Our Second President, John Adams, Recalls the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
Continue reading “Our Second President, John Adams, Recalls the First Independence Day”

Happy Independence Day, 2019

We are taking this grand holiday off to celebrate the birth of our wonderful country and the freedoms from which we’ve all benefited. And around here it’s Independence Day NOT “July 4th.” We don’t celebrate a number we celebrate an event, one of the most glorious events in human history: the birth of our nation.

Have a wonderful holiday, thanks for being a loyal Publius Forum reader and God Bless America.

Warner Todd Huston


We Need to Stop Calling This The ‘July Fourth Holiday.” Here’s Why…

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today we celebrate Independence Day, the day we stepped out on our own and formally declared our intention to become our own nation and not a vassal state of England. Unfortunately, too many people keep calling this day “the July Fourth holiday.” But, we don’t celebrate a number or a month. We celebrate our independence as a nation. So, I urge everyone to stop disrespecting our nation’s birthday by calling it “July Fourth” and here is why…

It is well known that John Adams had imagined that July second would be the day that future generations of Americans would remember as their day of independence from England, the nation’s birthday, if you will. It was, after all, on the second that it was proclaimed “(T)hat these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

But it was two days later that those gathered in defiance to the King of England declared a “Declaration of Independency” thereby adopting the famed document that carefully delineated the natural rights by which they claimed independence followed by a list of grievances that would explain why they invoked those rights.

So what are we celebrating? Is it our birth as a nation or are we celebrating the document of Independence? Early celebrations were mixed and a bit confused on that point. Not only that but celebrations on July fourth weren’t even that common for quite some time after the Revolution was over. At first, not many felt a need to celebrate something that had only recently happened and was over. It was time to move on from war in many American’s eyes.

Then again, not many Americans had much interest in the Declaration itself until the 1790s when the emerging parties began to vie for bragging rights over who wrote it. The Democratic Republicans proudly held that their leader, Thomas Jefferson, was the author of the document while the Federalists reminded everyone that their leader, John Adams, was also a member of the committee that drafted the document and that he, as much as Jefferson, had his stamp on the Declaration of Independence.
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We Need to Stop Calling This The ‘July Fourth Holiday.” Here’s Why…”


242 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today America enjoys the celebration of 241 years as a nation by noting the day we declared our independence from England. Sadly, that celebration has, for too many, become the “Fourth of July” holiday, a day of picnics, rote parades, “white sales,” and for some a day off work. Of course, we should not and don’t celebrate any “July Fourth” holiday. We celebrate Independence Day, the day we formally separated from our parent nation and took those first unsteady steps into the world as a nation of our own.

So, what is this Independence Day all about? Well, for one thing we celebrate the gifts that our Creator has given us. That’s right, our Founding Fathers started this nation celebrating the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those natural rights given to us by God, rights that no man or government can take away from us, rights no man can legitimately prevent us from observing.

Contrary to the God-averse America we have devolved into, the Declaration mentions God, the Creator, or the divine multiple times and the Founders rested their entire claim of liberty and freedom on the claim that no government can legitimately take away the natural rights that mankind should and must enjoy.
Continue reading


242 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?”


John Adams Remembering the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
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John Adams Remembering the First Independence Day”


Happy Independence Day, 2017

We are taking this grand holiday off from blogging to celebrate the birth of our wonderful country and the freedoms from which we’ve all benefited. And around here it’s Independence Day NOT “July 4th.” We don’t celebrate a number we celebrate an event, one of the most glorious events in human history: the birth of our nation.

Have a wonderful holiday, thanks for being a loyal Publius Forum reader and God Bless America.

Warner Todd Huston


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
Continue reading


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day”


Red Skelton’s Most Stirring Pledge Of Allegiance

-By Warner Todd Huston

This Independence Day holiday is an excellent time to revisit one of Red Skelton’s most endearing works: his recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and what that pledge means.

Through the 40s, 50s, and 60s, Red Skelton was one of America’s most revered funny men. He was everywhere in movies and all across the early TV. Skelton may be little known by today’s newer generations, but he is someone we should never forget for his patriotism and clean humor.

He made quite a splash in 1969 with his personalized pledge of Allegiance.

You don’t get patriotic entertainment like this anymore…

In the words of Red Skelton:
Continue reading


Red Skelton’s Most Stirring Pledge Of Allegiance”


241 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today America enjoys the celebration of 241 years as a nation by noting the day we declared our independence from England. Sadly, that celebration has, for too many, become the “Fourth of July” holiday, a day of picnics, rote parades, “white sales,” and for some a day off work. Of course, we should not and don’t celebrate any “July Fourth” holiday. We celebrate Independence Day, the day we formally separated from our parent nation and took those first unsteady steps into the world as a nation of our own.

So, what is this Independence Day all about? Well, for one thing we celebrate the gifts that our Creator has given us. That’s right, our Founding Fathers started this nation celebrating the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those natural rights given to us by God, rights that no man or government can take away from us, rights no man can legitimately prevent us from observing.

Contrary to the God-averse America we have devolved into, the Declaration mentions God, the Creator, or the divine multiple times and the Founders rested their entire claim of liberty and freedom on the claim that no government can legitimately take away the natural rights that mankind should and must enjoy.
Continue reading


241 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?”


An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick, his Supporters & American Citizens

(I was sent this letter and was asked to post it on the blog. So, here it is without further comment…)

An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick, his Supporters & American Citizens

You will take a knee or sit during the National Anthem because you want to protest what you feel is racial injustice in America. I applaud that you live in America and that we still have freedom of speech. With freedom comes responsibility.

The National Anthem represent this great Nation as does Lady Liberty. To your charge of racial injustice, on behalf of America, Lady Liberty Pleads “Not Guilty”

To support her “Not Guilty” plea Lady Liberty enters the Declaration of Independence into evidence, specifically the following:

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Instead of protesting the United States of America and Police Departments across America, your indictment would be appropriately directed to the criminal class that terrorizes our neighborhoods & the ruling political class of the United States from our cities, counties, states and especially within the federal government. I submit the the following section of the Declaration of Independence in support of that indictment:
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An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick, his Supporters & American Citizens”


Happy Independence Day, 2016

We are taking this grand holiday off from blogging to celebrate the birth of our wonderful country and the freedoms from which we’ve all benefited. And around here it’s Independence Day NOT “July 4th.” We don’t celebrate a number we celebrate an event, one of the most glorious events in human history: the birth of our nation.

Have a wonderful holiday, thanks for being a loyal Publius Forum reader and God Bless America.

Warner Todd Huston


240 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today America enjoys the celebration of 240 years as a nation by noting the day we declared our independence from England. Sadly, that celebration has, for too many, become the “Fourth of July” holiday, a day of picnics, rote parades, “white sales,” and for some a day off work. Of course, we should not and don’t celebrate any “July Fourth” holiday. We celebrate Independence Day, the day we formally separated from our parent nation and took those first unsteady steps into the world as a nation of our own.

So, what is this Independence Day all about? Well, for one thing we celebrate the gifts that our Creator has given us. That’s right, our Founding Fathers started this nation celebrating the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those natural rights given to us by God, rights that no man or government can take away from us, rights no man can legitimately prevent us from observing.

Contrary to the God-averse America we have devolved into, the Declaration mentions God, the Creator, or the divine multiple times and the Founders rested their entire claim of liberty and freedom on the claim that no government can legitimately take away the natural rights that mankind should and must enjoy.
Continue reading


240 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?”


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
Continue reading


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day”


Red Skelton’s Stirring Pledge Of Allegiance

-By Warner Todd Huston

This Independence Day holiday is an excellent time to revisit one of Red Skelton’s most endearing works: his recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and what that pledge means.

Through the 40s, 50s, and 60s, Red Skelton was one of America’s most revered funny men. He was everywhere in movies and all across the early TV. Skelton may be little known by today’s newer generations, but he is someone we should never forget for his patriotism and clean humor.

He made quite a splash in 1969 with his personalized pledge of Allegiance.

You don’t get patriotic entertainment like this anymore…

In the words of Red Skelton:
Continue reading


Red Skelton’s Stirring Pledge Of Allegiance”


Celebrating Independence Day and the Genius of the Founding

-By Warner Todd Huston

As we gather across the nation to celebrate our Declaration of Independence and the founding of our country on Independence Day, it is right that we take stock of the great genius of our nation’s founding.

There has never, ever been a nation like the United States because the United States was the first country actually invented on a specific set of ideals.

The US didn’t just evolve by happenstance, by dint of geography, or centuries of bloodlines. The U.S. was actually a crafted ideal based first on the English Constitution and English Common law as written by Jurists such as Sir Edward Cooke and William Blackstone. But the genius of those great jurists was supplemented with the classic Roman and Greek philosophers along with more recent works by philosophers such as Montesquieu, Adam Smith, John Locke, and others of the French and Scottish Enlightenment.

America was based on the idea that the whole of the people would be educated and enlightened on the principles of the founding and would put their mind to the improvement of the country. Not just for selfish needs but for virtuous ones.

And virtue was the key principle.
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Celebrating Independence Day and the Genius of the Founding”


Tales of the Un-American Fourth of July

-By Warner Todd Huston

Usually over the Independence Day weekend we spend time posting stories about America and patriotism. But this is also the perfect time to remember that the left never stops hating America and Americans first and foremost, so here are just some recent stories to remind us of how anti-American liberals really are.

Let’s start with the always too numerous stories of idiot, powermad homeowner’s associations that demand Americans take down their American flags…

First of all, why do American’s ever agree to join a homeowner’s association? I can’t imagine a less American idea than having a group of mere neighbors telling you want color you can paint your house, what plants to put in your yard, or if you are “allowed” to fly an American flag or not?

Anyway, we get at least half a dozen of these stories every year, tales of one idiot group of officious homeowner’s association bosses demanding that people remove their American flags.

In one case we had the HO in Hutto, Texas, telling residents they weren’t allowed to fly the flag with one resident insisting that it is his “right as an American” to fly the flag any damn time he wants to. Right on!

Some apartment building rules are just as bad. Most recently we had the story of a man in Colorado who was told he wasn’t allowed to fly Old Glory from the balcony of his apartment. He was sent a letter telling him to remove it or face eviction. In America! Eviction for displaying an American flag!!
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Tales of the Un-American Fourth of July”


Video From Oregon Activist: ‘We’re Breaking NO Laws’ But Warns They Are Armed—NO RUBY RIDGE

-By Warner Todd Huston

As patriots gather outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, all eyes are on the activists gathered there to protest what they feel is a government gone wild. Many of the activists are armed raising some fears that bloodshed could result if Obama’s government sends armed officials to clear them out. But one activist has a warning and a promise for officials.

In a video posted to Facebook, activist Jon Ritzheimer told those watching his video that he and his fellows have gathered to defend their Constitutional rights.

Close to the end of the video the activist explains one of the reasons that he and his fellows are protesting. He says that the refuge is “swallowing up ranches.”

On the video Ritzheimer continues saying, “this refuge here we found out is also the largest and it’s getting bigger and bigger. It’s swallowing up ranchers. It’s already kicked off over 100 ranchers from this land.”

Still, Ritzheimer goes to pains to point out that the land they are camping on is public land and that they aren’t breaking any laws. He further points out that there has been no vandalism of the park. He insists, “there’s nothing illegal taking place here.”

“This land belongs to ‘we the people.’ It’s outlined right here in the Constitution,” Ritzheimer says.
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Video From Oregon Activist: ‘We’re Breaking NO Laws’ But Warns They Are Armed—NO RUBY RIDGE”


What the Constitution Really Says About Race and Slavery

-By David Azerrad, Heritage Foundation, Daily Signal

One hundred and fifty years ago this month, the 13th Amendment officially was ratified, and with it, slavery finally was abolished in America. The New York World hailed it as “one of the most important reforms ever accomplished by voluntary human agency.”

The newspaper said the amendment “takes out of politics, and consigns to history, an institution incongruous to our political system, inconsistent with justice and repugnant to the humane sentiments fostered by Christian civilization.”

With the passage of the 13th Amendment—which states that “[n]either slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”—the central contradiction at the heart of the Founding was resolved.

Eighty-nine years after the Declaration of Independence had proclaimed all men to be free and equal, race-based chattel slavery would be no more in the United States.

While all today recognize this momentous accomplishment, many remain confused about the status of slavery under the original Constitution. Textbooks and history books routinely dismiss the Constitution as racist and pro-slavery. The New York Times, among others, continues to casually assert that the Constitution affirmed African-Americans to be worth only three-fifths of a human being.

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What the Constitution Really Says About Race and Slavery”


Bernie Sanders Went To A Christian Conservative University And Claimed the USA is Racist

-By Warner Todd Huston

Democrat candidate for President and self proclaimed socialist Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders visited a Christian university on Monday and told students that our founders were racists and that the USA is inherently a racist nation.

It is a bit unusual that a Democrat would even accept the invitation to speak to a Christian university, of course, but with his claims that the USA is hopelessly racist, Sanders didn’t disappoint from offering the typical anti-American rhetoric that other Democrats indulge.

On Monday Sanders accepted the invitation to speak to a large audience at Liberty University, the college founded in Virginia by Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell, and during the questions and answer segment of the program, the Vermont Senator insisted that it was a “fact” that America was founded by racists and upon racist principles.

Sanders was asked by the moderator what he’d do about the deteriorating race relations in our country if he became president. His reply was typically liberal in its contempt for our founding.
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Bernie Sanders Went To A Christian Conservative University And Claimed the USA is Racist”


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
Continue reading


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day”


239 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today America enjoys the celebration of 238 years of existence as a nation by noting the day we declared our independence from our Mother nation, England. Sadly, that celebration has, for too many, become the “July Fourth” holiday, a day of picnics, rote parades, “white sales,” and for some a day off work. Of course, we should not and don’t celebrate any “July Fourth.” We celebrate Independence Day, the day we formally separated from our parent nation and took those first unsteady steps into the world as a nation of our own.

So, what is this Independence Day all about? Well, for one thing we celebrate the gifts that our Creator has given us. That’s right, our Founding Fathers started this nation celebrating the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those natural rights given to us by God, rights that no man can take away from us, rights no man can legitimately prevent us from observing.

Contrary to the God averse America we have devolved into, the Declaration mentions God, the Creator, or the divine multiple times and the Founders rested their entire claim of liberty and freedom on the claim that no government can legitimately take away the natural rights that mankind should and must enjoy.
Continue reading


239 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?”


Happy Independence Day, 2015

We are taking this grand holiday off from blogging to celebrate the birth of our wonderful country and the freedoms from which we’ve all benefited. And around here it’s Independence Day NOT “July 4th.” We don’t celebrate a number we celebrate an event, one of the most glorious events in human history: the birth of our nation.

Have a wonderful holiday, thanks for being a loyal Publius Forum reader and God Bless America.

Warner Todd Huston


Chris Christie: Historical Illiterate

-By Warner Todd Huston

On Tuesday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he was joining the other 75 or 80 candidates for the 2016 GOP nomination for president. But during his announcement, Christie seemed to prove that he is illiterate about American history.

One of Christie’s great themes during his announcement is that the nation needs a great compromiser in chief, a candidate who will “reach across the aisle” and work with “our friends the Democrats.”

But in touting his fealty to “compromise,” Christie made an analogy to the Founding fathers that was both clumsy, and completely incorrect.

A little less than half way through his comments, Christie delivered this paragraph:

And both parties. Both parties have failed our country. Both parties have stood in the corner and held their breath and waited to get their own way. And both parties have lead us to believe that in America, a country that was built on compromise, that somehow now compromise is a dirty word. If Washington and Adams and Jefferson believed compromise was a dirty word, we’d still be under the crown of England.

Firstly, when he said, “If Washington and Adams and Jefferson believed compromise was a dirty word, we’d still be under the crown of England,” this doesn’t even make any sense at all. None of these three founders “compromised” with England. Neither did any of the other founders. Once they chose separation and independence there was no longer any thought to compromising with the British government.

So, right there that line makes no sense at all.
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Chris Christie: Historical Illiterate”


Obama Cancels July 4th Celebration in Embassy so as Not to Upset Muslims

-By Warner Todd Huston

So now our first Muslim president is canceling our own national celebrations in order not to upset Muslims, so we’ve got that going for us… which is nice. This week we’ve discovered that Obama’s crew staffing the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia cancelled its celebration of Independence Day on July 4th so it won’t make Indonesians mad at us.

The celebration of July 4th was moved to June 4th so it wouldn’t upset Muslims celebrating Ramadan this year.

Obama’s ambassador to the majority Islamic nation, Robert O. Blake (Obama appointed in 2013) also said that the month-early Jakarta celebration of our Independence Day was in part meant to celebrate “green technology.” Because, I guess we separated from England so that we could make solar cells… or something.

So, not only does an Obama appointed ambassador move around out own national holidays in an effort to appease Islamists, but he then uses the re-scheduled event to push greenism.

Yep, that sounds like an Obamaite–America hating and all.
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Obama Cancels July 4th Celebration in Embassy so as Not to Upset Muslims”


The Elimination of Christianity in the West Brings Disrespect for Life

-By Warner Todd Huston

Abortion activists are taking the next, logical step in their justification of abortion by agreeing that, yes, abortion kills a human baby, but… “so what?” It is just the next logical step in abortion apologia that results from the end of the Christian philosophical influence in society. But we don’t see that end affecting just abortion. We see it throughout society.

Whether leftists like the idea or not, the United States of America was conceived as a Christian nation. Not a Catholic one, not a Muslim one, not a Jewish one and not a secular one, but a Christian nation built solidly on the Christian ethos. Every state initially formed with a particular flavor of Protestantism as a state sanctioned religion and our entire culture was fueled by the twin influences of Christian philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment.

It is certainly true that our form of government is essentially secular in that it is not guided or controlled by any particular religion, but the ethics underlying those governments where heavily informed by Christian ethics.

The left, though, has been angling to destroy the underlying Christian ethos since the turn of the last century as academia and the left became imbued with communist and socialist propaganda.
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The Elimination of Christianity in the West Brings Disrespect for Life”


New Nationalized History Curriculum Eliminate Founding Fathers, Teaches Country Built on Hate

-By Warner Todd Huston

Looks like the Obamaites are once again attempting to tech our children that the U.S. is an evil country with new nationalized “history” standards for our schools that eliminate the founding fathers and focuses only on a relentlessly negative interpretation of the birth of the country.

I am late to this story, I know (it is impossible to cover everything, certainly), but this one is egregious, so I just had to hit it. Still, it is of a piece with the way the left is attempting to destroy this country by tearing it down in the eyes of our youth so that they grow up with the left’s preconceived notion that this country is evil.

Late last moth documents were uncovered that reveals they way that College Board authors have redesigned the AP U.S. History (APUSH) Framework from a previous five-page, cursory outline that leaves a lot of what is to be taught to teachers and school districts to a massive 98-page document describing in minute detail what is to be taught and more importantly what isn’t to be taught.

The College Board, the administers of advanced placement (AP) courses and tests, is unveiling the new scheme for AP U.S. history which is to be given to 450,000 students who take these history classes across the nation.
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New Nationalized History Curriculum Eliminate Founding Fathers, Teaches Country Built on Hate”


No, It is NOT the ‘July Fourth’ Holiday, and Stop Saying It Is!

-By Warner Todd Huston

It is well known that John Adams had imagined that July second would be the day that future generations of Americans would remember as their day of independence from England, the nation’s birthday, if you will. It was, after all, on the second that it was proclaimed “(T)hat these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

But it was two days later that those gathered in defiance to the King declared a “Declaration of Independency” thereby adopting the famed document that carefully delineated the natural rights by which they claimed independence followed by a list of grievances that would explain why they invoked those rights.

So what are we celebrating? Is it our birth as a nation or are we celebrating the document of Independence? Early celebrations were mixed and a bit confused on that point. Additionally, celebrations on July fourth weren’t that common for a time after the Revolution was over. At first, not many felt a need to celebrate something that had happened and was over. It was time to move on from war in many American’s eyes.
Continue reading


No, It is NOT the ‘July Fourth’ Holiday, and Stop Saying It Is!”


238 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today America enjoys the celebration of 238 years of existence as a nation by noting the day we declared our independence from our Mother nation, England. Sadly, that celebration has, for too many, become the “July Fourth” holiday, a day of picnics, rote parades, “white sales,” and for some a day off work. Of course, we should not and don’t celebrate any “July Fourth.” We celebrate Independence Day, the day we formally separated from our parent nation and took those first unsteady steps into the world as a nation of our own.

So, what is this Independence Day all about? Well, for one thing we celebrate the gifts that our Creator has given us. That’s right, our Founding Fathers started this nation celebrating the gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and those natural rights given to us by God, rights that no man can take away from us, rights no man can legitimately prevent us from observing.

Contrary to the God averse America we have devolved into, the Declaration mentions God, the Creator, or the divine multiple times and the Founders rested their entire claim of liberty and freedom on the claim that no government can legitimately take away the natural rights that mankind should and must enjoy.
Continue reading


238 Independence Days and Counting, But What Does it all Mean?”


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day

-By Warner Todd Huston

John Adams was one of the truly indispensable men among our founding fathers. He was the man that wrote one of the first fully written out Constitutions in human history when he wrote the Constitution of Massachusetts. He wrote a seminal book on government that helped inform the founders of our nation, he was an ambassador to France and other European nations, he was our first vice president, our second president, and more.

In fact, Adams was at the center of one of the incidents that set the tone for our national character. When the Redcoats responsible for the Boston Massacre were put under arrest, John Adams stepped forward to represent the Redcoats in court. Many of his fellow patriots were amazed at this offer, some even incensed at Adams for doing so. But Adams said that the rule of law was far more important than merely making points with the home crowd and the Redcoats deserved to have competent representation.
Continue reading


John Adams’ Reminiscences of the First Independence Day”