Jim Bratten
Our history is being erased before our eyes, its lessons discounted as irrelevant for “today’s reality.” In many cases, American history is dismissed by physically removing memorials and monuments from public view. Out of sight, out of mind and, eventually, out of memory. In our present government education system, American History is reduced to an aside or out of the curriculum entirely.
Last May, under the cover of darkness, statues of General P. G. T. Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, and General Robert E. Lee were removed from public display in New Orleans, Louisiana. Across the South, many of the monuments memorializing the War Between the States have been taken down in knee-jerk reactions to several racially motivated murders. The statue removals have nothing to do with “racial healing,” however. They have everything to do with eradicating our history for political gain.
But it’s not only the revision of our history; it’s also the intentional omission of our history – the neglect to teach our Founding Principles, the ideas that form our foundation, like how our rights came to be.
Shannon Reid (Shepherd Academy) – 2018 Citizens For Liberty Bill of Rights Essay Contest Winner
Recently, I was privileged to judge dozens of entries from high school students in an essay contest regarding the Bill of Rights. The essays were mostly good and it was difficult to choose the top three, until I focused on concept. Reading the kids’ submissions, I noticed something stark: In the dozens of worthy essays, only three grasped the central concept of the Bill of Rights –protecting our rights from government.
The idea that permeated the entries was that the government guaranteed our rights, as if the rights, whether freedom of religion, speech, assembly, the right to bear arms, or the right to a jury trial, came from government, given to the people in a document.
Only three essays centered on the reality: Our rights come from God (our Creator) and the Bill of Rights protects what God has given us as individuals. These students had a good grasp of what the Bill of Rights contained in each specific amendment, but not why these ten amendments were necessary.
It’s time to reemphasize the Source.
Hoosier Patriots, Inc. is an educational and organizational non-profit for restoration, preservation and defense of the Constitution. We provide conservative commentary on public policy and government action across a variety of issues concerning the well-being of the republic. For more information go to www.vc-tpp.org or subscribe to the newsletter at hpnw.jimb@gmail.com.
