1776 Commission Releases Statement in Celebration of Constitution Day
HILLSDALE, Mich., Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1776 Commission has released a statement in celebration of the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America (read the full statement here).
"Two hundred and thirty-four years ago on this date, thirty-nine delegates from throughout the fledgling United States signed our Constitution, uniting a diverse population into one nation, bound together by common principles and a deep reverence for liberty," the statement begins. "The signing of the Constitution began the fulfillment of the promise made in the Declaration of Independence. These two documents, along with the Bill of Rights, are America's Charters of Freedom."
The Commission was originally formed in November 2020 with the purpose of advising then-President Donald Trump about teaching future generations about the history and principles of the founding of the United States, seeking to provide a remedy to the rising tide of anti-American scholarship rejecting the nation's founding principles.
"The principles pointed to by 1776 Commission are needed now more than ever," said the Commission's chairman, Larry Arnn. "Equality — especially equality under the law — is in great disrepute today among the intellectual classes. That is mistaken, and dangerously so. Like our founders, we Commissioners have pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to its support and defense."
The Commission was abolished on the first day of President Biden's presidency but still operates in a private capacity. Yet, as tensions flare across the country about the meaning and place of U.S. history in education, many concerned citizens are searching for a complete, truthful telling of the American story that unites rather than divides. To this end, Hillsdale College released its Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum in July. The curriculum is nearly 2,500 pages long and contains comprehensive lesson plans, homework assignments, quizzes, tests, study guides, and supplementary primary and secondary resource recommendations for teacher and student use. It currently covers the American Founding, the Civil War era, civics, and government, and in the coming months will be expanded to include the rest of American history.
"The Commission applauds the efforts taking place around the country to take back our educational institutions," said the Commission's executive director Matthew Spalding. "They show that Americans — students, parents, teachers, and other concerned citizens — care about their country. As long as they do, as long as they fight, there is hope for our nation's future."
"On this Constitution Day," the Commission's statement concludes, "Americans should celebrate and take pride in their country. The story of America is the story of a proud people with a boundless desire to leave for their posterity a more just and free society. This is the inheritance of all Americans. This is the inheritance of 1776."
About Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 5.8 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.
CONTACT: Emily Stack Davis
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SOURCE Hillsdale College
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