© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
(Link not working? Right-click and select “Save As”.)
During the Revolutionary War, some Delaware Indian Chiefs brought three young people to General George Washington, asking that they be taught in American schools. General Washington responded:
“…You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.”
(May 12, 1779. The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources: 1749-1799, “Address to Delaware Indian Chiefs”, (Bureau of National Literature and Art, 1907, ed., John C. Fitzpatrick)
This statement gives us great insight into the way Washington thought about several issues of our day: And his thinking was typical of all our Founders.
The statement reveals that America’s Founders believed their way of living was better than the natives of America. He reveals this when he says, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life…” America’s Founders believed that their way of life, based on the teachings of the Bible, was the best the world had ever seen up unto that time. They believed if Jesus Christ was the Creator of man, then his teachings would reveal the best way for man to live. That didn’t mean they couldn’t learn even more from their Creator and make their country even better. They most certainly believed that. But they did believe that a culture based on Christianity would bring more liberty and prosperity to individuals within it than any other type culture. Neither did it mean that they couldn’t learn certain things from the Indians. Continue reading
With more disrespect being shown to our flag, even within our own borders, it would do us well to revisit our heritage! Fort McHenry (where in 1812 a battle raged which inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner) was named after a man who served as a medical soldier in George Washington’s army, and later signed the U.S. Constitution. His name was James McHenry. While unknown to us today, James McHenry was one of those men who laid such a firm foundation for America that during the 1800s it would grow to become the greatest nation on earth. James McHenry got