by jpitney | Nov 19, 2022 | Declaration of Independence, Lincoln, Reagan
Today is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. In 1987, President Reagan said: This is Lincoln’s greatest lesson, this lesson in liberty. He understood that the idea of human liberty is bound up in the very nature of our nation. He understood that...
by jpitney | Jul 4, 2022 | Declaration of Independence
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” #July4th 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/8qE3ib9KJF — Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) July 4,...
by jpitney | May 18, 2022 | Biden, Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. President Biden yesterday in Buffalo: White supremacy is...
by jpitney | Jan 17, 2022 | civic virtue, Civil Rights, Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Patriotism, Religion
The “I Have a Dream” speech contains many references and allusions to key ideas, sites, and documents of American civic culture. The text below contains relevant links in red. Many passages in the speech refer or allude to Bible verses, spiritual songs,...
by jpitney | Dec 6, 2021 | Declaration of Independence, Democracy, George Washington
Nathan Gardels at Noema: If the freedom to expose historical wrongs ends up delegitimizing the common American story of the enlightened founding of a constitutional republic by deconstructing it into the mere bad faith of slaveholders, then the very conditions for...
by jpitney | May 6, 2020 | Declaration of Independence, Democracy
So does America’s origin story lie in 1619 (the arrival of slavery) or 1776 (the Declaration)? At RealClear Public Affairs, S. Adam Seagrave argues for the latter: We know that Jefferson lived far downstream of 1619. His livelihood and self-image depended...