Remaining One Nation Indivisible

On Friday, July 4th, America celebrates the 249th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, declaring independence from Great Britain. As a nation, we are now just one year shy of the milestone of 250 years as the freest and most prosperous nation on earth.

For that reason, we have much to be thankful for. Yet, as Benjamin Franklin so aptly said after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution eleven years later, our Founding Fathers had created: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

As we prepare to celebrate our 250th birthday with the usual fireworks, cook-outs, and other activities, there are storm clouds on the horizon, which if not dealt with, puts another celebration – our 300th in 2076 – in mortal danger. 

While the men who met in Philadelphia were imperfect, as all of us are, they did agree on one thing: that human beings were sinful, and as such, they needed to create a nation firmly rooted in God-ordained moral standards, that legislation should be in accordance with those standards, and moral laws take precedence over human laws.  

Their stories, sacrifices, and achievements are chronicled in an outstanding new online book by the Heritage Foundation: America’s Founders: Leaders at the Creation of the Republic. 

As Mark David Hall, Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox University, has written, “The Founders were far more likely to see liberty as the freedom to do what was morally correct.”

He adds, “Christian ideas underline some key tenets of America’s constitutional order. For instance, the Founders believed that humans are created in the image of God, which led them to design institutions and laws meant to protect and promote human dignity.” 

Yet, unfortunately, so many Americans today have no knowledge of the wisdom and sacrifice of our nation’s Founding Fathers as they become increasingly ignorant of why our nation was created and what it stands for. 

And as it has been said, “Nothing has meaning without context.” 

Or perhaps, even more eloquently, former President Ronald Reagan gave us a somber warning, saying, “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are. I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in the erosion of the American spirit.”  

In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released their report on the state of American education, including civic education, and the news was sobering. The report found that the average U.S. history score at eighth grade decreased by five points compared to 2018 and by nine points compared to 2014. Forty percent of students were below the most basic level in U.S. history knowledge. In fact, only 13% of eighth graders were deemed to be proficient in history and 22% were proficient in civics.

As William Galston, former domestic policy advisor to President Clinton, wrote in The Wall Street Journal: “Consider the formative experiences of adults 30 and younger. For them, the Cold War exists only in history books — which they didn’t necessarily read. High schools in only 31 states require a yearlong U.S. history class. … Against this backdrop, it isn’t hard to understand why only 15% of those under 30 think the U.S. is the greatest nation on earth.”

As one my friends says, “You can’t be responsible for what you don’t know.” Our schoolchildren are being kept in the dark about our history and system of government. They simply do not know better. So, it is difficult to blame them when they act out of ignorance.

But sadly, statistics such as these confirm the concerns of President Reagan: If we lack the diffusion of knowledge or have no memory of our history, our freedom will dissipate as well.

In my book, Toward a More Perfect Union: The Moral and Cultural Case for Teaching the Great American Story, I discuss the ramifications for our society as a result of our historical and civic ignorance. I am convinced that our current lack of civility, lack of understanding of how our government works, including the checks and balances between the three branches of the federal government, and our demands for personal “rights” over collective unity, has been caused by the lack of teaching of history and civics throughout our educational system.  

So, if we are to remain “one nation indivisible,” this Independence Day as we give thanks for our freedom, it is my hope that as we look forward to next year’s milestone, we will also rededicate ourselves, as a nation, not only to the teaching of our history, but also to the original intent and ideals of our Founding Fathers.

If we do so, I am confident of great years ahead – and 2076 will not be a time of sober regret, but one of glorious celebration of the republic we were able to not only keep but preserve for future generations. 

Photo from Shutterstock.