In recent years, many historians have insisted that the American Founding Fathers were deists. A deist is someone who believes that God created the universe and then walked away from it, never to care for it or give it a second thought. I vividly remember being taught this very thing in public school, and at the time, had no reason to question it.
When I started reading our history for myself (from original sources)
I was surprised to learn that such was not the case. The Founding
Fathers were profoundly religious. In their own words they state
unapologetically that freedom comes from God and that it was He
who directed them to build this nation. They understood the Bible
as the history of man's struggle for freedom, first from the tyrannical
king of Egypt, then from the wages of Sin and Death through the
liberation of Jesus Christ and lastly from the chains of Great
Britain.
George Washington prayed frequently for divine guidance. One of
his prayers has come down to us: "Let
my heart, gracious God, be so affected with Your glory and majesty
that I may fulfill these weighty duties which you require of me.
Again, I have called you for pardon and forgiveness of sins and
for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered on the cross for me.
You gave your Son to die for me and have given me assurance of
salvation." Once when Thomas Jefferson was asked his
opinion of religion, he stated. "The
genuine and simple religion of Jesus will one day be restored:
such as it was preached and practiced by Himself."
Jefferson also taught, "The First Amendment
has erected a wall of separation between church and state. That
wall is a one dimensional wall. It keeps government from running
the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always
stay in government." These are hardly the words of
deists.
In drafting our Constitution,
James Madison declared, "We have staked
the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of
government. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions
upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according
to the Ten Commandments of God." These are a few quotes
of many.
In order to safeguard these ideals and place them forever before
the people, it was decided that a seal (or coat of arms) should
be given to the new nation. Thus begins the real meaning behind
the symbols found on the Great Seal of the United States.
On July 4, 1776, our Founding Fathers gathered at Independence
Hall to sign the Declaration of Independence. Shortly after the
committee passed the following resolution: "Dr. Franklin,
Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson, be a committee, to bring in a
device for a seal for the United States of America." These
three gentlemen sought the advice of a coat of arms scholar, Pierre
Eugène Du Simitière. Over the next six years, the
Great Seal was designed. Since that day, many uneducated, but
well-meaning scholars, have attached various and sundry sinister
meanings to our national coat of arms. The real meaning behind
these symbols is one of God-fearing faith and hope for man's future.
Our national coat of arms is made up
of two symbols. First, a bald eagle with wings outstretched. The
eagle symbolizes strength, victory and safety. The concept is
similar to the idea John the Revelator portrayed in his Apocalypse
(see KJV Revelation 12). Here a story is told about a terrible
"red-coated" dragon who
tried to destroy "lady liberty, the
mother of free and godly government." The Author of
the universe sent a great eagle to carry her into the safety of
the "American wilderness." Here is the excerpt; the
entire passage can be found in the New Testament:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon... And she brought forth a man child, who
was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven...
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
The eagle bears a shield of 13 stripes and stars on its chest.
He clutches an olive branch in one talon and 13 arrows in the
other. The eagle always faces the olive branch but keeps the arrows
close by. This symbol is meant as a promise and a warning to the
world. It means that America prefers peace. We will look to peace
first, however, if necessary, we will defend our rights, our prosperity
and our peace with war.
Overhead, 13 heavenly stars unitedly let their light so shine
among men, that the good works of freedom can be seen by all.
The eagle clutches a ribbon in his break with a Latin inscription
translated as, "From the many people, come one." This
echoes Jesus's teaching, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine."
The second symbol is the all-seeing eye of God shining above a
pyramid of 13 steps. God's watchful eye is gazing down upon the
13 colonies from His place in the heavens. Above the eye is the
pronouncement, "God favors our undertaking." The eye
is set in a triangle symbolizing the three members of the Trinity.
This triangle is also meant to form a capstone at the head of
a corner. Jesus once declared that the stone which the builder's
rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. Our founders
believed that it was God's will that America be free.
The pyramid's foundation is inscribed with Roman numerals signifying
the year 1776. The western side of the pyramid is 
dark
suggesting that while our future is still unknown to man, it is
known to God. It also declares that the original 13 colonies would
expand westward in manifest destiny until freedom filled the whole
earth.
Perhaps
nothing in urban mythology has so inspired panic as the remaining
Latin phrase, "Novus Ordo Seclorum." There are those
who claim it is the secret saying of a group of power hungry socialists
who hope to take over the world!!!!!! Perhaps so. Human history
is filled with Hitlers, Lenins, Darwins and other social architects
and fools. Our Founding Fathers had a different vision of these
words. They read them as, "A new order of the Ages."
They saw America as the start of a new order for the world. A
new way of life built here in the pristine forests of the American
continent. In a world accustomed to the old order of kings and
servants, monarchs and subjects, masters and slaves, this new
order of individual freedom was dangerous and unstoppable. It
still is.
As the years have passed, America has continued to inspire hope
to the huddled masses of humanity yearning to be free. Our influence
has expanded through peace and through war. We have saved the
human race in two world wars, defeated global communism and aided
developing nations in the principles of freedom. We have out lasted
monarchs, tyrants and despots. God has truly favored our endeavors
and blessed mankind with a new order for living. He has given
us every reason to push forward blending the many peoples and
cultures into one people, a free people... we the people.
May the love of liberty shine bright within you, and may the Author
of it bless this nation, now and always. - Reed R. Simonsen
As somber music plays, shades of color dance upon a screen at
the back of the stage, the title: Heroines of the American Revolution
appears, followed by the following quote:
If I were asked to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of Americans is to be attributed, I should reply: To the superiority of their women.- Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835.
Then,
In all patriotic enterprises the services of one woman are equal to those of seven men and a half.- Dr. Clarke.
Then,
Hannah White Arnett - 1776
An older woman, HANNAH, is illuminated.
The summer of '76 was a desperate time for the colonies. We had
told England that it was not right for them to boss us around
and not let us have any say in government. The Brits had sent
the Howe Brothers over to harass us. Richard Howe commanded the
British fleet while William Howe led the army. Together, they
defeated us four times, four times! I can tell you we were starting
to feel desperate.
In order to crush us once and for all, the Howes issued a proclamation: "Any rebel who would give up on the American Cause and declare their allegiance to Great Britain would receive a full pardon." Well, I can tell you, this offer sounded pretty good to the men of New Jersey. The redcoats were fast in pursuit of General Washington and our army. What an army it was too. Half-starved, half-naked. It was the most pitiful sight you ever saw, and the winter was coming on to boot.
In the midst of it all, my husband Isaac called a meeting at our home. I knew it was important because I wasn't invited. Anyway, Isaac said, "War is men's business." So I went into the kitchen to make a big batch of buttered eggs and hoe cakes. War may be men's business but heaven help the women when those men get hungry. We had a big crowd too. The men debated long into the night about the war. I know because I listened in the parlor. And the more I listened, the madder I got. When at last they decided our cause was hopeless and the smartest course was to give up and accept the British pardon, I thought my head would spilt right down the middle and my brains would come flying out red, white and blue! I grabbed the door and flung it open, then I let them have it.
"Are you men or traitors? Have you forgotten the one thing that outweighs all of England's treasure! God is on our side. Every volley of our muskets is an echo of his voice. We are poor, weak, and few, but God is fighting for us. We entered into this struggle with pure hearts and prayerful lips. We counted the cost and were willing to pay it even with our blood. And now, just because it's getting rough you want to give up and crawl back to kiss the feet of those that trample us. You, the sons of those who gave up everything to make a free home in the wilderness. Shame on you, you cowards! And you Isaac are the worst of them. I have half a mind to find me another home and new husband. And the rest of you, just wait 'till I tell your wives what a bunch of sickening cowards they married."
Well, I can tell you British guns didn't seem half so frightening then. Every man pledged his support to the cause and I made Isaac sleep on the couch in the parlor.
LIGHT CHANGE
A new name appears:
Sybil Ludington - 1777
By 1777, things had improved a little for the freedom fighters.
The winter had been hard but spring had warmed up our homes and
hearts. The bravery of General Washington and his men inspired
more of us to fight for liberty. My father, Colonel Henry Ludington
led a company of men who lived around the countryside of Fredericksburg,
they had pledged their lives to defend the area when called upon.
One night as I was getting my younger brothers and sisters to bed, a solider galloped up to our door. Exhausted, he delivered his message. The British had discovered our supply center and the New York militia needed my father's company to help defend it. My father was to prepare to the mill immediately and muster in the volunteers, examine their weapons and prepare them for the march. There was no time to loose. I saw the anguish on the messenger's face when my father told him that his militiamen lived in the lonely hamlets and isolated farms scattered throughout a forty-mile area. They could be gathered but someone would have to make the long ride to sound the alarm. I quickly volunteered but my father would not hear of it. "It's much too dangerous," he said, "There are outlaws, deserters and robbers in the fields."
"Father," I said, "I know the area as well as anyone and your men know me. If you send a stranger they might think it's a trap and not come."
At last Father agreed but insisted I take Star, his best horse. And so my adventure began. So much of the area was frontier, it was hard enough to find the muddy cross-roads but many of the paths to the militiamen's homes were only ox-cart grooves. I galloped through the darkness, stopping at every door, tavern and cabin I could find, yelling, "The British are burning Danbury! Come right away!" It was dawn when I returned to find the men gathering at the mill. I had never been so tired as that in all my life. When my father returned from the fight he said that they had arrived just in time to put those blood-backs on the run. He also said that even Paul Revere would have been proud.
LIGHT CHANGE
The lights illuminate NANCY HART as her name appears.
All right now, no-birdy move whiles I git a good look at ye. Ah,
some of ye look a bit portly but honest. Ain't none of ye, no
lobster-backs, I hope. I can't stand them lobster-backs.
Yeah, I knowed, they call themselves British Soldiers but to me theys lobster-backs, on account of theys stupid bright red coats. Ya, got to be purdy dumb to wear a bright red coat on a battlefield. It's like a big red target just hankerin' to be shot at.
You say, now Nancy Hart, you tell me why you hates them lobster-backs, I tell you right. Every time they come through town they steal me pigs. "Stand aside ya crossed-eyed cow," they'd say as they takes me pig, "Everything here belongs to the Crown," they says. They always calls me a cross-eyed cow on account of my crossed eyes. Likes that's a reason to insult a cow!
Well, haw and pshaw! The crown ain't never done nothing but steal and steal some more. I ain't afraid to tell ye that I was a American spy during the Revolt. That's right and a dern fine one at that. I would even dress up in men's clothes and march right into British camps, takes they secret information and give to our American boys. That's what a crossed-eyed woman can do.
One day I was cleanin' house with me daughter Sukey. (I named her Sukey on account-a it was different.) Anyway, we was a scrubbin' away when a band-a lobster-backs broke in the door and ordered us to prepare them a feast, on account-a theys hungery. I told them I didn't have nuddin' when one of them grabbed me last turkey, Humphrey! Quick as a wink, his neck was broke and I was madder than a mamma sow!
They all filed in and set theys guns against the wall. I sent Sukey to the spring to git some water as the gents poured themselves some ale. What they didna know was we kept a conch shell outside in a tree stump for emergencies. Sukey blew into the conch to signal her daddy and all the patriots to hurry and come.
Meanwhile, while thems lobster-backs were gettin cuffy, I secretly pulled out several wedges of wood between the logs of me cabin wall. Quietly I slipped one gun at a time through the wall outside.
Suddenly, one of the men noticed that they only got two guns left. He jumped up but I grabbed a musket and pointed it at 'em, "I'll blow the head off the first one of ye what rises!" I says.
On account of me crossed-eyes, every one of them cowards thought I was aiming at him. Two men moved and I shot'em. Soon after the patriots showed up. They took the whole gang into custody. That's what a crossed-eye patriot can do. No man said a word. They knew I was right.
LIGHT CHANGE
A choir of young men sing, Yankee Girls.
CHOIR
(Sung)
Not England's daughters rosy cheeked,
Nor Scotland's lassies fair,
Nor Erin's blooming maidens
can with Yankee girls compare.
Though what they tell us of their charms
all very true may be,
They'll not compare with Yankee girls;
The Yankee girls for me.
Their faultless forms!
Their peerless eyes
as bright as morning dew!
Their cheeks so fair!
Their spirits light!
Their hearts so warm and true!
They're chaste as fair,
their minds unchained,
in thought and action free,
There's nothing like the Yankee girls,
The Yankee girls for me.
LIGHT CHANGE
The lights illuminate GRACE & RACHEL as their names appear.
Grace & Rachel Martin
GRACE
Let's we tell these people what we done for freedom, Rachel?
RACHEL
It's did for freedom, Grace.
GRACE
That's what I said, Rach. Let's tell what we done.
RACHEL
(rolling her eyes)
Grace here's my sister-in-law. She comes from the southern part
of the valley.
GRACE
Dern right, I do. Me and Rach, moved in with our mother-in-law
when our husbands went off to fight the redcoats.
RACHEL
Mother Martin lived near Fort Ninety-Six. It was a important British
outpost in South Carolina...
GRACE
Rach, I wanted to tell it.
RACHEL
Oh, alright.
GRACE
We learned that a British curr...curr... Rach, how to you say...
RACHEL
A British courier was going to be carrying important dispatches
to another fort that night along our road...
GRACE
No, you told too much. I know how to say those others words. Well,
Me and Rach hatched up a scheme. If we could hold up the curr..
messenger we could take his dispat... dis... his messages and
give them to the Americans. We dressed up in our husband's clothes
and each took a rifle. Then we hurried a short distance to road
where we knew the curr...
(turning to Rachel)
Okay, my throat is tied.
RACHEL
You just don't want to say courier, again.
GRACE
That's not so, I can say curr... Well, I just don't want to.
RACHEL
We knew that the courier would have to pass along a certain road.
We hid behind a rail fence and some bushes until dusk. Soon the
British courier and two escorts appeared on horseback. As soon
as they were in range, we sprung from our hideout and raised our
rifles at the men.
GRACE
Halt! Raise Your...
RACHEL
No, no, do it like you did for real.
GRACE
(lowering her voice)
Halt! Raise Your Hands!
RACHEL
The men were well enough armed but we had taken them so completely
by surprise that they surrendered before they even thought about
it.
GRACE
(in her lowest voice)
Hand over your papers!
RACHEL
And the other thing you said.
GRACE
No, let's leave that part out.
RACHEL
Go, on.
GRACE
(meekly)
You are now our prisoners.
RACHEL
Luckily, one of us was thinking clearly.
(lowering her voice)
No, you men are free to go.
(to Grace)
Like what did you expect us to do with three, two-hundred pound
men? Lock them in the outhouse?
GRACE
Anyway, we quickly hurried home through the back woods and told
the whole story to Mother Martin. She was nearly in stitches,
she was laughing so hard.
RACHEL
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mother told us to go
upstairs and change.
GRACE
We heard her open the door and pause for a moment.
RACHEL
(feigning an older woman)
"Why gentlemen," Mother said, "Didn't I see you
pass by here just a few moments earlier.
GRACE
(feigning a man's voice)
A man's voice answered, "Yes, ma'am we were held up by two
rebel lads with rifles. We are tired and the roads tonight seem
too treacherous. May we spend the night here? We will have to
return to our fort in the morning and report the loss of our top
secret plans.
RACHEL
Mother put them up in the room next door. The next morning, Grace
and I served them breakfast as they recounted the tale of the
two rebel lads who stole their important papers.
GRACE
Boy, would they have been surprised.
RACHEL
As soon as the cost was clear we took their secret plans to nearest
American encampment.
The lights illuminate SALLY TOWNSEND as her name appears. Then
the date 1780.
Sally Townsend
Our pastor at Church always told us the Lord would take one from
a family here and there. That two would be standing in a field
and one would be taken and another left behind.
I thought about that a lot. My parents just couldn't see that England gave us nothing and demanded loyalty in return. My brother and I could see it plain enough. It was like the Lord had said.
The patriots in my town were overjoyed when we learned that General Washington had finally placed our fortress at West Point in the hands of the brave General Benedict Arnold. The British had wanted to capture that fort and control the Hudson River for years since its location was essential to the American cause.
The good news was cut short when my father decided to open our house to the British officers stationed in Long Island. I had to keep my patriotism to myself. It was torturous for a free lass to wait hand and foot on those pompous officers but I did it. Some weeks later I was cooking alone in the kitchen when a man slipped in the back door. I stood motionless in the corner of the room. I saw him take a paper from his coat and hide it in our cupboard. Then, as quietly as he entered, he left again.
I waited a few moments, my heart pounding, then I rushed to the cupboard. It was merely a routine business letter addressed to a Mr. John Anderson. It mentioned some trivial correspondence and ended with an allusion to West Point. It seemed ordinary enough, but the more I thought about it, that was what made it so strange. It seemed utterly ridiculous to me that a stranger would hide a letter of no importance in my cupboard.
In the afternoon, British Major John André came to call at our house. He chatted freely with the junior officers who were living with us but when I heard him mention West Point, I felt a prickle run up my back. From the corner of my eye I kept a close watch on the kitchen door.
It was not long before Major André excused himself to the kitchen and I knew something was wrong. I quickly wrote a note to my brother who managed our father's store in New York City. I was careful in my wording. To throw off any suspicion I requested a package of tea. When the messenger returned, I found that my brother had hidden a note inside the package.
The note instructed me to immediately tell everything I knew to a patriot contact on Long Island's north shore. That contact in turn gave the information to a boatsman who crossed the sound and waited until he saw a black petticoat hanging on a clothesline next to three white handkerchiefs.
Another spy soon appeared who delivered us directly to Major Benjamin Tallmadge. As I related the events, I saw a look of confusion cloud the Major's face. Only recently he had received a order from General Benedict Arnold for an escort to take a Mr. John Anderson to West Point. He thanked me for the information and I returned home. It was only later that I realized the full impact of my actions.
A few days later, a pair of militiamen found John Anderson traveling behind American lines on his way to a British Camp. He produced a pass signed by General Benedict Arnold himself.
Suspicious, Major Tallmadge ordered him searched. It was then they discovered the impossible, Mr. Anderson was really Major André. Hidden in his boot were Benedict Arnold's secret plans to turn over the fort and all the men stationed there to the British in exchange for 10,000 pounds of English gold!
Benedict Arnold escaped to the British side before he could be captured. The British tried to save Major André. General Washington agreed to release him in exchange for General Arnold but when the British refused, André was doomed.
Major André wrote a manly letter to Washington requesting that he be shot like a soldier, rather than hanged like a dog. Washington requested a firing squad but the courts returned the reply, "Have you forgotten how the British hanged our brave Nathan Hale whose last words were, 'I regret that I have but one life to give for my country?' Have you forgotten that they would not allow him to send one word of farewell to his mother? No André must die as Hale died - on the gallows." As sad as it was to watch John André hang, I was relieved inside that so many of our brave brothers at West Point had not been captured through deception. Boy, were mom and dad surprised when they found out.
A closing, rousing song set to pictures, then a quote:
All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. - Abraham
Lincoln.
A prayer and blessing on the food.
Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who scratched about and uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said, "If we plant this wheat, we will have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.
The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification." said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment insurance," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread. "That's overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the duck.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the pig.
"If I'm the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. She baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbors to see. They all wanted some and demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I can eat five loaves myself."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow.
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck.
"Equal rights!" yelled the goose. And the painted "Unfair" picket signs and marched around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the government agent came, he said, "You must not be greedy, little red hen."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent, "This is the wonderful free-enterprise system: Anybody in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide their product with the idle."
And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smilied and clucked, "I am grateful. I am grateful."
But her neighbors wondered why she never baked any more bread.
Home