As the school year winds down, I am preparing a Jr. High civics lesson on the reasons to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
Why the Declaration Still Matters
Today, many in our country don’t seem to understand the brilliance of the Declaration of Independence. Instead of embracing that our rights come from God, they place their offense at the word “God” and the supremacy it represents. They prefer to yield unimpeded power to the government, that is, people they elect as superiors over them.
Teaching the Founders’ Intent and Courage
These same people deny their inherent right to liberty, supposing they can keep it because their elected officials will give it to them. As one of our Supreme Court Justices noted (1), “liberty no longer preceded the government as a gift from God but was to be enjoyed at the grace of the government.”
The truth is, if the government gives you liberty, the government can take it away at will.
President Calvin Coolidge, on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration, said it this way:
“If all men are created equal, that is final,” Coolidge said. “If they are endowed with unalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress, can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which they can proceed historically is not forward but backward.” (2)
It’s important to me that my young teen students understand the reasons why we celebrate our Independence. So, each student will receive a copy of the Declaration of Independence. We will discuss who the founders were, why they sought to be free and independent of England, and the courage it took to achieve that freedom.
From Rights to Responsibility
How can we celebrate what we don’t know? Let’s not be ignorant, but seek true knowledge that stems from the Founders’ own words, not simply the words of mere politicians, press magnates, or professors.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
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