Fill the Stage

Daniel Dignan

Fill The Stage

Helping students live well

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Constitution of the United States

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Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787 by Howard Chandler Christy

The brief period between election day and the inauguration of a United States president is a grand opportunity to familiarize kids with the US Constitution. America’s supreme law is brief, beautifully written, and (as written constitutions go) unrivaled in longevity and wisdom.

In 1787, American founders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin met in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to improve America’s government, which the unsuccessful Articles of Confederation had established. The result was a constitution and, eventually, a Bill of Rights that harmonized the dual need for effective government and the protection of pre-political rights.

The triumph of the Constitution is its limitation on concentrated power through checks and balances and its support of the energies of the people in ways that protect natural rights, including:

  1. Separation of Powers: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
  2. Division of national and state governments: Federalism
  3. Election of representatives to Congress: Republicanism
  4. Protection of minorities from majorities: Electoral College
  5. Safeguarding of smaller states from larger ones: Senate

These are a few of the methods used to make the energies and self-interests of the American people promote the flourishing of all. Just as important, the American system prescribed by the Constitution makes public virtue a necessity and provides room for its cultivation by distributing power and government.

One enormous benefit of acquainting kids with the US Constitution is that they will gain insight into the thinking that made America a land of hope. To help the study, I recommend the introductory essays on the Constitution’s meaning and formation in The Heritage Guide to the Constitution–they are short and enlightening.

Give me liberty or give me death!

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Patrick Henry, one of America’s leading founding fathers, had humble beginnings but rose through determination, diligence, and grit. As a young man, he tried farming and store-keeping but failed. Deciding to become a lawyer, he taught himself law and public speaking. Well-argued cases, his friendliness, integrity, and a growing network of friends won him a seat in the Virginia legislature.

About ten years later, in 1775, because of Great Britain’s war preparations, Patrick Henry delivered a speech that persuaded the Virginia colony to fight for independence. “Give me liberty or give me death!” is America’s most famous and consequential speech. Eyewitnesses recall a slow beginning, a moving rise, and a conclusion that changed world history.

Patrick Henry became Virginia’s first governor. American founders, including George Washington, revered him. His prudence and wisdom led to the passage of the Bill of Rights.

I recommend reading the speech to your children and discussing it with them. Note how Henry defines reality and fires the imagination with allusions to the Odyssey and biblical texts.

Finally, I recommend this short biography.

Mayflower Compact

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File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg
Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

The Mayflower Compact is one of the world’s most important documents. It marked the Pilgrams’ endeavor to order themselves for liberty and prosperity in the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

The Pilgrams sought freedom and a new life in a new world, and they knew they needed government to promote a flourishing community.

This short document reveals why they left home and were willing to face the unknown. It states, unequivacally, their commitment to their king, faith, each other, and a self-ruling community.

The language is old, but it is noble, profound, and worth comtemplation. It is langauge of a particular time and place, and for all times and places, because it highlights important realities, the purpose of government, and what is critical for prosperity and social happiness.

In the midst of terrifying dangers, the pilgrims wrote a humble document that foreshadowed the American project and experiement in constitutional self-government.

This is one of several documents I recommend having your kid read.

Great documents of Amerian history, coupled with beautifully written history books (e.g., Land of Hope), are one of the best ways to instill an appreciation for what made America unique and the American Dream a reality.

Text:

“In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereigne Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first colony in the Northerne Parts of Virginia; doe, by these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civill Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equall Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete and convenient for the Generall Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Raigne of our Sovereigne Lord, King James of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland, the fiftie-fourth, Anno. Domini, 1620.”

Source

Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story

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At the beginning of the modern age, Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, seeking a shorter trade route to the Eastern lands, but discovered North America instead. Although he never understood the significance of his discovery, it changed the world forever. The story of America is inspiring and fascinating, yet few today comprehend its depth, struggles, triumphs, and what made America a land of hope.

Wilfred McClay’s best-selling book tells America’s story, helping readers see the big picture and revealing invaluable, meaningful lessons. I highly recommend the book to parents of middle and high school kids.

McClay is a master historian who believes history contains lessons that aid healthy patriotism, citizenship, and gratitude. He focuses on America’s political history from colonial times to the present. He writes engagingly, avoids current partisan politics, yet is open about his belief that America was and is a land of hope. 

Some of the most interesting and helpful parts include chapter 3 “The Revolution of Self-Rule”, chapter 7 “The Age of Democracy” (where he describes the significance of Alexis de Tocqueville’s political and social analysis of America in his famous book Democracy in America), chapter 8 “The Old South and Slavery”, chapter 12 “A Nation Transformed” (about the Civil War’s aftermath), and chapter 14 “The Progressive Era.”

Land of Hope is suitable for teenagers who want to understand the time they find themselves in, what is happening around them, and what role they should play.