said. She casually but […]
Who Has the Power?
Thank you for returning to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. The Elected or We the People? Who Has the Power? It definitely is a question for our times as we observe the world around us, liberty’s status, and the people’s response to it. Read on, and see what you think. Also, I hope you are […]
What We Believe is How We Behave
Welcome back to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! More and more, it seems, people are starting to realize what is going on in the United States. If you are a diversified news watcher, I’m sure you’re seeing it, too. It really has my attention. In this week’s newsletter, we look at what we believe and […]
Which Government Is Best?
A simple scan of today’s headlines reveals the following: A new survey of registered voters claims 53% of respondents think there is an agenda of ‘big government socialism.’ Twelve American cities broke their annual homicide records this year. In Europe, the attempt to restrict words like “Christian” and “Christmas” is described as dictatorship-like. There’s a […]
Triggered By the National Archives? Seriously??
Just when you think you’ve heard it all… You haven’t until you’ve heard that the National Archives’ Task Force on racism recommends “trigger warnings” for the Rotunda, which houses the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The report came out earlier this year but it has resurfaced. The National Archives […]
Understand the Times
Understand the Times What an eye-opener it is to read the opposing views of what America is! Thanks to the long Independence holiday weekend, we had an opportunity to read more than usual. You would not know that we were living in the same country, depending on which media you accessed. Since we don’t name […]
Proud to Be an American
Summer, 1776. What kind of guts does it take to start a nation that puts The People truly in charge while separating from a king with “a decent respect” as they listed their grievances, one by one. Where does such courage come from? I’ve seen it in the National Archives. I could almost feel the […]
The Colonists Show Us How It’s Done
The colonists were no slackers. We read about their work ethic and strong will to govern themselves this week to prepare for our Independence Day celebration. They didn’t take separation from the mother country lightly. Our Founders even said, “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient […]
United? Or Divided States of America?
Aren’t we focusing on the wrong thing? How is dividing America into factions and groups making us a better nation? Are we not straying farther and farther away from our national motto, “Out of Many, One”? Everywhere I turn, I hear more and more stories of how we seek to honor our differences, not unite […]
