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...
