This past week, the United States celebrated the 244th anniversary of its birth. In the current national climate, we thought it was best to hear from Americans who could speak to the American soul on how equality rightly understood can serve as the basis for national unity. This collection of thoughtful and penetrating pieces is part of a July 4th symposium called “‘We Hold These Truths…’ Equality and the American Soul.” Though the contributors to this effort differ in race, religion, and, politics, they agree that the principle that “all men are created equal” is the foundation for civic renewal. Beginning this week’s curation is a stirring and forthright defense of America and her history by Professor Daniel J. Mahoney of Assumption University. He rejects “the path nihilism and hate” of those who are indiscriminately tearing down statues and calls Americans to “renew our own civilized patrimony and our noble civic tradition.” Bob Woodson’s contribution extolls Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream that “his children would one day be judged by the content of their character.” A civil rights leader and the founder and president of the Woodson Center, Woodson maintains that the “moral qualities of personal responsibility, determination, integrity, and mutual assistance” can still help black communities “achieve success” today. The next piece to highlight is by Irshad Manji, an immigrant and the director for courage, curiosity, and character at Let Grow. Manji writes that the Declaration of Independence’s invocation of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” serves “as the unum to our pluribus, unifying aspirations in our otherwise divided body politic.” Robert Curry, an independent scholar and a member of the Claremont Institute’s board of directors, argues that the Declaration’s “plain meaning” is this: “We are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, rights that are inherent and essential elements of our nature as human beings.” This implies that, above all, no one is “born with the right to rule,” and no one is “born with only the right to be ruled.” Be sure to read the rest of the pieces that are part of the July 4th symposium. We hope that you enjoy them and learn something about our country—a nation whose survival depends upon patriotic citizens who can safeguard the blessings of liberty they were given and transmit them to future generations. Original Posts Editors, RealClearPublicAffairs America’s greatest challenge has always been living up to the soaring pledge of the Declaration of Independence. When America falls short... In the News Hadley Arkes, James Wilson Institute Robert L. Woodson Sr., RealClearPolitics Antjuan Seawright, RealClearPolitics Luis Farias, RealClearPolitics Roger Kimball, RealClearPolitics David Azerrad, RealClearPolitics Dennis Hale, RealClearPolitics Irshad Manji, RealClearPolitics Mike Sabo, RealClearPolitics Carol M. Swain, RealClearPolitics C. Bradley Thompson, RealClearPolitics Charles Love, RealClearPolitics Ron Christie, Arizona Republic Jacob Hess & Andrew Evans, Public Square Matt Beienburg, RealClearPolicy David Blight, Lucas Morel, & Jeffrey Rosen, We the People Podcast This episode explores Frederick Douglass’ oration on racial injustice and the broken promises of equality and liberty laid out in the Declaration of Independence. David Blight, Pulitzer Prize-winning Douglass biographer, and Lucas Morel, an expert on Douglass and African American history and politics, join host Jeffrey Rosen. Larry Arnn & David Whelan, Hillsdale College Abraham Lincoln said the American founding established a “standard maxim for free society” which should be... Wilfred M. McClay, Madison's Notes Bill McClay is the G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma and the author of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Chris Flannery, American Story Thomas Jefferson and John Adams celebrate their last Fourth of July... John Wood & Coleman Hughes, Braver Angels A columnist at Quillette Magazine, a contributor to City Journal and a person who has testified before the House of Representatives on the subject of reparations, Coleman Hughes Carl Cannon's Great American Stories 07/07/2020 Thirty-nine years ago today, President Reagan chose Sandra Day O'Connor to be the Supreme Court's first female justice. Although those in the ... 07/06/2020 On this date in 1945, a 21-year-old Jewish refugee named Gerda Weissmann wrote a letter to an American officer she had met two ... 07/03/2020 Good morning. It’s July 3, 2020 -- a federal holiday -- but also a Friday, the day of the week ... 07/02/2020 On this date in 1976, Gerald R. Ford went to the National Archives and paid homage to the Constitution and ... 07/01/2020 On this date in 1898, Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt led the "Rough Riders," a mounted amalgamation of Western cowboys and ... |