EarsToHear.net
He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear
(Matthew 11:15-30)
Challenging both secular wisdom and religious doctrines. - Will our descendants know moral virtue?
Home | About | Search | Newsletter | Contact | Store | Donate | Advertise | Sponsor | Webstats
Did
you know?
Founder's Original Intent
Last Updated
Monday July 05, 2010 10:08 PM -0400
Evidence of the
Christian Biblical foundation of America's founders,
their actions and intentions concerning
the
First Congress,
education,
slavery,
immigration,
Republic vs. Democracy, and more.
See also: Warnings from the wise o Quotes from Leaders with virtue o Founder's Quotes & more, & Complete list of selected quotes randomly displayed on EarsToHear.net home page
Back to America's Christian Heritage Index
JAMES MADISONS PROPOSAL TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 1787 - At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, James Madison proposed the plan to divide the central government into three branches: a) JUDICIAL, b) LEGISLATIVE, and c) EXECUTIVE. He discovered this model of government from the Perfect Governor, as he read Isaiah 33:22; For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us.
David Barton runs an organization call
Wallbuilders. He is an historian who speaks around the country to share the
truth about the American founding, using the original writings of the Founders.
This information is no longer presented in our public schools, but it was for
the first 200+ centuries of our nation's existence. Here are the You Tube links
where you can hear this history, in the Founders' words. I hope you'll share
this with others after viewing.
---
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F53E14803F7CF0DD&search_query=david+barton+wallbuilders
---
Is America A Christian Nation? (1 of 5)
---
Is America A Christian Nation? (2 of 5)
---
Is America A Christian Nation? (3 of 5)
---
Is America A Christian Nation? (4 of 5)
---
Is America A Christian Nation? (5 of 5)
Summary: What our Founders had to say about the Bible? "The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God.... Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts." John Jay (1784) "Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God." Gouverneur Morris (1791) "[W]here is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation deserts the oaths...?" George Washington (1796) "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams (1798) "[T]he only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments." Benjamin Rush (1806)
About the Title: "I was debating an ACLU attorney at Christmas on an NPR station. I pulled out a Xerox copy of The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States and said to her: 'Until you answer this book, the ACLU can't make a case against America's Christian founding.' She was shocked when she saw it. She asked where I had gotten it. The only thing that gave her relief was the fact that the book was not in print. But now it is."
Be afraid ACLU. Be very afraid. Morris packs The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States with page after page of original source material making the case that America was founded as a Christian nation. The evidence is unanswerable and irrefutable. This 1000-page book will astound you and send enemies of Christianity into shock.
Keep in mind that it was published in 1864 and has been out of print for more than a century. It has been newly typeset using a very readable font and added subheads. A new Foreword written by my long-time friend Dr. Archie Jones describes the background of the book and provides a brief biography of the author. Gary DeMar
Benjamin Franklin Morris' book has been out of print for more than 100 years. If you can find an original copy, it's only because you have looked in the deep recesses of university libraries where the volume is probably collecting dust on dimly lit library shelves. Organizations like the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have done their best to ignore the content of the massive compilation of original source material found in this book. If Americans ever become aware of the content assembled by the author, the arguments for a secular founding of America will turn to dust. Reprinted for the first time in over 140 years in 2007, this book has already been through it's seventh printing. Don't miss out on the fantastic wealth of information this book has in store! Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States could very well be responsible for rediscovering the truth of America's Christian foundation.
September 2008 - Finally, some in Congress are beginning to understand the importance of our Christian Heritage....
You will want to see this...
RESOLUTION Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nations founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as American Religious History Week for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.
Note to secular humanist Democrats: Before inaccurately and inadequately dismissing these pages falsely as promoting theocracy, see Theocracy? Numerous blog discussions and commentaries have weakly dismissed the HISTORY presented here as promoting a theocracy as an excuse to escape and avoid the challenge to secular wisdom. (BTW - What new and improved foundation do secular humanists use to justify violating "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God?")
The Americans Who Risked Everything by Rush Limbaugh Jr. ...These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. And remember, a great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor. They were sober men. There were no dreamy-eyed intellectuals or draft card burners here. They were far from hot-eyed fanatics yammering for an explosion. They simply asked for the status quo. It was change they resisted. It was equality with the mother country they desired. It was taxation with representation they sought. They were all conservatives, yet they rebelled.
...Even before the list was published, the British marked down every member of Congress suspected of having put his name to treason. All of them became the objects of vicious manhunts. Some were taken. Some, like Jefferson, had narrow escapes. All who had property or families near British strongholds suffered. ...John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.
...Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact. And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark. He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to that infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York Harbor known as the hell ship Jersey, where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clarks were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons' lives if he would recant and come out for the King and Parliament. The utter despair in this man's heart, the anguish in his very soul, must reach out to each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: "No."
...The 56 signers of the Declaration Of Independence proved by their every deed that they made no idle boast when they composed the most magnificent curtain line in history. "And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
From
the Pulpit to the Battlefield
(Video report at link.) -
By Wendy Griffith
CBN News
July 4, 2007 -
There have been
many books written on our nation's beginnings, but what is not commonly
known is the crucial role that churches and Christians played in defending
and founding what was to become the United States of America. CBN News
filed this report from the site of the first battle of the American
Revolutionary War.
Just imagine what the colonists of Lexington, Mass. were up against. In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, 700 British Redcoats were marching their way. And only about 77 colonial militia -- known as the MinuteMen -- were waiting, muskets in hand, to defend their families and town. Capt. John Parker, whose statue proudly overlooks the park, told his troops on that fateful day: "Stand your ground! Don't fire unless fired upon -- but if they mean to have war, let it begin here." And indeed it did. The famous shot that was heard 'round the world rang out on the Lexington Battle Green. To this day, nobody knows which side fired first -- but the war was on!
Prof. David Goss of Gordon College said, "We were up against one of the most powerful nations in the world, certainly the superpower of Europe. We had no munitions plants, we had no uniforms, we had no supplies, we had no navy, we had no real army. And to think of taking this nation on, and ever thinking that we had a chance of winning was nothing short of a miracle - it was a miracle."
Nearly all of the MinuteMen were Christians -- parishioners of the town's only church, pastored by the Rev. Jonas Clark. He himself was known as a great patriot and often preached revolution from the pulpit. The minister was also often the one in charge of organizing the town's militia, as every town was required by law to have a militia that was trained and ready to fight if necessary. This monument marks the spot where the town of Lexington's church stood for about 150 years.
"The ministers were often the only educated people in town; they had a captive audience once a week, and it was the only time everyone got together," said Dick Kollen, a historian with the Lexington Historical Society. "And so, if the minister was of a mind to use the pulpit to try and influence people to the Patriot point of view, they would look to him, and he was a very important authority figure."
We're all familiar with the famous midnight ride of Paul Revere -- well, this is where he came, to the home of the Rev. Jonas Clark. He came to warn Clark and his two prominent guests -- John Hancock and Sam Adams -- that the British were indeed coming. Kollen said, "That fact is, the British were coming, but they were walking -- 15 miles away. So Capt. Parker says, 'Go home, but be within the sound of the drum.'"
When the battle at Lexington was over, two British soldiers were injured and eight MinuteMen were dead. Their bodies are buried on the Battle Green underneath a war monument. The words on the monument could not be more patriotic. They say: "On April 19, 1775, the die was cast!! The blood of the martyrs, in the cause of God and their country, was the cement of the Union of these states, then colonies." It goes on to say that "they nobly dared to be free, and the peace, liberty and independence of the United States of America was their glorious reward!"
"Almost all of the MinuteMen were Christians, that's the first thing we need to understand," said Tom Barrett, editor and publisher of Conservativetruth.org. "They believed that all authority was subject to the authority of God, and they knew they were doing the will of God by fighting oppression. They realized that the British had abused their authority and really enslaved the Colonists. And they knew that if they didn't fight the oppressors, no one else would."
There were many other influential clergy involved in the Revolutionary War, including Lutheran Rev. John Peter Muhlenberg of Woodstock, Virginia. Before marching off to join George Washington's army, at Washington's request, Muhlenberg delivered a powerful sermon from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 that concluded with these words: "The Bible tells us there is a time for all things, and there is a time to preach and a time to pray -- but the time for me to preach has passed away, and there is a time to fight, and that time has come now. Now is the time to fight!"
Barrett said, "With that, he took off his robe to reveal the uniform of a Virginia Colonel - he then took his musket from behind the pulpit, put on his Colonel's hat and marched off to lead his men to war!" Throughout the war, sustaining morale was a real struggle at home. Very often, the ministers were the ones who were looked to for that purpose.
The Rev. Nathaniel Whitaker of Salem, Massachusetts was one such man. A so-called "New Light' Presbyterian pastor, he played a significant role in helping to encourage privateering, the means by which Americans were able to gain war material when they didn't have factories. Prof. Goss explained, "They would capture British merchant vessels on the high seas and bring those goods home. He -- Whitaker --was instrumental in getting that business up and running. He was also instrumental in putting together a gun powder manufacturer in Salem to help support the war effort."
The clergy were so influential in the war effort that the British, and those loyal to the crown, referred to them as the Black Regiment because they wore black robes. "The king was afraid of the ministers," Barrett said, "because they refused to acknowledge the divine authority of the King. Their battle-cry was no king but 'King Jesus.'"
Some go as far as to say if it were not for the pastors and churches of Colonial America, our land would be a British Colony today. Barrett said, "The British governor of Massachusetts made the statement before the Revolution started that if the ministers ever came out in force to support the Revolution, that the cause would be lost -- in other words, the British would lose. They knew the power of religious people in this country."
Today, many scholars admit that the role of clergy and Christians is down-played in our nation's text books. "We're supposed to ignore and pretend that the Christian foundation of this nation never existed," Barrett said. "And I believe it's our responsibility as Christians to make sure that our children are raised knowing that this is, was, and always will be a Christian nation. People of other religions are welcome to live here, but this is a nation founded on the word of God, and we should never forget that."
Also: October 1, 1746 -- John Peter Muhlenberg was born on this day. (He would die on the same date in 1807). For a time, Muhlenberg pastored a church in Virginia. One Sunday in 1776, he ended his sermon with these words: "In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight." Then, he removed his clerical robes to reveal an army uniform. Three hundred men from the congregation rode off with him to join George Washington's 8th Virginia regiment.
American Minute for March 16th: Called the "Chief Architect of the Constitution," he wrote many of the Federalist Papers which helped convince States to ratify the Constitution. He introduced the First Amendment in the first session of Congress. This was James Madison, born MARCH 16, 1751. During the War of 1812, Madison proclaimed two National Days of Prayer, 1812 and 1813. When the British marched on Washington, D.C., citizens evacuated, along with President and Dolly Madison. On August 25, 1814, as the British burned the White House, Capitol and public buildings, dark clouds began to roll in. A tornado sent debris flying, blew off roofs and knocked chimneys over on top of British troops. Two cannons were lifted off the ground and dropped yards away. A British historian wrote: "More British soldiers were killed by this stroke of nature than from all the firearms the American troops had mustered." British forces fled in confusion and rains extinguished the fires. Madison then proclaimed a National Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting & Prayer to Almighty God on November 16, 1814. Two weeks after the War ended, Madison proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving & Devout Acknowledgment to Almighty God, March 4, 1815.
Endnotes: Madison, James. Jun. 20, 1785. James Madison, A Memorial & Remonstrance (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Rare Book Collection, delivered to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia, 1785; Massachusetts: Isaiah Thomas, 1786). Robert Rutland, ed., The Papers of James Madison (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973), Vol. VIII, pp. 299, 304. Stephen McDowell & Mark Beliles, "The Providential Perspective " (Charlottesville, VA: The Providence Foundation, P.O. Box 6759, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, Jan. 1994), Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 5. National Day of Prayer July 9, 1812. National Day of Prayer July 23, 1813. National Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer to Almighty God, November 16, 1814. National Day of Thanksgiving and Devout Acknowledgement to Almighty God, March 4, 1815. http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/vaerly19hur.htm
http://www.vdem.state.va.us/newsroom/history/tornado.cfm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/tornadoes/casestudies.shtml#3
http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=38111&st=0&p=437570&#entry437570 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812#The_Treaty_of_Ghent_and_the_Battle_of_New_Orleans
Also: See Armed Forces for "A Nation of Marksmen" and more....
Did you know....(What your teachers or professors may not have taught.)
How America's
Constitution Convention Began: Constitutional Convention: June 28, 1787,
Thursday, was embroiled in a bitter debate over how each state was to be
represented in the new government. The hostile feelings created by the smaller
states being pitted against the larger states was so bitter that some delegates
actually left the Convention.
Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor)
of Pennsylvania, hosted the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention.
Being the senior member of the convention, at 81 years of age, he commanded the
respect of all present, and, as recorded on James Madison's detailed records, he
arose to address the Congress in this moment of crisis:
"Mr. President, the small progress we have made after four or five weeks close attendance & continual reasoning's with each other - our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics, which, having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution, now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all around Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstance.
In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding?
In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection - Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.
To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His Assistance?
I have lived. Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?
We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." (Psalm 127:1) I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on out deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."
Jonathan Dayton, delegate from New Jersey, reported the reaction of Congress to Dr. Franklin's rebuke: "The Doctor sat down; and never did I behold a countenance at once so dignified as was that of Washington at the close of the address; nor were the members of the convention generally less affected. The words of the venerable Franklin fell upon our ears with a weight and authority, even greater than we may suppose an oracle to have had in a Roman senate." And: "We assembled again; and...every unfriendly feeling had been expelled, and a spirit of conciliation had been cultivated." (America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations by William J. Federer pp. 150-152)
See also: The Constitutional Convention - Gordon Lloyd, a professor at Pepperdine University, has constructed the best, most comprehensive and user-friendly resource on the Constitutional Convention debates available on the web
In
1950, the Florida Supreme Court declared
1. Florida v. City of Tampa, 48 So. 2d 78 (Fla.
1950); see also Commissioners of Johnson County v. Lacy, 93 S.E. 482, 487 (N.C.
1917) ("Our laws are founded upon the Decalogue).
2. William J. Federer, The Ten Commandments & their Influence on American Law (Amerisearch
Inc. St. Louis, MO. 2003) p.19.
3. Ibid; p.19. Federer's sources are as follows: Donald S. Lutz and Charles S.
Hyneman, "The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century
American Political Thought." American Political Science Review 189 (1984):
189-197. (Courtesy of Dr. Wayne House of Dallas Theological Seminary.) John
Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution -The Faith of Our Founding Fathers
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Meida Book, 1987; 6th printing,
1993), pp. 51-53. Origions of American Constitutionalism, (1987). Stephen K.
McDowell and Mark A. Beliles, America's Providential History (Charlottesville,
VA: Providence Press, 1988), p. 156.

September 10, 1782, the Continental Congress again responded to the shortage of Bibles by authorizing the publisher of The Pennsylvania Magazine, Robert Aitken, who died JULY 15, 1802, to print America's first English language Bible- "A neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools." Congress stated: "Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled highly approve the...undertaking of Mr. Aitken...and...recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation."
Our
National Portrait: The Great Seal of the United States The decision to adopt
a national seal was made on July 4, 1776, the same day that the Continental
Congress declared Americas independence from Great Britain. As a practical
matter, America needed an official emblem to affix to diplomatic and official
documents in order to signify its sovereignty as a new nation. And yet our Great
Seal would become so much more than a mark of sovereignty; the symbolism of the
Great Seal reflects Americas universal, timeless ideas. As opposed to the state
seals of European nations, the imagery of Americas seal would not represent
historical experience or the heraldic symbols of a ruling monarchy. Instead, the
Great Seal of America would embody the ideas that had inspired the American
Revolution and would guide the American people as they established a new
government in order to secure the blessings of liberty. And so Congress
appointed a committee to design the Great Seal. At a deliberative speed, with
which subsequent generations would become familiar, the Congressional process
involved three committees and the contributions of fourteen men over six years.
The final design was based on a sketch by Congressional Secretary Charles
Thomson (original sketch pictured) and was adopted by Congress on June 20, 1782.
The U.S. Congress of 1803, at the request of President Thomas Jefferson, allocated federal funds for the salary of a minister and for the construction of a church. On December 3, 1803, the U.S. Congress, following the request of President Jefferson, ratified a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians. This treaty was significant because Congress, recognizing that most members of the tribe had become Christians, deemed to give an annual subsidy of $100 for the support of a priest during a seven-year period. That priest, as the Congress noted, was to perform the duties of his office, and... instruct as many... children as possible.
Schools were originally set
up by Churches for the purpose of Bible teaching.
In 1690 Connecticut established a Literacy Law with a fine of $25 (extremely considerable for that time) because children must be able to read if they are to read the Scriptures.
Also in 1690, Benjamin Harris' New England Primer textbook with a memorization rhyming alphabet was introduced using Scripture to teach reading and pronunciation. This Primer was reprinted and used for 210 years, until 1900. And Benjamin Rush warned if America ever removed the Bible from the classroom, all of our time will be spent fighting crime.
In 1781 Congress ruled that a new English edition of the Bible be printed and used by schools.
In 1782, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of a resolution recommending and approving the Bible for use in the schools.
Noah Webster provided the text book, History of the United States, used for over 60 years in public schools contained this statement: "The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws." And " All the miseries and evils which men suffer from - vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war - proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Fisher Ames, the founding father who actually wrote the First Amendment, expressed his belief that the Bible was to play a prominent role in public education when he said: "It has been the custom of late years to put a number of little books into the hands of children, containing fables and moral lessons. Why then, if these books for children must be retained,⦠should not the bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the sacred book that is thus impressed lasts long⦠(T)he bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as faith." And "We are spending less time in the classroom on the Bible, which should be the principle text in our schools. The Bible states these great moral lessons better than any other manmade book."
Did You Know President Thomas Jefferson apparently "violated" his own "separation of Church and State" which has been falsely attributed to him in a "letter?"
The
Myth of "Separation of Church and State"
The phrase "separation of
church and state" is used so many times that many people believe it is actually
in the Constitution. This phrase occurs nowhere in the Constitution. In order to
understand the original purpose of the First Amendment, all one has to do is
read from the pages of The New England Primer. This book was first
printed in 1690 and was a mandatory textbook for every student entering school
throughout the 1700s. Almost every student read from the pages of this book
through the early 1900s. This book contains what is known as The Shorter
Catechism. Of the 107 questions in the Catechism, 40 deal specifically with the
Ten Commandments. Students learned not only the alphabet and grammar, but were
also taught Christian principles. The New England Primer used biblical
concepts to teach the alphabet. For the letter "A", the students learned, "In
Adam's Fall, We sinned all." For the letter "C", the students recited: "Christ
crucified, For sinners died." The early founders believed that schools should be
the means through which religion was taught to the masses. To obtain a copy of
this fascinating book which debunks the myth of "separation of church and
state", call Liberty Council at 1-800-671-1776 or go to the
online store.
October 12, 1816 John Jay, Americaās 1st
Supreme Court Justice set forth in clear and concise terms his belief that
Americaās leaders must be first and foremost, Christian: "Providence has given
to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the
privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians
for their rulers."
The American Bible Society was started by an act of Congress and John Adams, our second president, served as its first leader.
Twelve of the original 13 colonies incorporated the entire Ten Commandments into their civil and criminal codes.
Now that you know the intent of America's
founders....
Did you know....Roger Baldwin, the ACLU founder in 1920, and his love of Marxism, socialism, and using propaganda in the media and the real goal of the ACLU is to diminish the constitutional rights of American citizens. The ACLU founder and executive director from 1920 to 1950, Roger Baldwin, described the Soviet Union as a "great laboratory of social experimentation of incalculable value to the development of the world." He wanted to bring socialism to America, but he knew that to be effective, he had to disguise and mask this goal in terms of individual rights. He wrote: "Do steer away from making it look like a socialist enterprise. We want to look like patriots in everything we do. We want to get a good lot of flags, talk a good deal about the Constitution and what our forefathers wanted to make of the country, and to show that we are really the folks that really stand for the spirit of our institutions." (Quoted in William A. Donahue, Twilight of Liberty: The Legacy of the ACLU - New Brunswick, NJ: Transition Publishers, 1944, pp.6-7) More on the ACLU at http://www.reclaimamerica.org/Pages/ACLU/ACLUhome.html
Did you know that 52 of the 55
signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed
Christians? The other three believed in the Bible as the divine truth, in
the God of Scripture, in His personal intervention. (See also
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_founding_fathers.html)
Of the fifty-six signers: 17 lost their fortunes, 12 had their homes
destroyed, 9 fought and died, 5 were arrested as traitors, and 2 lost sons
in the War. (See also:
Religious Affiliation of the Founding Fathers of the United States of
America )
Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the
Continental Congress voted to purchase and
import 20,000 copies of the Scripture for the people of this nation.
Patrick Henry is still remembered for
his words, "Give me liberty or give me death." But in current textbooks the
context of these words are deleted. Here is what he actually said:
"An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall
not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the
destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not to the strong alone, is life so
dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and
slavery? I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me
liberty or give me death."
These sentences have been erased from our textbooks. The following year,
1776, Henry wrote this: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often
that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but on the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been
afforded the freedom of worship here."
Consider these words Thomas Jefferson
wrote in the front of his well worn Bible: "I am a real Christian, that is
to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our
whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator." Jefferson
was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his
highest and most important role.
On July 4, 1821, President John Adams
said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected
in one indissoluble bond the principles of government with the principles of
Christianity."
Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President,
reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our
government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be
difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be
practically in our country."
In 1782 Congress voted this resolution:
"The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible
for use in all schools."
William Holmes McGuffey, author of the
McGuffey Reader used in our public schools until 1963, said: "The Christian
religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on
the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its
doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no
other source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred
Scriptures. From these extracts from the Bible I make no apology."
Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly
Christian, including the first, Harvard University,
chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule No.1 was
students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so they can study the
Scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed
to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and
Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus
Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral
principles of the Ten Commandments."
Rev. John Harvard. The College at Cambridge was renamed for him. Son
of a butcher, his family died when a plague swept England, leaving him an
estate. He attended Emmanuel College, was ordained, married and sailed for
Massachusetts where he pastored the First Church of Charlestown. He died of
tuberculosis at age 31, on September 14, 1638. He was Rev. John Harvard.
The College at Cambridge was renamed for him. Ten of twelve Harvard
presidents prior to the Revolution were ministers, as were 50 percent of
17th-century graduates. Harvard's founders wrote: "After God had carried us
safe to New England, and we...rear'd convenient places for God's
worship...dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches, when
our present Ministers shall lie in the Dust...it pleased God to stir up the
heart of one Mr. Harvard, a godly gentleman and a lover of learning...to
give the one half of his estate...towards the erecting of a college and all
his Library." As 106 of the first 108 schools in America were founded on
Christianity, Harvard's Rules & Precepts, September 26, 1642, stated: "Let
every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider
well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ
which is eternal life. Jn 17:3."
American Minute
with Bill Federer September 14
We ask God to bless America, especially as we
remember the horrific tragedy of 9-11. But how can He bless a nation that
has departed so far from Him?
Prior to Sept. 11, God wasn't truly welcome in America, was He?
Is He yet? Certainly that's arguable, with godless federal judges declaring
the Ten Commandments inappropriate for public display after ruling our
Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because it mentions God.
It truly is a shame most of what you read in this message has been erased
from public school textbooks by revisionists intend on removing the Truth
about our nation's Christian roots. What is the Truth? Jesus said: "I am the
way, the truth and the life."
Pass this along to others so the Truth
of our nation's history will be told. Share this patriotic message with
everyone you know so the Lord, who has faithfully and lovingly watched over
our nation all these years, may touch hardened hearts and inspire closed
minds to His Truth -- that America still is one
nation under God!
Make your stand for the Truth by signing a petition challenging today's
Congress to reign in rogue judges so our Constitution again is interpreted
in keeping with our forefathers' intent. Here's
where to stand up for America's Godly heritage:
http://www.ChristianPetitions.com
The Founding Fathers and Slavery
Did you know? Benjamin Franklin was president of America's first anti-slavery society.
(Related: Why Only Democrats and Liberals Should Feel White Guilt It baffles me that we're taught that Democrats are the civil rights champions. They are absolutely the opposite. First of all, the Republican party was created to be the party against slavery because the Democrats were pro-slavery, and good people knew it was un-Christian and morally wrong. Lincoln was a Republican, and not in "name only" as so-called scholars are teaching on campuses across the country. You'd never know it by how Republicans are portrayed now, but we were THE anti-slavery party, and we still are. The very first Republican president freed the slaves and was hated for it. He was consequentially murdered by a Democrat. (See ASTONISHING HISTORY OF DEMOCRAT RACISM Democrats have ALWAYS been the Party of Slavery and Racism & The Klu Klux Klan was created by the democrats for the express reason of terrorizing blacks and republicans in the south to prevent them from voting, and that every known Klansman that were members of congress have been democrats and the history of Republicans doing everything they could to block Democratic racism.)
"I believe a time will come when an opportunity will be offered to abolish this lamentable evil. Everything we do is to improve it, if it happens in our day; if not, let us transmit to our descendants, together with our slaves, a pity for their unhappy lot and an abhorrence of slavery." - Patrick Henry (letter to Robert Pleasants, 18 January 1773) Reference: The Spirit of 'Seventy-Six, Henry Commager and Richard Morris, 402.
"[Y]our late purchase of an estate in the colony of Cayenne, with a view to emancipating the slaves on it, is a generous and noble proof of your humanity. Would to God a like spirit would diffuse itself generally into the minds of the people of this country; but I despair of seeing it." -- George Washington (letter to Marquis de Lafayette, 10 May 1786) Reference: Washington's Maxims, 159.
AmericanMinute.comMarch 11th: Ben Franklin was the first president of the first anti-slavery society in the United States. Richard Bassett, a Signer of the Constitution, converted to Methodism, freed all his slaves and paid them as hired labor. John Quincy Adams fought to end slavery by removing Congress' Gag Rule. But it was Senator Charles Sumner's vehement stand against slavery that resulted in enraged Congressman Preston S. Brooks of South Carolina violently beating him on the head with a cane while he was seated at his desk on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Charles Sumner died MARCH 11, 1874, having never fully recovered from those injuries. A founder of the Republican Party, Sumner served as a Senator from Massachusetts for 23 years. He stated: "Familiarity with that great story of redemption, when God raised up the slave-born Moses to deliver His chosen people from bondage, and with that sublimer story where our Saviour died a cruel death that all men, without distinction of race, might be saved, makes slavery impossible." Charles Sumner continued: "There is no reason for renouncing Christianity, or for surrendering to the false religions; nor do I doubt that Christianity will yet prevail over the earth as the waters cover the sea."
Sumner, Charles. E.C. Lester, Life & Public Services of Charles Sumner, pp. 321, 171. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, TX), p. 436.
March 24th: William Jay, son of the First Supreme Court Chief Justice, helped found New York City's Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. His son, John Jay, was manager of New York Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society in 1834. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story helped establish the illegality of the slave trade in the 1844 Amistad case. Salmon P. Chase, appointed Chief Justice by Lincoln, defended so many escaped slaves in his career he was nicknamed "Attorney-General of Fugitive Slaves." Cassius Marcellus Clay, diplomat to Russia for Lincoln and Grant, founded the anti-slavery journal True American in 1845 and helped found the Republican party in 1854. Rufus King, born MARCH 24, 1755, was one of the youngest signers of the U.S. Constitution, only 32 years old. A Harvard graduate, Rufus was an aide to General Sullivan during the Revolutionary War. He later served as U.S. Minister to England and was a Senator from New York. In a speech made before the Senate at the time Missouri was petitioning for statehood, Rufus King stated: "I hold that all laws or compacts imposing any such condition as slavery upon any human being are absolutely void because they are contrary to the law of nature, which is the law of God."
King, Rufus. M.E. Bradford, A Worthy Company (Marlborough, NH: Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1982), p. 15. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 161.
On February 21, 1848, John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke at his desk in the House chamber, shortly after making an impassioned speech against the Democrat plan of extending slavery to the Western territories won in the Mexican-American War. He died 2 days later without regaining consciousness. A bronze marker on the floor indicates where Adams's desk once stood, known at the whispering spot in Statuary Hall. John Quincy Adams was the only President to serve as a Congressman after having been President. Nicknamed Old Man Eloquent for speaking out against slavery, he offered a plan for its elimination. In 1841, John Qunicy Adams defended before the Supreme Court 53 Africans who had mutinied aboard the slave ship Amistad, gaining them their freedom. As African slaves were purchased at Muslim slave markets, John Quincy Adams wrote in his Essay on Turks (1829): The natural hatred of the Mussulmen towards the infidels is in just accordance with the precepts of the Koran...The fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion is the extirpation of hatred from the human heart. It forbids the exercise of it, even towards enemies...In the seventh century of the Christian era, a wandering Arab...spread desolation and delusion over an extensive portion of the earth...He declared undistinguishing and exterminating war as a part of his religion...The essence of his doctrine was violence and lust, to exalt the brutal over the spiritual part of human nature.
------------------------------------
PatriotPost.us Founder's Quotes
"Every measure of prudence, therefore, ought to be assumed for the eventual total extirpation of slavery from the United States....I have, throughout my whole life, held the practice of slavery in...abhorrence." John Adams (letter to Evans, 8 June 1819) Reference: Vindicating the Founders, West (5); original Selected Writings of John and John Quicny Adams, Koch and Peden (209)
"[T]here is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of [slavery]." George Washington (letter to Robert Morris, 12 April 1786) Reference: Washington's Maxims, 157.
"[Y]our late purchase of an estate in the colony of Cayenne, with a view to emancipating the slaves on it, is a generous and noble proof of your humanity. Would to God a like spirit would diffuse itself generally into the minds of the people of this country; but I despair of seeing it."
George Washington (letter to Marquis de Lafayette, 10 May 1786) Reference: Washington's Maxims, 159."I believe a time will come when an opportunity will be offered to abolish this lamentable evil. Everything we do is to improve it, if it happens in our day; if not, let us transmit to our descendants, together with our slaves, a pity for their unhappy lot and an abhorrence of slavery." Patrick Henry (letter to Robert Pleasants, 18 January 1773) Reference: The Spirit of 'Seventy-Six, Henry Commager and Richard Morris, 402.
For a complete database of Founders' quotes on various topics, link to the Internet's most comprehensive resource page on our Founding documents http://PatriotPost.US/histdocs/ and select Founders Quote Database.
Valentine's Day: A Day to Remember Frederick Douglass by Nick Rizzuto - On July 5th of 1852 (before the civil War), Douglass, who referred to himself as a black, dyed in the wool Republican, addressed the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. During his passionate speech, Douglass said, "Take the Constitution according to its plain reading. I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it." Douglass continued his Independence Day address by proclaiming that, "Interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document." ...What makes Douglass praise for the constitution even more unlikely was that he did so according to its plain reading; or in other words, as it had been written. He spoke these words before America fought a Civil War to decide once and for all the issue of slavery and even before a single piece of Civil Rights legislation had passed through congress. Douglass did not complain about the lack of specifics in the constitution that indicated what the government must do on your behalf, as then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama famously did in a 2001 interview. Nor did he decry that it was a charter of negative liberties which, as President Obama has stated he believes, represented the bias of the founders.
07-47 Brief (PatriotPost.us) ā[M]any who repeat the āgiving backā mantra would sneer at any such notion as patriotism or any idea that the institutions and values of American society have accomplished worthy things and deserve their support, instead of their undermining. Our educational system, from the schools to the universities, are actively undermining any sense of loyalty to the traditions, institutions and values of American society. They are not giving back anything except condemnation, often depicting sins common to the human race around the world as peculiar evils of āour society.ā A classic example is slavery, which is repeatedly drummed into our headsāin the schools and in the mediaāas something unique done by white people to black people in the United States. The tragic fact is that, for thousands of years of recorded history, people of every race and color have been both slaves and enslavers. The Europeans enslaved on the Barbary Coast of North Africa alone were far more numerous than all the Africans brought to the United States and to the 13 colonies from which it was formed. What was unique about Western civilization was that it was the first civilization to turn against slavery, and that it stamped out slavery not only in its own societies but in other societies around the world during the era of Western imperialism. That process took well over a century, because non-Western societies resisted... Those who want to āgive backā should give back the truth. It is a debt that is long overdue.ā Thomas Sowell
"This is a long story and it is covered in a long essay titled 'The Real History of Slavery' in my book 'Black Rednecks, White Liberals.' Thomas Sowell
Black Rednecks, White Liberals by Thomas Sowell The question arises as to why America's Founder's established "all men are created equal," while at the same time allowing slavery to continue? From the words of the Founders, it appears they feared a race war as being more of an evil consequence then slavery, after witnessing the what happened in Santa Domingo (now Haiti). So they instead hoped slavery would be progressively eradicated more peacefully rather than by violence. Slavery is not based on racism, but on vulnerability. It was based on religion at times, but also regardless of race. Not only did whites enslave whites, and blacks enslaved blacks, and Asians enslaved Asians, Europeans also enslaved other Europeans, Africans enslaved other Africans, and Arabs enslaved other Arabs, who were vulnerable, regardless of race. Also, Christians had slaves, as well as Buddhists had slaves, and the Muslim's Koran accepts slavery as an institution.
------------------------------------
The Founding Fathers and Slavery by David Barton
Even though the issue of slavery is often raised as a discrediting charge against the Founding Fathers, the historical fact is that slavery was not the product of, nor was it an evil introduced by, the Founding Fathers; slavery had been introduced to America nearly two centuries before the Founders. ...The Revolution was the turning point in the national attitude-and it was the Founding Fathers who contributed greatly to that change. In fact, many of the Founders vigorously complained against the fact that Great Britain had forcefully imposed upon the Colonies the evil of slavery.
For example, Thomas Jefferson heavily criticized that British policy: He [King George III] has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. . . . Determined to keep open a market where men should be bought and sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce [that is, he has opposed efforts to prohibit the slave trade].
Benjamin Franklin, in a 1773 letter to Dean Woodward, confirmed that whenever the Americans had attempted to end slavery, the British government had indeed thwarted those attempts. Franklin explained that . . .. . . a disposition to abolish slavery prevails in North America, that many of Pennsylvanians have set their slaves at liberty, and that even the Virginia Assembly have petitioned the King for permission to make a law for preventing the importation of more into that colony. This request, however, will probably not be granted as their former laws of that kind have always been repealed.
Further confirmation that even the Virginia Founders were not responsible for slavery, but actually tried to dismantle the institution, was provided by John Quincy Adams (known as the "hell-hound of abolition" for his extensive efforts against that evil). Adams explained: The inconsistency of the institution of domestic slavery with the principles of the Declaration of Independence was seen and lamented by all the southern patriots of the Revolution; by no one with deeper and more unalterable conviction than by the author of the Declaration himself [Jefferson]. No charge of insincerity or hypocrisy can be fairly laid to their charge. Never from their lips was heard one syllable of attempt to justify the institution of slavery. They universally considered it as a reproach fastened upon them by the unnatural step-mother country [Great Britain] and they saw that before the principles of the Declaration of Independence, slavery, in common with every other mode of oppression, was destined sooner or later to be banished from the earth. Such was the undoubting conviction of Jefferson to his dying day. In the Memoir of His Life, written at the age of seventy-seven, he gave to his countrymen the solemn and emphatic warning that the day was not distant when they must hear and adopt the general emancipation of their slaves. Click here for complete column.
Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery Michael Medved (Townhall.com) Those who want to discredit the United States and to deny our role as history's most powerful and pre-eminent force for freedom, goodness and human dignity invariably focus on America's bloody past as a slave-holding nation.
The Bible, Slavery, and America's Founders By Stephen McDowell - America's Founding Fathers are seen by some people today as unjust and hypocrites, for while they talked of liberty and equality, they at the same time were enslaving hundreds of thousands of Africans. Some allege that the Founders bear most of the blame for the evils of slavery. Consequently, many today have little respect for the Founders and turn their ear from listening to anything they may have to say. And, in their view, to speak of America as founded as a Christian nation is unthinkable (for how could a Christian nation tolerate slavery?).
...America's Founders were predominantly Christians and had a Biblical worldview. If that was so, some say, how could they allow slavery, for isn't slavery sin? As the Bible reveals to man what is sin, we need to examine what it has to say about slavery.
...Slavery has existed throughout the world since after the fall of man. Egypt and other ancient empires enslaved multitudes. Greece and Rome had many slaves, taken from nations they conquered. Slavery was a part of almost every culture. While some Christian nations had taken steps to end slavery, it was still an established part of most of the world when America began to be settled.
...The overwhelming majority of early Americans and most of America's leaders did not own slaves. Some did own slaves, which were often inherited (like George Washington at age eleven), but many of these people set them free after independence. Most Founders believed that slavery was wrong and that it should be abolished. William Livingston, signer of the Constitution and Governor of New Jersey, wrote to an anti-slavery society in New York (John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and President of the Continental Congress, was President of this society):
...The founders did not just believe slavery was an evil that needed to be abolished, and they did not just speak against it, but they acted on their beliefs. During the Revolutionary War black slaves who fought won their freedom in every state except South Carolina and Georgia.
...Many of the founders started and served in anti-slavery societies. Franklin and Rush founded the first such society in America in 1774. John Jay was president of a similar society in New York. Other Founding Fathers serving in anti-slavery societies included: William Livingston (Constitution signer), James Madison, Richard Bassett, James Monroe, Bushrod Washington, Charles Carroll, William Few, John Marshall, Richard Stockton, Zephaniah Swift, and many more.
...The Founders opposed slavery based upon the principle of the equality of all men. Throughout history many slaves have revolted but it was believed (even by those enslaved) that some people had the right to enslave others. The American slave protests were the first in history based on principles of God-endowed liberty for all. It was not the secularists who spoke out against slavery but the ministers and Christian statesmen.
...Although no Southern state abolished slavery, there was much anti-slavery sentiment. Many anti-slavery societies were started, especially in the upper South. Many Southern states considered proposals abolishing slavery, for example, the Virginia legislature in 1778 and 1796. When none passed, many, like Washington, set their slaves free, making provision for their well being.
American Minute for March 11th: Ben Franklin was the first president of the first anti-slavery society in the United States.
Richard Bassett, a Signer of the Constitution, converted to Methodism, freed all his slaves and paid them as hired labor.
John Quincy Adams fought to end slavery by removing Congress' Gag Rule.
It was Senator Charles Sumner's vehement stand against slavery that resulted in Congressman Preston S. Brooks of South Carolina violently beating Sumner on the head with a cane while he was seated at his desk on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Charles Sumner died MARCH 11, 1874, having never fully recovered from those injuries. A founder of the Republican Party, Charles Sumner served as a Senator from Massachusetts for 23 years.
He stated: "Familiarity with that great story of redemption, when God raised up the slave-born Moses to deliver His chosen people from bondage, and with that sublimer story where our Saviour died a cruel death that all men, without distinction of race, might be saved, makes slavery impossible."
Charles Sumner continued: "There is no reason for renouncing Christianity, or for surrendering to the false religions; nor do I doubt that Christianity will yet prevail over the earth as the waters cover the sea."
American Minute for March 24th: William Jay, son of the First Supreme Court Chief Justice, helped found New York City's Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.
His son, John Jay, was manager of New York Young Men's Anti-Slavery Society in 1834. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story helped establish the illegality of the slave trade in the 1844 Amistad case.
Salmon P. Chase, appointed Chief Justice by Lincoln, defended so many escaped slaves in his career he was nicknamed "Attorney-General of Fugitive Slaves."
Cassius Marcellus Clay, diplomat to Russia for Lincoln and Grant, founded the anti-slavery journal True American in 1845 and helped found the Republican party in 1854.
Rufus King, born MARCH 24, 1755, was one of the youngest signers of the U.S. Constitution, only 32 years old. A Harvard graduate, Rufus King was an aide to General Sullivan during the Revolutionary War. Rufus King later served as U.S. Minister to England and was a Senator from New York. In a speech made before the Senate at the time Missouri was petitioning for statehood, Rufus King stated: "I hold that all laws or compacts imposing any such condition as slavery upon any human being are absolutely void because they are contrary to the law of nature, which is the law of God."
See also: Orson Wells tells the story of how The Battle Hymn of The Republic came to be written. (Video 5:21)
Patrick Henry - "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
George Washington - "The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment."
"Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations."
Theodore Roosevelt - "The one absolute way of bringing this nation to ruin, or preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. we have but one flag. We must also learn one language and that language is English."
- "Restricted immigration is not an offensive but purely a defensive action. It is not adopted in criticism of others in the slightest degree, but solely for the purpose of protecting ourselves. We cast no aspersions on any race or creed, but we must remember that every object of our institutions of society and government will fail unless America be kept American. American institutions rest solely on good citizenship. They were created by people who had a background of self-government. New arrivals should be limited to our capacity to absorb them into the ranks of good citizenship. America must be kept American. For this purpose, it is necessary to continue a policy of restricted immigration. It would lie well to make such immigration of a selective nature with some inspection at the source, and based either on a prior census or upon the record of naturalization. Either method would insure the admission of those with the largest capacity and best intention of becoming citizens. I am convinced that our present economic and social conditions warrant a limitation of those to be admitted. We should find additional safety in a law requiring the immediate registration of all aliens. Those who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to settle in America."
Republic vs. Democracy - (Video 10:35) "A Republic, If You Can Keep It" - The American Form of Government
Federalist No. 14 - Author James Madison - ...The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region.
...Under the confusion of names, it has been an easy task to transfer to a republic observations applicable to a democracy only; and among others, the observation that it can never be established but among a small number of people, living within a small compass of territory.
...The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region.
-------
Excerpt from: U.S. Supreme Court PACIFIC STATES TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH CO. v. STATE OF OREGON, 223 U.S. 118 (1912) 223 U.S. 118 - PACIFIC STATES TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH COMPANY, Plff. in Err., v. STATE OF OREGON. No. 36. - Argued November 3, 1911. Decided February 19, 1912.
1. Difference between a republic and democracy.
2. In ascertaining the meaning of the phrase 'republican form of government,' the debates of the constitutional conventions and the federalist papers are of great importance, if not conclusive.
3. The framers of the Constitution recognized the distinction between the republican and democratic form of government, and carefully avoided the latter.
4. The extent of territory of the states alone sufficed, in the judgment of the framers of the Constitution, to condemn the establishment of a democratic form of government.
5. The form of state government perpetuated by the Constitution was the republican form, with the three departments of government, in force in all the states at the time of the adoption of the Constitution.
6. The history of other nations does not furnish the definition of the phrase 'republican form of government,' as those words were used by the framers of the Constitution. They distinguish the American from all other republics by the introduction of the principle of representation.
7. Initiative legislation is invalid because government by the people directly is inconsistent with our form of government.
8. The well-known practices of (a) adopting state Constitutions by popular vote, and of (b) local legislation in 'town meetings,' furnish no precedent for the lodgment of legislative power in the ballot box. [223 U.S. 118, 139] V.
'The Federal Constitution presupposes in each state the maintenance of a republican form of government and the existence of state legislatures, to wit: Representative assemblies having the power to make the laws; and that in each state the powers of government will be divided into three departments: a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary. One of these, the legislature, is destroyed by the initiative.
Did you know? See also: America's Foundation, Founder's Quotes & more, Leading By Example, In Our Nation's Capitol, Warnings, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan, and American History Resources.
Back to America's Christian Heritage Index
Home | About | Search | Newsletter | Contact | Store | Donate | Advertise | Sponsor | Webstats