The Season for Thanks

Very like the date of Thanksgiving which has moved from June 1621 to the fourth Thursday in November, I’ve been on (early) and off (more recently) feeling pride in America.

I loved, in grade school, acting out the scene of the first feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. In those years, I was all in on the flag, hand over my heart when I said the pledge, and lived in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” A bonus occurred when I discovered Thomas Jefferson and I shared the same birth date, April 13^th, and that my elementary school was named for him.

The Declaration of Independence

I don’t remember if my high school civics education included The Declaration of Independence. What I know now is that the signers risked a great deal and “gave birth to a new order for the ages.”

This is a quote from Jeffrey Tucker’s new book Spirits of America: On the Semiquincentennial. Years ago I visited Monticello when we heartily admired Jefferson for his foresight and brilliance. He knew it was important that the new world’s government assure certain unalienable rights. When Tucker recently visited, his guide had nothing good to say about the man or the other Founding Fathers. In my mind, and also true for Tucker, this is especially sad since our founding documents have been admired throughout the world, most recently the Constitution’s First Amendment heralding our commitment to and  reverence for Freedom of Speech.

Here’s how they describe Jefferson at the Monticello website https://www.monticello.org/

“Lawyer. Father. Scientist. Writer. Revolutionary. Governor. Diplomat. Vice President. President. Philosopher. Architect. Slave owner. He is best remembered for writing the Declaration of Independence, for serving as the third president of the United States, and for championing universal rights while holding over 600 people in slavery. But he also promoted religious freedom, doubled the size of the country, founded a public university, helped establish the nation’s capital city, established America’s first opposition party, participated in its first peaceful transfer of political power, and made many other contributions to American society.”

Tucker’s book sent me back to reading The Declaration of Independence, probably for the first time. Before I read it, I took an online quiz and got 5 out of 7 answers correct. Here is the site for the quiz: Here is the site to take the quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Declaration of Independence.                                                                                        

The Constitution

It’s interesting that the Constitution is often waved at demonstrations, with “save democracy” and “no Kings.” These were top-of-mind when the Founding Fathers created a new country with amazing foresight. I wonder how many demonstrators have actually read the document. The basis of American democracy is the Constitution. However, and it’s a big however, a national survey found that just one in three Americans would pass the current citizenship test. Here are some of the stats gathered by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars:

• One 13% knew when the Constitution was ratified, even on a multiple-choice question.
• 60% didn’t know which countries the U.S. fought in World War II.
• 57% did not know how many justices serve on the Supreme Court – even given the recent spotlight on the court.
• 72% of respondents incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 colonies.
• Only 24% knew why the colonists fought the British.

The age gap was in plain sight too: those 65 years or older scored the best; those under age 45 did the worst with only 19% passing the exam. The latest results may be even worse since the 2025 naturalization test was made more difficult including more nuanced and specific questions about American history and government.

Long overdue is taking out of our national historical mothballs documents that are basic to being an American, the Declaration and The Constitution. It would be interesting (maybe essential) for citizens to ask their school boards if these basic documents as well as our early history are being taught in our K-12 schools. And how close to our actual history rather than not quite accurate.

Perhaps just in time, the new Ken Burns’s production, The American Revolution, has just been released as a six-part series on PBS. There are previews, several teaching guides, and more, available either on the web or at PBS. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution.

Burn’s documentary is already sparking debate about the extent of the tribal influence on the founding fathers. To quote one critic: “Burns implies that the Iroquois Confederacy, a union of six tribes or nations in New York state, crucially influenced the founding of the United States.” Enjoy the series but maybe be aware that the historical focus has slightly shifted.

How to Preserve Our More Perfect Union?

The key question Jeffrey Tucker asks in his chapter on the formation of America is this: What is the greatest danger America faces? The correct answer is “Itself. We need to know our shared history. If we do that, we’ll come to realize the things that separate us pale in comparison to what unites us.”

This Thanksgiving I’m grateful for family and friends, but also for our Founding Fathers and their foresight in a time of great turbulence, somewhat like these days. What I have an appetite for is a thoughtful government of, by, and for the people by the elected officials we pay, quite generously, to represent us. I hope for less obeyance to billionaires, neocons, and corporate control and more well-thought out solutions to the issues that citizens face every day .

Photo credits: Girl with flag – wesley-tingey, barn with flag – john-warg.