Categories: Articles

Celebrate Columbus Day!

Traditionally observed on the second Monday in October, Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Columbus in the “New World” (on a small island off Florida) on October 12, 1492.

Although Christopher Columbus clearly was not the first European to visit the “New World” (Vikings had traveled here centuries earlier), he first widely publicized, and thus “discovered,” its existence to the Europeans. Columbus undertook his first voyage facing the prospect of great danger. The professional opinion of that day not only assured him of the impossibility of his proposed endeavor, but it also warned him that dragons and death awaited him beyond the charted waters. With such advice coming from the intellectual leaders of his day, his decision to embark on this unprecedented journey must have been difficult. So, then, why did he set out? Columbus himself answered that question in his own writings:

[O]ur Lord opened to my understanding (I could sense His hand upon me) so it became clear to me that it [the voyage] was feasible. . . . All those who heard about my enterprise rejected it with laughter, scoffing at me. . . . Who doubts that this illumination was from the Holy Spirit? I attest that He [the Holy Spirit], with marvelous rays of light, consoled me through the holy and sacred Scriptures . . . they inflame me with a sense of great urgency. . . . No one should be afraid to take on any enterprise in the name of our Savior if it is right and if the purpose is purely for His holy service. . . . And I say that the sign which convinces me that our Lord is hastening the end of the world is the preaching of the Gospel recently in so many lands.1

Interestingly, in the 1892 Supreme Court decision Church of the Holy Trinity v. U. S., the Court unanimously affirmed that America was indeed a Christian nation. In so doing, it cited dozens of precedents from American history, including that of Christopher Columbus, acknowledging:

From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation [that America is a Christian nation]. The commission to Christopher Columbus . . . [recited] that “it is hoped that by God’s assistance some of the continents and islands in the ocean will be discovered,” etc.2

It is especially because of Columbus’ religious motivations and convictions that today he has become a villain for most modern educators and writers, who regularly attack and condemn him. They have adopted the deplorable modern educational practice of deconstructionism – of attacking traditional Western heroes, values, and institutions.3

But if you want an historically accurate portrayal of Columbus and early other explorers, consult Dr. John Eidsmoe’s book, Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ.

Endnotes

1 Christopher Columbus, “Letter from the Admiral to the King and Queen,” Christopher Columbus’s Book of Prophecies, trans. Kay Brigham (Fort Lauderdale: CLIE Publishers, 1992), 178-179.
2 Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 143 U.S. 457, 465 (1892).
3 David Barton, “Deconstructionism and the Left,” WallBuilders.

A member of the American military stands beside a US flag raised after the Battle of Iwo Jima.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – A Forgotten History?

 

This Sunday (November 11) is Veterans Day! Veterans Day is a time to honor the survivors, and to be grateful for their service and sacrifice to defend what we as Americans believe.
This holiday (originally known as Armistice Day) was established to remember the 1918 signing of the Armistice Treaty and to honor the heroes of World War I. [1]  In 1921, Congress resolved to build a tomb to honor the men who died overseas. Sergeant Edward Younger was given the task of choosing one of four unknown American soldiers to bring home for burial. [2] When the Navy ship Olympia arrived in Washington on November 9th with the body of the fallen soldier, America responded. The Cavalry band played “Onward Christian Soldiers” as the casket was taken to the U.S. Capitol, where the soldier was laid in State. President Warren G. Harding, governmental officials, and thousands of Americans paid their respects to this fallen soldier. [3]
On the morning of November 11th, this soldier was given a military procession to Arlington National Cemetery and buried at what is known today as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb has been guarded around the clock by dedicated servicemen and women since 1948. [4] The honor for the sacrifice of this soldier was recently once again evident when the guards refused to leave their post during Hurricane Sandy, which was reminiscent the soldiers’ determination to guard the tomb during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. [5]

The honor paid to this soldier is the same respect that all of our veterans deserve. It was in 1954 that Veterans Day was officially renamed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to honor American veterans of all wars. [6] These brave men and women who
are willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedom should be celebrated and venerated.

On this special day when we pause to reflect on the sacrifices made across the years by men and women willing to lay down their lives to protect and defend our Constitution, our freedoms, and our way of life, let’s be proactive in our gratitude.

  • Thank a veteran or active military member in uniform
  • Attend a Veterans Day parade
  • Pray for the military families
  • Remind those around you of the significance of this day.
  • Listen to Tuesday’s WallBuilders Live Program

 

[1] “Veterans Day,” The Library of Congress, October 26, 2010 (at: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov11.html). See also, “The History of Veterans Day,” Center for Military History: United States Army, November 19, 2012 (at: https://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html).
[2] J. R. McCarl, Decisions of the Comptroller General (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1923), Vol. 2, pp. 387-389. See also, “Tomb of the Unknowns,” Army: Old Guard (https://www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/commandstructure/theoldguard/specplt/tomb.htm) (accessed on November 9, 2012); “The Tomb of the Unknowns,” Arlington National Cemetery (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/VisitorInformation/TombofUnknowns.aspx) (accessed on November 9, 2012); “Edward F. Younger, Sergeant, United States Army,” Arlington National Cemetery, December 25, 2007 (https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/eyounger.htm).
[3] Kirk L. Simpson, “The Unknown Soldier,” Supplement Service Bulletin of the Associated Press (New York: Associated Press, December 1921) pp. 3-4. See also, “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” The Quartermaster Review, September-October, 1963 (at: https://www.qmfound.com/tomb_of_the_unknown_soldier.htm); B. C. Mossman and M. W. Stark, The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funerals 1921 – 1969 (Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1991) pp. 3-18 (at: https://www.history.army.mil/books/Last_Salute/Index.htm).
[4]   “Tomb of the Unknowns,” Army: Old Guard (https://www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/commandstructure/theoldguard/specplt/tomb.htm) (accessed November 9, 2012). See also, “Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers Stand Guard During Hurricane Sandy,” MyFoxDC.Com, November 12, 2012 (at: https://www.myfoxdc.com/story/19943347/tomb-of-the-unknown-soldiers-stand-guard-during-hurricane-sandy).
[5] Katie Pavlich, “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Remains Guarded Through Hurricane Sandy,” TownHall, October 29, 2012 (at: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/10/29/tomb_of_the_unknown_soldier_remains_guarded_through_hurricane_sandy). See also, Luis Martinez, “Still Vigilant at the Tomb of the Unknowns Despite Irene,” ABC News, August 28, 2011 (at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricanes/vigilant-tomb-unknowns-irene/story?id=14397525#.UJ1zZYbCaSo).
[6] The Federal Register (Washington, D. C.: The National Archives, 1954), Vol. 19, No. 198, Dwight Eisenhower, “Proclamation 3071: Veterans Day 1954” (at: https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/docs/proclamation_1954.pdf).

 

united states flag

The Real Story Behind Old Glory

You have given a banner to those who fear you, to be displayed because of the truth.
Psalm 60:4

June 14th is Flag Day which commemorates the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress passed a resolution “that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”1 Since that time, generations of Americans have celebrated the flag as a symbol of our God-given freedoms and God-blessed nation, and in every American military campaign, “Old Glory” has been a symbol of our freedom.

Interestingly, “Old Glory” was the name that Captain William Driver placed on a flag he was presented in 1831.2 The nickname given to that flag became so well known that during the Civil War, the Confederates tried unsuccessfully to confiscate and destroy Captain Driver’s flag that he had sewn into his bedcover to protect. 3 In 1862, when Union soldiers occupied Nashville, Driver took out his flag and flew it over the Capitol as a symbol that “Old Glory” stood firm.4

We still honor “Old Glory” today by celebrating Flag Day each year. The first Flag Day celebration occurred in Wisconsin in 1885, when a schoolteacher had his students observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday,” or “Flag Day.” This idea inspired others around the nation to continue the practice and as the celebrations grew, the idea received national recognition. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation calling for the national celebration of Flag Day, thus establishing it as a national event.5

As you honor our flag, educate yourself on the greatness of America’s founding and inspire others to do the same!

Endnotes

1 Journals of the Continental Congress (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1907), VIII:464, June 14, 1777.
2 Harriet Ruth Waters Cooke, The Driver Family History (New York: John Wilson and Son, 1889), 180-181.
3 Cooke, Driver Family History (1889), 181-182; The Essex Institute of Historical Collections (Salem: The Essex Institute, 1901), 37:261-263, Robert S. Rantoul to Charles Kingsbury Miller, June 13, 1900.
4 The Essex Institute (1901), 27:261-263, Robert S. Rantoul to Charles Kingsbury Miller, June 13, 1900; Cooke, Driver Family History (1889), 180-182.
5 The Encyclopedia Americana (New York: The Encyclopedia Americana, 1919), 11:309, “Flag Day.”

* Originally Posted: June 14, 2012

Celebrate with Prayer

Millions join together annually in tens of thousands of groups across the nation for the National Day of Prayer, humbly imploring God’s blessings over this great nation. We stand in the long tradition as we follow the recommendation of Benjamin Franklin, who appealed to the 1787 Constitutional Convention to pray for this nation, when he said:

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel.

It is truly time to ask that God would govern in the affairs of men, that He would build the foundations of this nation, and that He would bless this great nation once again. Celebrate the annual observance of this call by participating in a prayer group near you.

To find these locations, you can visit the National Day of Prayer official site. If you’re unable to attend a gathering, please take time to personally lift up our nation, our government, our leaders, our military, our families, our businesses, our places of worship and ask for God to continue blessing our nation as we turn our face to Him.

A God-Given Inalienable Right

One of the first rights to be protected in early America was the right of conscience – the right to believe differently on issues of religious faith. As John Quincy Adams explained, this right was a product of Christianity:

Jesus Christ. . . . came to teach and not to compel. His law was a Law of Liberty. He left the human mind and human action free. 1

Early American legal writer Stephen Cowell (1800-1872) agreed:

Nonconformity, dissent, free inquiry, individual conviction, mental independence, are forever consecrated by the religion of the New Testament. 2

President Franklin D. Roosevelt likewise declared:

We want to do it the voluntary way – and most human beings in all the world want to do it the voluntary way. We do not want to have the way imposed. . . . That would not follow in the footsteps of Christ. 3

The Scriptures teach that there will be differences of conscience (cf. 1 Corinthians 8) and that if an individual “wounds a weak conscience of another, you have sinned against Christ” (v. 12). We are therefore instructed to respect the differing rights of conscience (v. 13). (See also I Corinthians 10:27-29.) Extending toleration for the rights of conscience is urged throughout the New Testament. (See also Romans 14:3, 15:7, Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:13, etc.)

Leaders who knew the Scriptures therefore protected those rights. For example, in 1640, the Rev. Roger Williams established Providence, penning its governing document declaring:

We agree, as formerly hath been the liberties of the town, so still, to hold forth liberty of conscience. 4

Similar protections also appear in the 1649 Maryland “Toleration Act,” 5 the 1663 Charter for Rhode Island, 6 the 1664 Charter for Jersey, 7 the 1665 Charter for Carolina, 8 the 1669 Constitutions of Carolina, 9 the 1676 Charter for West Jersey, 10 the 1701 Charter for Delaware, 11 and the 1682 Frame of Government for Pennsylvania. 12 John Quincy Adams affirmed that: “The transcendent and overruling principle of the first settlers of New England was conscience.” 13

Then when America separated from Great Britain in 1776 and the states created their very first state constitutions, they openly acknowledged Christianity and jointly secured religious toleration, non-coercion, and the rights of conscience. For example, the 1776 constitution of Virginia declared:

That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other. 14

Similar clauses appeared in the constitutions of New Jersey (1776), 15 North Carolina (1776), 16 Pennsylvania (1776), 17 New York (1777), 18 Vermont (1777), 19 South Carolina (1778), 20 Massachusetts (1780), 21 New Hampshire (1784), 22 etc. Today, the safeguard for the rights of conscience pioneered by Christian leaders is a regular feature of state constitutions. 23

The Founding Fathers were outspoken about the importance of this God-given inalienable right. For example, signer of the Constitution William Livingston declared:

Consciences of men are not the objects of human legislation. . . . [H]ow beautiful appears our [expansive] constitution in disclaiming all jurisdiction over the souls of men, and securing (by a never-to-be-repealed section) the voluntary, unchecked, moral suasion of every individual. 24

And John Jay, the original Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, similarly rejoiced that:

Security under our constitution is given to the rights of conscience and private judgment. They are by nature subject to no control but that of Deity, and in that free situation they are now left. 25

President Thomas Jefferson likewise declared that the First Amendment was an “expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience.” 26

But President Obama disagrees with what for four centuries in American history has formerly been an inalienable right. He has specifically singled out and attacked the rights of religious and moral conscience, seeking to coerce dissenters into accepting his own beliefs. While Biblical teachings result in protection for differences of opinion on religious issues, secularists demand conformity of belief and practice to their own secular standards; they are especially intolerant of any differences that stem from Biblical faith.

While the President has targeted the Catholic Church for its religious beliefs, his attacks on religious conscience were ongoing, beginning shortly after he first took office when he first announced his plans to repeal religious conscience protection for medical workers. (We have posted on our website a piece showing the extreme and consistent hostility of this President against Biblical faith and values. As proven by his own actions and words, he is the most anti-Biblical president in American history.)

1 John Quincy Adams, A Discourse on Education Delivered at Braintree, Thursday, October 24th, 1839 (Boston: Perkins & Marvin, 1840), 17-18.

2 Stephen Colwell, Politics for American Christians: A World upon our Example as a Nation, our Labour, our Trade, Elections, Education, and Congressional Legislation (Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co. 1852), 82.

3 “Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Christmas Greeting to the Nation,” American Presidency Project, December 24, 1940, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/209414.

4 “Plantation Agreement at Providence,” The Avalon Project, August 27 – September 6, 1640, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/ri01.asp.

5 William MacDonald, Select Charters and Other Documents Illustrative of American History 1606-1775 (New York: MacMillan Company, 1899), 104-106.

6 “Plantation Agreement at Providence August 27 – September 6, 1640,” The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters and Other Organic Laws, ed. Francis Newton Thorpe (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1909), VI:3211; “Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” The Avalon Project, July 15, 1663, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/ri01.asp.

7 “The Concession and Agreement of the Lords Proprietors of the Province of New Caesarea, or New Jersey,” The Avalon Project, 1664, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nj05.asp.

8 “Charter of Carolina,” The Avalon Project, June 30, 1665, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nc03.asp.

9 “Fundamental Constitution of Carolina,” The Avalon Project, March 1, 1669, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nc05.asp.

10 “The Charter or Fundamental Laws of West New Jersey,” The Avalon Project, 1676, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/nj05.asp.

11 “Charter of Delaware,“ The Avalon Project, 1701, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de01.asp.

12 “ Frame of Government of Pennsylvania,“ The Avalon Project, May 5, 1682, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/pa04.asp.

13 John Quincy Adams, A Discourse on Education Delivered at Braintree, Thursday, October 24th, 1839 (Boston: Perkins & Marvin, 1840), 28.

14 “Constitution of Virginia: Bill of Rights,” The American’s Guide: Comprising the Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation; the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitutions of the Several States Composing the Union (Philadelphia: Hogan & Thompson, 1845), 180.

15 “Constitution of New Jersey,” The Avalon Project, 1776, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nj15.asp.

16 Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America (Boston: Norman & Bowen, 1785), 132.

17 Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America (Boston: Norman & Bowen, 1785), 77.

18 “The Constitution of New York,” The Avalon Project, April 20, 1777, https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/ny01.asp 1777.

19 The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws, 3d. Francis Newton Thorpe (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1909), VI:3740.

20 Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America, (Boston: Norman & Bowen, 1785), 152-154.

21 Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America (Boston: Norman & Bowen, 1785), 6.

22 Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America (Boston: Norman & Bowen, 1785), 3-4.

23 “State Policies in Brief: Refusing to Provide Health Services,” Guttmacher Institute, March 1, 2012, https://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_RPHS.pdf.

24 William Livingston, The Papers of William Livingston, eds. Carl E. Prince, et al (Trenton: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1980), 2:235-237, writing as “Cato,” February 18, 1778.

25 Benjamin F. Morris, Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States, Developed in the Official and Historical Annals of the Republic (Philadelphia: George W. Childs, 1864), 152.

26 Thomas Jefferson to Messrs. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, and Stephen S. Nelson, A Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association, in the State of Connecticut, January 1, 1802 Writings of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Albert Ellery Bergh (Washington D.C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), XVI:281-282.

* This article concerns a historical issue and may not have updated information.

Remembering the Reason for Christmas


In recent years, a growing number of public officials and bodies have worked to reduce Christmas to a secular holiday, obscuring and at times even denying its origins. This is why it is always inspirational to recall the Christmas words of leaders from previous generations.

For example, in his Christmas Eve address of 1949, President Harry Truman told the nation:

Since returning home, I have been reading again in our family Bible some of the passages which foretold this night. . . . We miss the spirit of Christmas if we consider the Incarnation as an indistinct and doubtful, far-off event unrelated to our present problems. We miss the purport of Christ’s birth if we do not accept it as a living link which joins us together in spirit as children of the ever-living and true God. In love alone – the love of God and the love of man – will be found the solution of all the ills which afflict the world today.

And on Christmas Eve, 1952, he declared:

Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better and a fairer place. This faith sustains us today as it has sustained mankind for centuries past. This is why the Christmas story, with the bright stars shining and the angels singing, moves us to wonder and stirs our hearts to praise. Now, my fellow countrymen, I wish for all of you a Christmas filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and many years of future happiness with the peace of God reigning upon this earth.

This week there was a refreshing throwback to the spirit of the leaders of previous generations. The occasion was the lighting of the Christmas tree at the U. S. Capitol.

During those ceremonies, Speaker of the U. S. House John Boehner reminded the nation:

Though winter is upon us, the Christmas tree flourishes as a symbol of everlasting life. That life and light, of course, is Christ, whose birth to Mary fulfilled a prophecy of joy and salvation. Out in the fields where the shepherds slept, the angels broke the silence by singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.” We best serve this story by serving one another . . . by showing it is more blessed to give than to receive, especially when so many of our fellow citizens are without jobs and in need.  For Christmas is not a distant historical event. It is a
spirit, always bringing us closer to each other and closer to the peace of which the angels sang. So on behalf of my wife, Debbie, our two girls, my 11 brothers and sisters, and all the Boehners, I wish one and all a very Merry Christmas.

Kudos to Speaker Boehner for his courage and historical accuracy. And in the words written by Christian author Charles Dickens in 1843, and spoken by Tiny Tim in The Christmas Carol, “May God bless us, every one!”

Merry Christmas!

American troops land at Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings of 1944.

Honor a Veteran!

Veterans Day originally started as a national holiday to commemorate Armistice Day – the end of the violence in WWI, which had occurred on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (i.e., November 11 of 1918).

The following year in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson established the first observance of Armistice Day, explaining:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory. 1

But in 1954, following both WWII and the Korean War, President Eisenhower signed an act renaming the holiday Veterans Day 2 so that “a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed much to the preservation of this Nation.”3 (emphasis added) He requested:

[L]et us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores to preserve our heritage of freedom; and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. 4

But veterans were respected and honored long before any official holiday was established, including by George Washington in his June 8, 1783 Circular Letter of Farewell to the Army calling on Congress to provide veterans’ benefits, which he believed was due them as “the price of their blood and of your independency.” 5 In 1989, the Department of Veterans Affairs was elevated to a cabinet level department by President George H. W. Bush.

On this special day when we pause to reflect on the sacrifices made across the years by men and women willing to lay down their lives to protect and defend our Constitution, our freedoms, and our way of life, let’s be proactive in our gratitude. Thank a veteran or active military member in uniform, attend a Veterans Day parade, pray for the military families, and remind those around you of the significance of this day. For additional information about this holiday, see:
https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

God bless!

Endnotes

1  Woodrow Wilson, “Address to Fellow Countrymen,” November 11, 1919, Supplement to the Messages and Papers of the Presidents (Bureau of National Literary, 1921), 8804, https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Compilation_of_the_Messages_and_Papers/ZKUyAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8804&printsec=frontcover.
2 “History of Veterans Day,” United States Department of Veterans Affairs (at: https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp.
3 The Federal Register (Washington, D. C.: The National Archives, 1954), 19:198, Dwight Eisenhower, “Proclamation 3071: Veterans Day 1954,” https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/docs/proclamation_1954.pdf.
4 The Federal Register (Washington, D. C.: The National Archives, 1954), 19:198, Dwight Eisenhower, “Proclamation 3071: Veterans Day 1954,” https://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/docs/proclamation_1954.pdf.
5 George Washington to Meshech Weare, et al, “Circular Letter of Farewell to Army,” June 8, 1783, The Writings of George Washington, ed. John C. Fitzpatrick (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1938), XXVI:492, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-11404.

American troops land at Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings of 1944.

This Day in History: D-Day

In 1941, America, although striving to be uninvolved, was pulled into another world war.  Still recovering from the previous one, the attacks at Pearl Harbor on December 7th ensured America’s involvement in one of the bloodiest wars in history. 1

In response to the Pearl Harbor attacks, America declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy. 2   In order to help fund the war effort, the government issued war bonds, and then printed posters to help encourage Americans to purchase the bonds. Interestingly, many posters were overtly Christian in their content (such as the one pictured on the left).
June 6th is a great time to pause and remember those brave men who so valiantly fought for freedom. It was on this date, 69 years ago, that the Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy  3 in an effort to turn the tide of the war. 4  This strategic landing enabled the Allies to push back the German troops. 5  As the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower told the troops:

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

The prayers of America for her troops were also evident in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer that he prayed in a national radio address given to the American people as the D-Day invasion was underway. 6  As we remember those brave men who sacrificed so much in World War II, let us also be grateful for the men and women who continue to preserve the freedoms that America holds dear today.

Be sure to tune check out WallBuilders Show radio program to hear several stories of WWII Veterans. To see what the Bible – and the Founders- said about war (Psalm 144 and Romans 13) and numerous other topics, be sure to check out The Founders’ Bible.

Endnotes

1 “World War II” Encyclopedia Britannica (accessed June5, 2013).  See also,  Wayne M. Dzwonchyk and John Ray Skates, “A Brief History of the U.S. Army in WWII,” U.S. Army Center of Military History (accessed June5, 2013).
2 “Declarations of a State of War with Japan, Germany, and Italy: Proceedings in the Senate, Monday, December 8, 1941,” Avalon Project (accessed June 5, 2013). See also, “Declarations of a State of War with Japan, Germany, and Italy: Proceedings in the House of Representatives, Monday, December 8, 1941,” Avalon Project (accessed June 5, 2013).
3 “D-Day: June 6, 1944,” U.S. Army (accessed June 5, 2013).
4 “D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, 6 – 25 June 1944,” Naval History and Heritage Command (accessed June 5, 2013). See also, William M. Hammond, “Normandy,” U.S. Army Center of Military History, October 3, 2003.
5 “Outline of Operation Overlord,” U.S. Army Center of Military History, February 4, 2012. See also, “D-Day, the Normandy Invasion, 6 – 25 June 1944,” Naval History and Heritage Command (accessed June 5, 2013). William M. Hammond, “Normandy,” U.S. Army Center of Military History, October 3, 2003.
6 “D-Day,” Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (accessed June 5, 2013).

Noah Webster

As the school year comes to a close, this is a good time to remember a man who had a profound impact on America’s educational system: Noah Webster.

Noah was born on October 16, 1758 in Hartford, Connecticut 1 and had four brothers and sisters. 2 At the age of sixteen, he went off to Yale, 3 where he was twice called to go out as a soldier in the American Revolution. 4

After completing college, he became a schoolteacher. 5 Recognizing the importance of providing an American rather than a British education, Noah began writing distinctly American books 6 that taught children Americanized spellings, readings, and pronunciations as well as American history. 7 Noah was adamant that just as America had worked hard to become an independent Nation, she also needed a uniform language. 8 His profound influence in shaping America’s educational system earned him the title “Schoolmaster to America.” 9

Among his many remarkable achievements, the one for which he is probably most widely known today is his Webster’s Dictionary. In 1806, he produced an early small dictionary that provided proper spellings and meanings of words. 10 But he followed that with years of learning some twenty different languages so that he could trace the origins of English words back to their original roots in various languages, and then create a definition for the words based on those translations. 11 As he explained, “I spent ten years in making a Synopsis of twenty languages, viz.,  the Chaldaic, Syriac, Hebrew, Samaritan, Arabic, Ethiopic, and Persian; the Hiberno Celtic or native Irish; the Anglo-Saxon, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish; Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, and English, to which may be added the Armoric and Welsh.” 12 In 1828, his massive dictionary was finally finished, containing some 70,000 words.

Strikingly, his strong Biblical faith is evident throughout the dictionary, and he frequently used Scriptures to help illustrate the meanings of words. (See, for example, the graphic of the word “wisdom” to the left.)
Five years later, taking what he had learned from his extensive work on the dictionary, Noah published an updated version of the King James Bible, replacing outdated ancient words with their more modern meanings. For example, he replaced the King James word “kine” with its modern equivalent, “cow or cattle.” Noah believed strongly in the inerrancy of God’s Word, so wanting to ensure that he had changed none of the doctrinal meanings of the Scriptures with his word changes, in the preface to his Bible he listed all the specific words that he had updated so that people would know and could investigate for themselves exactly what he had and had not changed. This 1833 Bible is considered the first “modern” language American translation.13 While preparing both his Dictionary and the Bible, Noah wrote many letters that reveal his deep love for God and the Scriptures. (We have posted some of those original letters which we own on our WallBuilders website.)

Another example of Noah’s strong Christian faith is found in a letter that he wrote in 1809. This letter was so well received that it was later printed in a magazine as a stand-alone article (The Peculiar Doctrines of the Gospel Explained and Defended).

Having spent his life working to improve educational content and make the Word of God more readable for the common man, Noah Webster died 170 years ago on May 28, 1843. 14

Endnotes

1 Horace E. Scudder, American Men of Letters, Noah Webster (Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, 1882), 2.
2 Emily Ellsworth Fowler Ford, Notes on the Life of Noah Webster, ed. Emily Ellsworth Ford Skeel (New York: Privately printed, 1912), I:15; Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882), 3.
3 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882), 4; Ford, Notes on the Life of Noah Webster, ed. Skeel (1912), I:14-15.
4 Henry Phelps Johnston, Yale and Her Honor Roll in the American Revolution (New York: Privately Printed, 1888), 11-14,77-78, 341; Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882), 5-7.
5 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882), 8-9.
6 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 33-35.
7 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 34-38, 277-278.
8 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 242-243, 277.
9 Harry R. Warfeel, Noah Webster: Schoolmaster to America (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1936); see also reprints of Webster’s works such as William Webster, A Sequel to Webster’s Elementary Spelling Book (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1845).
10  Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 216.
11 Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (New York: S. Converse, 1828), 1:Preface; Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 236.
12 Noah Webster to Samuel Lathan Mitchell, December 12, 1823, Letters of Noah Webster, ed. Harry R. Warfel (New York: Library Publishers, 1953), 410.
13 The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments in the Common Version, ed. Noah Webster (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1833), Preface.
14 Scudder, American Men of Letters (1882) 279.

John Hart – Quiet Farmer. Selfless Patriot.

“Having put his hand to the plow, he would not turn back.”

When fifty-six men of varying backgrounds, temperaments, means, and abilities, mutually pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor,” the words were not mere platitudes. Each knowingly signed his name. Many, if not most of those men lost loved ones and homes. Many accumulated great financial debt resulting in bankruptcy or loss of their properties. None sacrificed his honor.

Such was John Hart, signer of the Declaration from New Jersey and one of the many noted Christians among the Founding Fathers. Unlike some other Founders, Hart left little by way of written testimony. But his Christian character was widely attested to by those who knew him best. WallBuilders’ museum features some legal documents signed by John Hart and in which he affirms the legal oaths, on “the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God” (i.e., the entirety of the Scriptures). Significantly, many colonial oaths were not merely taken on the Bible, but used this specific stronger language.1

Not much is known about John Hart’s younger years, including not even the exact year he was born (ca. 1711-1715). He learned bravery and patriotism from his father who helped raise a volunteer army, named “The Jersey Blues,” to assist in the French and Indian War.2

Also like his father, John became a gentleman farmer, acquiring a large property where he raised grains for his mill, a multitude of livestock, and reared his 13 children. He was a natural leader in his community and in his church. His reputation as “Honest John Hart” earned him the confidence and respect of those around him.3 Although he preferred to remain on his farm, he answered duty’s call to public service time and time again. Over the course of 29 years he held several local and state offices. He early became interested in the cause of freedom, even helping to select New Jersey’s delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765.4

John Hart was himself elected to the Continental Congress where, somewhere near the age of 60, he voted for the Declaration of Independence with “unusual zeal.”5 Since the British army was already ravaging New York at the time, he fully understood the eminent personal cost entailed by affixing his name to the Declaration of Independence. And it wasn’t long before he realized those consequences.

The British Army quickly swept into New Jersey. His property was pillaged by Hessian mercenaries. His two eldest sons were serving in the Continental Army and his remaining children had to flee their home. John was chased from his dying wife’s bedside and hunted by the enemy. He wandered about the countryside to avoid discovery by the British, rarely sleeping in the same place two nights in a row. In fact, he even had to sleep in the “resting place of a large dog” to avoid detection by a nearby British patrol.6  Several times, he was forced to flee as fast as he could to “save his neck” since he had been “marked for vengeance” by the British.7

John was never even tempted by the pardons offered by the British for “rebels” who would recant and declare their loyalty to the Crown.

Eventually, he was able to return to his destroyed home in 1777 and regather his scattered family. He began to restore his farm and property, but his health was permanently broken and he never fully recovered from the physical hardships of strain and exposure. His farm was later sold off to cover debts incurred during the war. He died before the end of the War, having yet witnessed the freedom for which he sacrificed so much.  We owe much to men such as John Hart who gave his all so that future generations might live in freedom and security.

To learn more about John Hart’s faith and character and that of his wife’s, read Lives of the Signers and Wives of the Signers (both reprinted by WallBuilders).

Endnotes

1. See, for example, Joseph Brevard, An Alphabetical Digest of the Public Statue Law of South Carolina (Charleston: John Hoff, 1814), II:86, “Oaths-Affirmations,” 1731; Oliver H. Prince, A Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia (Milledgeville: Grantland & Orme, 1822), 3, “An Act for the case of Dissenting Protestants, within this province, who may be scrupulous of taking an oath, in respect to the manner and form of administering the same,” passed December 13, 1756; Samuel Nevill, The Acts of the General Province of New Jersey (Woodbridge, NJ: James Parker, 1761), 135, “An Act for the Raising and Maintaining One Hundred and Twenty Effective Men, for the Defense of the Frontiers of the Colony of New Jersey,” passed June 3, 1757; John Haywood, A Manual of the Laws of North Carolina (Raleigh: J. Gales, 1814), 34, “Oaths and Affirmations. 1777”.

2. John Sanderson, Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, (Philadelphia: TR.W. Pomeroy, 1827), 9:94; L. Carroll Judson, A Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and of Washington and Patrick Henry (Philadelphia: J. Dobson, and Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co., 1839), 189.

3.  Sanderson, Biography of the Signers (1827), 9:99; Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (New York: Thomas Mather, 1836), 228.

4. Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence (New York: George F. Cooledge and Brother, 1848), 88.

5. Robert W. Lincoln, Lives of the Presidents of the United States; with Biographical Notices of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (New York: William W. Reed, 1833), 360.

6. Lincoln, Lives of the Presidents (1833), 360; Sanderson, Biography of the Signers (1827), 9:113.

7. Judson, A Biography of the Signers (1839), 191; Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers (1848), 88.