Our Independence Day

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want my boys to learn. Leonie has had an interesting discussion on her blog about what she requires in homeschooling.

"Requirements" is a completely different post, which I am formulating in my head and hope to post soon. To me it is not a certain list, but a way of life. More on that later.

But, as I was thinking about what ideas or ideals I want my boys to ponder in these learning years, the topics related to our celebration of America's independence rose to the top.

We live in a difficult time, one of many in history. As it said in scripture, we are in a time in which what is good is bad, what is bad is good, what is up is down and down is up. Today that is called political correctness. If one publicly asserts a moral code they are attacked as being intolerant or worse. And, so of course patriotism has become confused in the mire and is often branded as racism.

With immigration things are even more confusing. It begs the question of whether we can be a soverign nation within the culture of political correctness. And more fully, can we be a Christian nation in action and principle, welcoming to all peoples as our faith teaches us, while also protecting our nation and nurtuing its future.

This post will not try and answer those questions, but they are things I ponder and I share with my sons. They will be living in this world a generation past all of us and our grandchildren will inherit it after them. What kind of world will they live in? And what will our country look like in that global scenario? Our children will be facing these issues and hopefully will be leaders in thought and action.

I heard a survey yesterday that by 3 to 1 Americans think things will be worse for our children and not better. But there are voices who think they will be better. I want to be one of those voices. Prayer is foremost. But secondly we must have knowledge.

I think the answers to this depends on us and our children understanding our country, where it came from and where it has the potential to go, all while translating through our faith and God's dominion.


The demographic face of the United States is changing. How does that square with the ideals first set forth for this country? Was the founding of our country based on race, religion or ethnic make up? Is there room for all?

When we look at the immigration at the end of the 19th century, we see a true melting pot. What was it that brought people to want to live here when there were no handouts, welfare or groups to protect and feed the poor? What brought them all here without guarantees?

As I read and research I find a common bond for the founding of America. It is based on a creed. Ideals. The ideals are that of freedom (religious, economic, etc) and democracy. That implied that if you came to this country, you were not guaranteed the security that a large government or monarchy could provide. But you could live your life in freedom. Thus, the majority of those who came were self-starters, hard workers and not in search of a mother country to take care of them.

That is what has led to much of America's economic success, we were founded by self-starters.

We also were founded by people who had a deep belief in God. For example, as the first Continential Convention was about to give up in frustration, Benjamin Franklin stopped the meeting and called for prayer. They ceased all discussion and prayed, and then went on to finish the job.

George Washington truly was a towering figure, the real father of our country, and I think we have lost a lot of that recognition today. He could have been King of America. He was offered that in lieu of being President. He flatly refused and King George III was amazed and greatly impressed by this truly magnificent man. These were the kinds of people who began our country, despite the writings of the revisionist authors of today.

How does that figure into the America of today, which is a very different country in a different world from that in the 1700's. Can our constitution and founding ideas carry us through for two more centuries? Are the ideas outdated?

That is what I want my family and I to explore. We are going back to the roots to understand who the people were and what they stood for when they broke away from King George III of England.

To me, that is the basis of being able to make sense of where America can go in the future. Are we still a creedo nation? We are especially no longer bound by race, economic group or culture. When we began we were 90% English and most completely Christian. But what bound us together were the founding ideals.

Are those ideals still enough to hold together our country? And if so, how do they translate to guide us in our current issues of immigration, world policy, environmentalism, welfare, and a host of others.

What I want to give my boys is a foundation from which to be able to sort out the world and have vision into the future. Like the wonderful quote: Those who do not understand history are bound to repeat it." I feel that if we don't understand the roots of where we come from we can't know where we are going. Or if it is worth the trip, and particularly if it is worth fighting for.

Because we are currently in a fight to save our nation, from threats without and within.

We are starting with some basic review of the founding of the nation. We read some nice Sonlight and other books in past years, as well as study of our government and how it works. We have read through the Declaration of Independence and Constitution briefly in years past. All along we have followed current events, elections, politics and world events.

I hope to review our founders and history again with an eye to applying it to today's issues. Also we are reading from ,The Spirit of America edited by William Bennett, which takes original writings from the framers of our country. We hear straight from them how they foresaw this country.

If their vision is no longer valid, then really the country is up for grabs. So let's see what they had to say!

God Bless America and the whole world--

Happy Independence Day... and with all the problems of America, I want to remember what an awesome country this is.

I think it is very, very easy to take our freedom for granted.