On July 4, 1776, John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, was joined by patriots Robert Morris, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Rush, Richard Henry Lee Lee, Charles Carroll, John Witherspoon, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge signed the Declaration of Independence in the presence of Robert Morris, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Rush, Richard Henry Lee, Charles Carroll, John Witherspoon, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge. “. Printed by Currier & Ives.
Last fall, former U.S. President Donald Trump established the 1776 Commission, which charged its members with “fostering a better Education among Americans about American principles and history. On Monday, January 18, 2021, the Commission released the 1776 Report.
On Wednesday, January 20, on his first day in office, newly elected President Joe Biden signed an executive order disbanding the commission and withdrawing the report, which had caused outrage among some progressive advocates. The report here from the Chicago Tribune is just one example of those diatribes.
“Trump wants to use the report, which glorified America’s founding fathers, downplayed America’s role in slavery, denounced the rise of progressive political theory and argued that the civil rights movement went against the ‘high ideals’ espoused by America’s founding fathers, in classrooms across the country. “
“The commission, which included no professional American historians, complained that ‘false and fashionable ideologies’ portrayed the nation as a story of ‘oppression and victimization.’ In its place, the commission called for a renewed effort to foster ‘a courageous and honest love for our country.'”
The newspaper cited the opposing views of several university historians, one of whom described the report as “a sixth- or seventh-grade approach to history designed to make kids feel good.”
I therefore decided to read the “1776 Report,” which you can find on the Hillsdale College website, and see what I found.
Past and Present Vision
The report begins by stating that the purpose of the Commission was “to acquaint future generations with the history and principles of the founding of the United States, and to work for a more perfect Union.” The Commission goes on to add that “this will require the restoration of American education” and “the rediscovery of our common identity rooted in the principles of the founding ……”
In the remaining paragraphs of this part of the introduction, the authors address America’s current divisions, acknowledge that the United States has not always been able to live up to its ideals, and emphasize the importance of studying the documents and history behind the founding. By doing so, they argue, a student grounded in these concepts will “become a better person, a better citizen, and a better partner in the American experiment in self-government.
Reading this introduction, we find that the authors are interested in teaching students and the rest of us about American history while renewing our love for the American dream of freedom and justice.
Founding Principles and Laws
In the next two chapters of its report, the Commission analyzes the formulation of the “Declaration of Independence” and the “Constitution. In these pages, the commissioners tell the history behind these documents in a clear and concise manner, citing stories of Americans from the Founding Fathers to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Having read a great deal of history in my Life – I majored in history in college and then completed two years of graduate study – I am perplexed by the critics who decry the 1776 Report as a perversion. I was perplexed by the critics who attacked the 1776 Report as perverse. The Commission’s history of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is remarkable for its detail, its grasp of the difficulties faced by the Founders, and its brevity.
Here, I can only conclude that the Commission has angered these critics by firmly defending the cornerstones of our freedom, including the interpretation of the First and Second Amendments and the use of the word “patriot.
“Declaration of Independence,” July 4, 1776, copy of William Stone facsimile, 1823. (Public Domain)
Group “Rights”
The first few pages of the next section, “Challenges to American Principles,” deal with the issue of slavery.
Regarding slavery, the “1776 Report” contains condemnations of slavery by men like John Adams (1735-1826), the 2nd President of the United States “a foul contagion of human character,” even slaveholder Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States), who, as the Commission noted, said of slavery. “I tremble for my country when I think that God is just, and that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
The report also noted, “The establishment of our republic sowed the seeds of death for slavery in America. The Declaration (of Independence) unconditionally proclaimed that all men are created equal and utterly repudiated the existence of human bondage. This, coupled with the constitutional compromise as understood in light of this claim, laid the foundation for the abolition of slavery.”
Portrait of John Adams, painter: Gilbert Stuart, 1810-1815. (Public domain)
The United States, which ended slavery through a bloody civil war and finally kicked the prejudices of the Jim Crow laws to the curb, is now Home to the peoples of the world. We can never live in a perfect world, but can be proud of our long march away from racism and prejudice.
(Note: Jim Crow laws were the laws that segregated people of color (primarily African-Americans, but also other ethnic groups) in the southern states of the United States and border states between 1876 and 1965.)
But as the report notes, “The damage caused by the denial of core American principles and attempts to replace them with group rights, however, has been extensive and lasting. Indeed, these are the direct precursors to some of the destructive doctrines that divide the American people and tear apart the fabric of the nation today.”
Freedom Under Siege
In the remainder of “Challenges to American Principles,” the authors explore progressivism, identity politics, fascism and communism. They provide a good overview of these last two ideologies, for which many Americans have lost their lives in various wars.
They point out that our American principles stand in stark contrast not only to those of failed totalitarian systems, but also to today’s progressivism and the idea of a “protected class” based on race and other demographic categories. The authors argue that the intrusion of identity politics into our government and public forums has eroded our individual freedoms and exacerbated the bitter divisions we see among the people today.
They also note the growth of America’s vast federal bureaucracy over the past century, writing, “This shadow government never faces elections and operates today largely without checks and balances.” The American Founding Fathers always opposed the idea of a government unaccountable to the people and without constitutional restraints, yet it continues to grow and develop all around us.
Given the attacks on the so-called “deep government,” it is not surprising that the 1776 Report has come under such heavy attack.
Wisdom Rejected
However, the final chapter, “The Task of National Renewal,” undoubtedly led to the eventual rejection and rapid cancellation of the 1776 Report. Here, for example, the author accuses our universities of being “hotbeds of anti-Americanism, slander, and censorship, which combine to produce, at least among students and the broader Culture, contempt and the most radical hatred of this country.”
Here, too, I was surprised that the commission emphasized the role of the Family as “educators of enlightenment,” suggested discussing freedom at dinner Time, and noted that “when families pray together, they collectively acknowledge the will of the Almighty God who has given them divine freedom.” When was the last time we heard this view expressed by any government agency?
The “1776 Report” states, “When families pray together, they confess together the will of Almighty God, who has given them divine freedom.”
The Good Thing
(British political commentator and novelist) James Delingpole, in his article “Trump’s 1776 Report Is a Marvel” published in Breitbart News s1776 Report Is a Marvel, writes: “The content of the 1776 Report, written by President Trump’s 1776 Advisory Committee, is so beautiful, dignified and scholarly that it makes me wish I were an American instead of a Brit.”
He then added this quote from the report.
“To be an American means to be noble and beautiful; it means to cherish freedom and embrace the vitality of self-government. The beauty, bounty and wilderness of the continental United States have shaped us, and we are united by the splendor of our history. The virtues of openness, honesty, optimism, determination, generosity, confidence, kindness, hard work, courage and hope set us apart. Our principles did not create these virtues, but they have laid the foundation for developing and growing our virtues and forging America into the most just and glorious nation in history.”
At the end of the report, we find these words, “When we appreciate America as it really is, we know that our Declaration is worth preserving, our Constitution is worth defending, our fellow citizens are worth loving, and our country is worth fighting for.”
By repealing the 1776 Commission and rejecting its report, Joe Biden and his administration drew a line in the sand – I wonder if he’s read the report? On one side of that line are all those who love America, freedom and legal justice; on the other side are those who reject our founding principles and are working to abolish them.
Read the “1776 Report” and see what you think.
In addition to the online version from Hillsdale College, Encounter Books, a publisher that promotes freedom and the achievements of Western civilization, will soon publish “The 1776 Report” in book form, with a foreword by the leaders of the Commission, endnoted quotes and footnotes.
I encourage readers to purchase this report, which is an American treasure.
The original article: A Must-Read for Patriots: ‘The 1776 Report’ appeared in The Epoch Times.
Author Bio.
Jeff Minick, the father of four children and a growing number of grandchildren, has taught history, literature and Latin for 20 years in Asheville, N.C., in seminars for homeschooling students, and is the author of two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings. He is the author of two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make The Man. Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Virginia. Visit JeffMinick.com to follow his blog.
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