Study Guide
Two schools of thought exist today on the source of American liberty and freedom. The first, which was held by most for the first 150 years of our history, states that the source of our freedoms are in God and Biblical principles - man is given by God natural, inherent rights and governments are established not to give, but to guarantee those rights. The second school of thought is that the founders gathered their ideals from secular, Enlightenment, humanist sources and that human freedom is given by governments and men through reason, not by God. This view has become more prevalent in the last 80 years as humanist teachings have come into our schools and universities.
1. worldview - a belief system whereby one understands or interprets the world and interacts with it. A biblical worldview is one in which all of life is understood and lived on the facts, truth, and principles of Scripture.
2. secular - apart from religion/God
3. humanism - worldview that views man as the measure of all things. The concept of secular humanism is a belief system that denies the reality of God and absolute truth while exalting man and his own abilities and relative truth and knowledge as all that is needed.
4. natural law/rights - legal theory that states that law is set and rights are guaranteed by that which is natural or inherent (within) the nature of man and applies to all human beings. Theists hold that these natural law/rights are given by God while atheists hold that these concepts are simply natural to mankind as a result of their humanity alone and are a product of natural evolutionary causes.
5. positive law - legal theory that states that law is set and rights are given by human beings alone and are based on individual belief and circumstances.
6. absolute truth - belief that Truth exists which is derived from God, eternal, and applies to all people in all circumstances and situations.
7. moral relativism - belief that moral truth is not absolute, but relative, changing according to personal opinion, circumstance, and situation. Derived from the mind and reason of man alone and not to God.
8. divine law - law derived from God, independent of the will and opinion of man. Allies to all people everywhere at all times.
9. unalienable - that which cannot be taken away justly. Refers to rights and freedoms given by the Creator in the Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
10. alienable - that which can be taken away. Refers to guarantees that are govern by man/government - while important, they can and do change or can and are taken away.
11. civil rights/liberties - rights and freedoms given by civil authorities/government. These rights and freedoms protect the individual from unfair governmental practices and guarantee equality under law. Because they are given by man, these guarantees are alienable.
12. Rex Lex - ancient doctrine stating that the king is law - absolutely in power and control - the king is nor bound by law, but is above the law and makes and applies law to his subjects/slaves as he decrees. Upholds idea that some are by nature better than others, that equality under God and law does not exist, and that God appoints some to rule over others without their consent based on his choice - the divine right of kings.
13. Lex Rex - political concept first put forth by Samuel Rutherford in 1644, stating that the law is king. The teaching states that the law is absolutely in power and control - the king, subjects, and slaves are all under the authority of the law. Upholds biblical idea that all are created equal in the sight of God
14. materialism - belief that the only thing that exists is matter and that all matter, phenomena, and causes are natural. Matter is the only substance - there is no spiritual aspect to life and no supernatural.
15. theism - belief in God (from Greek theos - God)
16. atheism - belief in no God (a- no; theos - God)
17. deism - belief that God created all things, then withdrew from his creation and allowed all things to operate by natural process. Belief that God does not intervene directly in the lives of individuals or in creation itself.
18. monotheism - belief in one God
19. polytheism - belief in many gods
20. pantheism - belief that God or gods are in all things and as such creation itself or that which is natural should be worshipped.
21. social compact - idea that government structure should be based on a concept that those in authority are placed in that position by the consent of the governed. Government is of, by, and for the people
22. federalism - system of government whereby power is given by the consent and elective choice of the people and divided from a federal or central power to a state and then a local authority. In addition to this separation of power, each level of government is then broken into branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) of power and responsibility. As a result, power is checked and balanced so that power is limited. More than anything else, the founders feared unlimited, unchecked power and tried to limit power as much as possible.
23. legislative branch - makes the law
24. executive branch - enforces the law
25. judicial branch - interprets the law
26. religious freedom clause of first amendment - ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof’
27. The first part of the clause is known as the establishment clause. The second part of the clause is known as the free exercise clause
28. Separation of church and state - concept first written by Thomas Jefferson in a private letter to a Baptist congregation in Danbury, Conn. advocating a wall of separation between church and state. Jefferson’s original idea and the purpose of the first amendment was to guarantee religious freedom by not allowing the federal government (and he hoped state governments eventually also) to touch it in any way. This concept is now used to separate church/religion from many areas of life and culture by law.
29. Declaration of Independence - established government on basis of ideals founded in Judeo-Christian worldview. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, but he drew from many sources and wanted it to be ’an expression of the American mind,” a summary of what Americans thought as a whole. It asserted that: 1. law and rights are established in God 2. Equality and justice for all under all is possible because all men are created equal in the eyes of God. 3. Natural law and rights are given to all by God as gifts and thus are unalienable (cannot be taken away rightly) It was to be a government of laws, not men. 4. The purpose of government is not to give, but to guarantee and secure these rights
5. If government fails to do this, it is the right and the duty of the people to change their government to secure these rights 6. Governments are established and maintain power through the consent of the governed, not by force.
30. US Constitution - 1. established a representative form of government based in law upon the ideals stated in the Declaration. 2. Established government of, by, and for the people - power is vested in the people. 3. The people agree or consent to be governed by elected representatives under a federal system of federal, state, and local levels. Separate branches are established to further divide power and responsibilities 4. Equal justice under law is guaranteed and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. 5. Established a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to create a limit on governmental power.
Thomas Jefferson - the chief author of the Declaration of Independence - the ‘pen’ of the revolution
John Adams - the chief spokesman for independence at the Second Continental Congress - the ‘voice’ of independence.
John Dickinson - delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Pennsylvania. Dickinson opposed declaring independence at the time because he feared that the colonists were throwing away their rights as Englishmen and that they were not able to stand against the full might of Great Britain.
Jefferson and Adams both died on July 4, 1826, 50 years to the day after the formal passage of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Paine - author of Common Sense, a 46 page pamphlet that sold 150,000 copies - it’s goal was to convince the colonies that independence was the right course to take and that unity was needed if they were going to win their independence. The power of his argument turned many to support independence in the days just before the Declaration of Independence was approved
Societies governed by a biblical worldview WILL produce freedom with form - liberty within a structure of laws and responsibilities under God and based on eternal law and Truth the result = Freedom!
Societies governed by a humanist worldview WILL produce chaos and slavery - moral relativism will create a society with laws and rights based on the power and will of the state - power will be corrupted and abused and chaos and disregard for authority will be created ( lawlessness and anarchy) This WILL lead to an acceptance of more and eventually TOTAL power being brought to bear on all of society (totalitarianism) The result = Slavery!
Some of the founders were Christian believers, but virtually ALL of the founders had a great respect for Biblical principles and knew that they were founding their freedoms, rights, and government on Biblical principles and truth. In 1776, 99% of the American people identified themselves as being Christian - the Christian worldview prevailed throughout society and culture.
Humanists have used a strategy to transform America’s foundation from a Biblical worldview to a Humanist worldview. To do this, they have: 1. taken control of the educational system and established a humanist curriculum 2. Used laws and court decisions to restrict religious freedom and promote humanistic values 3. Spread their humanist beliefs through media and entertainment and 4. Spread their humanist beliefs in certain churches, causing some churches to adopt a humanistic philosophy
Between 1620 and 1787, the colonies established over 100 government charters written as social compacts of community based on Christian principles with God as witness to their actions and commitments.
The Declaration of Independence established, for the first time in world history, a concept of universal, God - given, natural rights
Jefferson stated that the declaration was not based on his opinions and beliefs alone, but summarized the sentiments and beliefs of all of the American people. He called it , "an expression of the American mind."
The population of the colonies in 1776 was approximately 3 million, 99% of whom were protestant Christians. The concepts of freedom, equality, independence from unfair or tyrannical earthly power, and dependence upon God and His Truth came directly from Christian principles and the religious excitement and spiritual movement known as the First Great Awakening. This movement of God occurred in the colonies between roughly 1730-1760
The founders knew that they were establishing ideals and forms of government rooted in God, absolute truth, and universal, natural law. Their understandings were impacted by ancient writers and governments and by reason; however, the founding of America was certainly NOT based upon a concept of secular humanism, polytheism, pantheism, atheism, or the beliefs of Islam. Any support for a secular society and government was totally foreign to public beliefs at the time of the founding.
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is Lord of ALL of life, including politics and government. In Romans 13, the Bible calls for men to be mindful and respectful of authority; however, if the law and will of man is not in obedience to the law and will of God, it is the obligation of man to resist unjust law. (ex. Moses, Daniel and his three friends, Peter and John, the early church, etc...)
The founders believed that the key to freedom was to limit power and to promote religion and morality
To limit power, the founders:
1. created a system of federalism that divided power vertically between federal, state, and local governments. There are over 80,ooo separate governments in the US today.
2. divided power horizontally into three branches of power and responsibility - executive, legislative, and judicial. This is known as the concept of separation of powers.
3. established the ability and responsibility of branches to check and balance on another in many different areas. Examples of this include: The executive branch appoints judges, but the legislative branch must approve the appointments. The legislative branch makes the laws, but the executive veto or nullify the proposed law. The legislative branch can then override the executive ceto with a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress.
4. A bicameral (two houses) Congress was established to distribute state power and to create a system whereby proposed laws would move slowly through the Congress, allowing for debate and amendments.
5. the federalist system was designed to limit central power and give most authority to state and local governments and provide maximum individual liberty.
6. A Bill of Rights was established in the US Constitution to guarantee these individual rights and liberties and to limit central power. The US Constitution would not have been ratified by 3/4 of the states had the founders not promised to include a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was approved by the very first Congress (1791)
7. The Constitution allows for changes or amendments if needed - the process is difficult, but not impossible. The Constitution has 27 amendments (out of over 10,000 proposed). 2/3 of both houses of Congress must vote for a proposed amendment and 3/4 of the states must ratify.
8. Frequent elections were established on all levels to hold elected officials accountable to the public on a regular basis.
9. Stated that God, not government, is the source of natural and individual rights and liberty - Government is to be the guarantor of natural and individual rights. If it ever destroys or harms these rights, it is the duty of the people to oppose and change it.
10. The founders encouraged the promotion of religion and morality among the people because it restricted the natural sinful impulse of man to be selfish and corrupt. The greatest guarantor of religious liberty was the religious clauses of the first amendment.
The clauses had the same goal - to promote religious freedom and religious exercise and to limit governmental power over religion and conscience.
First Amendment religious clauses: "Congress (national legislature)shall make no law respecting an ESTABLISHMENT of religion, or prohibit the FREE EXERCISE thereof..."
Meaning: The FEDERAL Congress only was forbidden by law to be able to establish a national church. States could, and did, establish state churches - 9 of the colonies had established state churches by law in 1775 and others had tests of faith that people had to pass before being able hold elected office. These practices ended in all states by 1833 as the number of churches and denominations increased. The ending of these established churches and tests allowed for more religious freedom, diversity, and practice. The original intent of both religious clauses of the first amendment was to PROMOTE and encourage religious freedom by prohibiting the FEDERAL government form interfering in theses issues in ANY way. Thus, the clauses should not be in conflict with each other, but today, secularists have been able to change the original purpose and intent of the establishment clause through unwise court rulings and unwise laws. The establishment clause is now used on any and every type of religious expression, thus the establishment clause is being used to limit or restrict the free exercise of religion - this was never the intention - upholding one clause should not negate the other, but today, laws and court decisions are used in such a way as to secularize society as much as possible
All of the founders were not believing Christians, but ALL of them held a belief in the truths and teachings of a Christian worldview. They ALL agreed:
1. God created all men equal in value - all men were created in the image of God.
2. God gave to all men certain unalienable rights - natural rights endowed by the Creator.
3. The greatest of all individual rights was thre right to conscience - the ability to reflect upon and choose for oneself without limit on religious issues.
4. All men are by nature corrupt, selfish, sinful, and apt to abuse power.
5. Power must be limited in all civil institutions, church and state alike.
6. Good order and equal justice under law is a pillar of freedom (Lex Rex) Government should be one of laws, not men.
7. Religion, morality, and virtue are pillars of freedom - a secular state or nation could not long survive. To remove God and Christian principles from government and society would remove the limits upon power and lead to chaos and slavery.
US Constitution - established a republican form of government based in law and upon the foundation and ideals found in the Declaration of Independence. It is a federalist system based on a government of, by, and for the people. The people govern themselves through elected representatives. It is a government where power comes from the people - the government rules only by the consent or permission of the governed, not by force.
The first ruling document of the United States was not the Constitution with which we are familiar with today but the Articles Of Confederation. This latter document provided for a weaker central government than the Constitution. Among the prohibitions on Congress in the Articles of Confederation was that it did not provide Congress with the power to raise revenue through taxes. This power of taxation was left only to the States. In fact, the Congress had to rely solely on the goodwill of the states to provide revenue to the central government. So weak was this form of government that it was called merely a league of friendship, or confederation, among the states. In contrast to the weakness of the central government, the states were free to raise revenue in manners that could be often heavy-handed. This is what led to the Shays Rebellion.
Following the Revolutionary War, the United States faced severe economic hardships. One reason, in addition to war debt, was that the new nation was cut off from the commercial ties of the British Empire. Especially hard hit was Massachusetts because England cut off trade between the United States and the British West Indies. This severely harmed several businesses of that state such as shipbuilding, distilling, and lumber, which depended on the West Indies trade.
As a result, mobs of farmers and workers took matters into their own hands in August 1786 and barred access to the courts of several towns such as Pittsfield and Northampton. Among the important leaders of this rebellion was Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran from Pelham, and the rebellion came to be known as Shays Rebellion
Most of the acts by the rebels during Shays Rebellion were non-violent. In Great Barrington, the rebels released prisoners from jail and in Worcester they drafted a resolution stating their grievances. The only violence occurred on January 25, 1787 when Daniel Shays and his men attempted to seize a federal arsenal in Springfield to capture the weapons. The defending state militia in Springfield killed three of the rebels with cannon shot and caused them to quickly disperse. The rebels were captured in February and sentenced to death for treason but were subsequently pardoned.
The importance of Shays Rebellion was not so much the acts of rebellion themselves but how it pointed out the weakness of the Articles of Confederation for governing the United States. In order to prevent such anarchy in the future and to strengthen the central government, the Philadelphia Convention convened to draft the Constitution in the spring of 1787, just a short time after the end of Shays Rebellion.
Thomas Jefferson, in describing the 55 men sent to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, called the convention "an assembly of demigods." Indeed, the world had never seen such a collection of minds before in one location. Though they may not all have been equally qualified to attend the convention, in general the delegates were a snapshot of the 18th century upper crust. Statistics prove this; All were white men, mostly protestant with one or two Catholics and Quakers. Professionally, lawyers composed over a half of the group (34 out of the 55 delegates), while another quarter were planters owning 1,000 acres or more. Political life was also common to the delegates; all had held public office of some variety. Eight had been judges, three were governors of their respective states (four were former governors), 42 had served in Congress, and a handful were speakers of their state legislatures. These men had the history to back up their reputations as well: Eight had signed the Declaration of Independence, 30 had served in the Continental Army during the war, fifteen had survived true combat situations, and four had been on Washington's personal staff.
Enough with numbers; let's meet some of the real people who attended the convention.
George Washington -- Virginia
Besides being the greatest hero of the Revolutionary War, he also served as the president of the Philadelphia Convention. At first, he did not even want to attend the convention; but since he was a national figure, he did not want the public to think he had lost faith in government. His presence helped the new constitution's ratification, as it was understood that Washington would become the first President.
James Madison -- Virginia
Though his name is not as well known as others, Madison probably had the most influence on the arrangement of the Federal government. Madison was the creator of the Virginia Plan, the system used as a basis for the structure of the national government. His meticulous notes tell us much of what we know today about the convention. Finally, Madison collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in the writing of a series of articles in support of the new constitution. They were later collected in a book called The Federalist, the most comprehensive source of knowledge of the principles driving our nation.
Benjamin Franklin -- Pennsylvania
Franklin didn't let old age and ailing health stop him from attending the convention. Like Washington, his tremendous reputation as a scholar and inventor gave an air of prestige to the convention. Near the end of the convention a speech written by Franklin was read aloud by James Wilson, as Franklin was too weak to read it himself. Though it did not convince all the delegates to sign the Constitution, its eloquence did have an effect on the delegates.
Alexander Hamilton -- New York
An exercise in frustration is the best description of Hamilton's experience at the convention; the other New York delegates were directly opposed to him. When they left the convention, Hamilton was the only New York delegate left. With at least two delegates needed from New York for that state to have a vote, Hamilton no longer had a purpose. He left as well, but returned later to sign the Constitution.
James Wilson -- Pennsylvania
A rather talkative gentleman, James Wilson delivered 168 speeches to the assembly. He was originally from Scotland, and thus spoke with an accent. Wilson was one of the best lawyers in the nation, and his defenses of a strong national government were unequaled. Having a strong influence on the course of the Constitution, President Washington later appointed him a justice of the Supreme Court.
Other important delegates include:
Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts)
George Mason (Virginia) - known as the Father of the Bill of Rights
Gouverneur Morris (Pennsylvania)
Robert Morris (Pennsylvania)
Edmund Randolph (Virginia)
Roger Sherman (Connecticut)
Virginia & New Jersey Plans
The Virginia Plan | |
| Branches | Three - legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature was more powerful, as it chose people to serve in the executive and judicial branches. |
| Legislature | Two houses (bicameral). The House of Representatives was elected by the people and the Senate was elected by the state legislatures. Both were represented proportionally. |
| Other Powers | The legislature could regulate interstate trade, strike down laws deemed unconstitutional and use armed forces to enforce laws. |
The New Jersey Plan | |
| Branches | Three - legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature appoints people to serve in the executive branch, and the executive branch selects the justices of the Supreme Court. |
| Legislature | One house (unicameral). States would be represented equally, so all states had the same power. |
| Other Powers | The national government could levy taxes and import duties, regulate trade, and state laws would be subordinate to laws passed by the national legislature. |
Ultimately, the New Jersey Plan was rejected as a basis for a new constitution. It was really a continuation of the old style of government under the Articles of Confederation. However, some ideas from it were used in the new constitution. The Virginia Plan was used, but many delegates felt that any new government would need new powers and a new organization to exercise those powers fully.
Smoothing Out the Bumps - The Major Compromises
Imagine three or four dozen men in powdered wigs arguing with each other in a blisteringly hot building in Philadelphia; that's a pretty accurate description of most of the Constitutional Convention. The delegates disagreed on numerous issues, and the sweltering heat did not help ease their tempers. Still, they managed to put up with the conditions and come up with solutions to the many problems facing the new constitution.
How could the framers make both small and large states happy with the national legislature? The problem puzzled the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention for weeks, until the delegates from Connecticut (Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth) put their heads together and came up with a solution. Known as the Connecticut Compromise or Great Compromise, it took aspects from both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans to create a national legislature with both proportional and equal representation. 
Congress would have two houses; the House of Representatives would be elected directly by the people, proportionally representative, and its members would serve for two years. The Senate would be elected by state legislatures, equally representative, and its members would serve for six years. Argued over bitterly, the Connecticut Compromise passed by one vote.
Additionally, the issue of slavery began to cause problems at the convention. The northern states were keenly interested in the regulation of interstate commerce; this would help their businesses run smoother. However, the southern states were opposed to it. The south also would reject any constitution that outlawed slavery; slaves had been a part of the colonies since their creation, and were considered property by slaveowners. To satisfy both sides, the delegates worked out a compromise: Congress would have the power to regulate commerce, but it could not interfere with the slave trade until 1808. It was also agreed that slaves would be counted as three fifths (3/5) of a person when determining how many representatives a state could send to the House of Representatives, and when computing taxes. Finally, the fugitive slave clause of Article IV provided that slaves who escaped to other states must be returned to their owners.
This was probably the biggest problem that faced the creators of the Constitution. Should there be more than one chief executive? How long should he serve for? How much power should the chief executive have? How should the chief executive be selected? All of these problems plagued the framers.
First, it was decided that there would only be one chief executive, the President; multiple executive officials might come into conflict. The length of term fluctuated between seven, six and four years, but the final decision was for four years, with no limit on the number of terms a President can serve. The current limit of 2 terms was set by the Twenty-second Amendment.
The powers of the President were a major sticking point. They definitely wanted to avoid too much power; the King George's power had been too great, and it lead to corruption and rebellion in the colonies. Too weak was also bad, as proven by the ineffectual government under the Articles of Confederation. A middle ground needed to be found. Finally, the delegates arrived at these conclusions:
- The President can veto a bill passed by Congress. The bill can still become a law if both houses of Congress vote to override the President's veto.
- Appointments to executive branch positions and federal judgeships can be made by the President, but they must be approved by the Senate. No member of Congress can simultaneously hold a position elsewhere in the federal government.
- Treaties are similar; the President has the power to make them, but they must be approved by the Senate, with a two-thirds vote.
- The President is the commander-in-chief of all the military forces, but only Congress can actually declare war. Congress also controls the funds that would allow the President to conduct war operations.
The rest of the President's powers are not defined. Why? The framers simply didn't know what the chief executive of the nation should be like. 
Many of the creators trusted George Washington, who was practically guaranteed the Presidency, to `fill in the blanks' in the Constitution.
The election of the President was also an especially troubling issue. Truth be told, the framers didn't really trust any group to the choice of such an important person. No one - not the people, not Congress, not state legislatures - could satisfy them. So, they invented a new group, the electoral college. Though it's undergone some alterations since its first appearance, basically this system has worked successfully for over 200 years. It goes like this: The electoral college meets every four years to select the President. Each state has the same number of electors as it has Senators and Representatives in Congress. When the people vote, they don't actually vote for the President directly; instead, they vote for electors. The electors, in turn, vote for the President. Nowadays it's know ahead of time what Presidential candidate an elector will vote for, due to the influence of political parties.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The creation of the Constitution entailed hours of debate and compromise, and even when it was completed, some delegates were unhappy with it. The task of fixing the ailing Confederate government was not complete yet; each state had to ratify, or approve, the Constitution. Basically, people divided into two groups, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Each of their viewpoints is worth examining, as they both have sound reasoning.
The Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the Constitution. Basically, they argue that:
- It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments.
- There was no bill of rights.
- The national government could maintain an army in peacetime.
- Congress, because of the `necessary and proper clause,' wielded too much power.
- The executive branch held too much power.
Of these complaints, the lack of a bill of rights was the most effective. The American people had just fought a war to defend their rights, and they did not want a intimidating national government taking those rights away again. The lack of a bill of rights was the focus of the Anti-Federalist campaign against ratification.
The Federalists, on the other hand, had answers to all of the Anti-Federalist complaints. Among them:
- The separation of powers into three independent branches protected the rights of the people. Each branch represents a different aspect of the people, and because all three branches are equal, no one group can assume control over another.
- A listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the national government were to protect specific listed rights, what would stop it from violating rights other than the listed ones? Since we can't list all the rights, the Federalists argued that it's better to list none at all.
Overall, the Federalists were more organized in their efforts. By June of 1788, the Constitution was close to ratification. Nine states had ratified it, and only one more (New Hampshire) was needed. To achieve this, the Federalists agreed that once Congress met, it would draft a bill of rights. Finally, New York and Virginia approved, and the Constitution was a reality. Interestingly, the Bill of Rights was not originally a part of the Constitution, and yet it has proved to be highly important to protecting the rights of the people.
The three most important words in the Constitution are "We the People." These words establish the source of power and consent being in the people themselves - those in authority rule based on the consent or permission of the governed and not by privilege, right, or force. The preamble to the Constitution also reveals the six goals of the Constitution itself:
We the People of the United States, (1)in Order to form a more perfect Union, (2)establish Justice, (3)insure domestic Tranquility, (4)provide for the common defence, (5)promote the general Welfare, and (6)secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
America has done more to establish, preserve, and advance freedom than any other nation in history. America was the first nation to establish government, freedom, and liberty upon natural, God-given rights. The nation was founded and has championed the principles of freedom, absolute truth, equality of person, and equal justice under law based on a Christian worldview. America has offered and extended freedom to millions of people around the world and has given over a million of her citizens in death for freedom's sake. She has served as an inspiration, beacon and model to all those yearning to be free. America has given more humanitarian aid to people around the world than any other nation and has done more to advance the eternal ideals of freedom and liberty than any nation in history. America stands for the rights of all, equal justice for all under law, the rights of the individual, religious freedom and the value of all life. However, America is not perfect. In her history, she has committed four great national sins: 1. the removal of the American Indian from lands often in an unjust manner - America broke many of the promises given to the Indian. 2. the enslavement of African Americans in human bondage for 250 years 3. the killing of the unborn in abortion - since 1973, over 40 million children have been legally killed in the United States. 4. In the last 80 years, America has forgotten God, the greatest and most devastating sin of all. Interestingly, each of these sins relates to a misunderstanding and lack of appreciation concerning the value of each individual life and a forgetting of the Creator of life itself and His eternal principles.
If America was founded upon these eternal truths and the God who established them, what will happen to our nation when we move from that foundation and forget that God?
****Important Quotes**** (not on the test, but pick the two you like best and bring them to the midterm - If you write them in the bonus section of the test, you will receive extra points...)
“It is the eternal struggle between these two principles --right and wrong -- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time..." Abraham Lincoln
"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." Abraham Lincoln
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." Ronald Reagan
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ…. We shall not fight alone… God presides over the destinies of nations… The battle is not to the strong alone… Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, ALMIGHTY GOD! Give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible" President George Washington, September 17th, 1796
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." President Thomas Jefferson
"We have no government armed in power capable of contending in human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." John Adams, address to the militia of Massachusetts, 1798.
"The highest story of the American Revolution is this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." President John Adams
"We've staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us . . . to Govern ourselves according to the commandments of God. The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded." President James Madison
"Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe. And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift [James 1:17] we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land." James Madison
"Let the children...be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education. The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effectual means of extirpating [removing] Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools." Benjamin Rush
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were.... the general principles of Christianity." President John Quincy Adams
"If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." Daniel Webster
"It is extremely important to our nation , in a political as well as religious view , that all possible authority and influence should be given to the scriptures , for these furnish the best principles of civil liberty , and the most effectual support of republican government. The principles of all genuine liberty , and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible and sustained by it's authority.The man therefore who weakens or destroys the divine authority of that book may be accessory to all the public disorders which society is doomed to suffer...." Noah Webster
"The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in the right for anybody except the state." President Harry S. Truman.
"History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration to ultimate national disaster" General Douglas MacArthur
"Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged."--Article III of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
"The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were . . . the general principles of Christianity."--John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813
"My own private judgment has long been (and every day's experience more and more confirms me in it)that government cannot long exist without an alliance with Religion to some extent, and that Christianity is indispensable to the true interests and solid foundation of all governments. . . . I know not, indeed, how any deep sense of moral obligation or accountableness can be expected to prevail in the community without a firm foundation of the great Christian truths."--Joseph Story, in a letter to Jasper Adams, May 14, 1833
"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. . . . We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!"--Abraham Lincoln, "Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day," March 30, 1863
"The First Amendment . . . does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State. Rather, it studiously defines the manner, the specific ways, in which there shall be no concert or union or dependency one on the other. That is the common sense of the matter."--William O. Douglas, Associate Justice of the Sup. Court 1951
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