**Previously recorded by Phyllis Schlafly // June 2012 **
Even before America adopted a Constitution, the Continental Congress passed a document called the Northwest Ordinance. This great statement decreed, and I quote, that
“Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
It’s unfortunate that statement is long forgotten. America’s founders could not have predicted what public schools would be like today, and what they are teaching and not teaching.
Schools can no longer be counted on to teach the ideas that made the United States a great nation. Students are often taught a very liberal agenda and a distorted view of American history.
Students need a solid grounding in the primary source documents that helped to shape our nation’s history if they are to be inoculated against the revisionism that takes place in public schools and universities. A good antidote for misinformation taught in public schools is a book called The Essential American: A Patriot’s Resource.
The book gives a good general overview of the most important moments in America’s history as seen through the eyes of those who lived through them. This book features a collection of 25 of the most important documents and speeches in our nation’s history. This collection ranges from Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death” address in 1775 to Captain Baker’s “Remember the Alamo” speech in Texas in 1836 to one of General Douglas MacArthur’s many great speeches. Each document and speech is introduced with a brief essay placing the piece in its historical context. This book, edited by Jackie Cushman, is a great way to introduce students to the importance of reading original documents. Its title is The Essential American: A Patriot’s Resource.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/constitution/a-patriots-resource-to-be-an-american/
Ryan Hite