The Forefathers Monument
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood, a short distance from downtown Plymouth, affectionately known as “America’s Hometown,” can be found the largest granite statue in the United States. The statue is called the “Forefather’s Monument.” It was often overlooked and even unknown to locals and tourists alike. But thanks to the efforts of Leo and Nancy Martin who run the Jenny Museum, Pastor Paul Jehle of the Plymouth Rock Foundation, the documentary “Monumental” narrated by actor Kirt Cameron, and Michelle Gallagher of Proclamation House to name a few, this incredible monument to commemorate the Pilgrims and the faith that sustained them has enjoyed a rebirth of interest.
( Leo Martin of the Jenney Museum with actor Kirt Cameron at the base of the monument)
This granite monument was conceived by the Pilgrim Society, which was formed in 1820 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing. In 1849, the Pilgrim Society held a competition for a design and offered a $300. prize. The society chose the architectural firm of Zucker and Asborth of New York. However, the accomplished architect Hammatt Billings of Boston offered a design which the Pilgrim Society approved. Billings’ initial design was over 150 feet, which included an observation tower and a museum at its base. Billings’ other works include Wellesley College and the Boston Athenaeum.
Billings launched a national fund-raising campaign, with President Abraham Lincoln among the donors. The cornerstone of the monument was laid on August 2, 1859. It was attended by thousands of people, where public prayers were offered and a letter from President James Buchanan was read. The Civil War and the nation’s postwar economy led to a decrease in donations. As a result, Billings designed a smaller model, 81 feet, without an observation tower and museum. It still was a massive design. Billings didn’t live to see his project completed. He passed away in 1874. On August 1, 1889, the monument was dedicated with a crowd of over 12,000 on hand.
The monument’s central figure is “Faith,” depicted as a woman who stands at the top of the monument with a Bible in one hand and her other hand pointing to Heaven. Four statues underneath Faith are “Morality” holding the Ten Commandments, “Law,” “Education,” and “Liberty.” The monument also contains the names of the Mayflower passengers, a marble bas relief of the signing of the Mayflower Compact, and bas reliefs of “Justice,” “Mercy,” “The Embarkation,” “Evangelist,” “Youth,” “Wisdom,” and “Tyranny.”
“Monumental: In Search of America’s Treasure”:
In 2012, the documentary “Monumental: In Search of America’s Treasure” was released, leading to a renewed interest in the monument. From the documentary’s website,
Monumental is the story of America’s beginnings. Presented by Kirk Cameron, the 90-minute true story follows this father of six across Europe and the U.S. as he seeks to discover America’s true “national treasure” – the people, places, and principles that made America the freest, most prosperous, and generous nation the world has ever known. Long regarded as “the land of opportunity,” there’s no question the tiny band of religious outcasts who founded this country hit upon a formula for success that went way beyond what they could have imagined. What formula did they discover? What motivated them to come here in the first place? More importantly, how can we apply these same foundational truths today? Monumental is heralded as “inspiring,” “beautifully executed,” “powerful,” and “one meant to teach.”
The Jenney Museum:
In 2001, Leo and Nancy Martin founded the Jenney Museum and began giving tours of the monument. Tours are available from April 15 to November 29.
In 2021, Michelle Gallagher of Proclamation House wrote and published Forefathers Monument Guidebook. Michelle conducted a presentation at our annual family camp.
Teaching the next Generation in New Hampshire and beyond:
There is a recently created New Hampshire-based organization called The Matrix Coalition of New Hampshire, whose mission is to teach the state’s students about the Forefathers Monument. Led by Deb Roux, the group’s goal is to introduce the Forefathers Monument Guidebook and posters of the monument to public and private schools, hosting tours of the monument and Freedom Walks, the next one being on September 13 at the New Hampshire State House.
Both Camp Constitution and The Matrix Coalition are hosting tours of the Forefathers Monument Saturday October 11—1:00 PM and Saturday October 18—10: AM. To register or for more information, please email me at campconstitutuion1@gmail.com
The Weekly Sam: Eugenics and the Making of a Black Underclass
The late Sam Blumenfeld wrote a monthly newsletter from 1986 to 1999 and all of them are available in PDF format on the Sam Blumenfeld Archives. One of his most important and still timely was his June 1987 newsletter titled “Eugenics and the Making of a Black Underclass.” In this newsletter, Sam gives us a history of the racist roots of the I,Q. test, and how the “progressive educators worked together to promote their agenda in government schools. We put it back in print and make them available on our on-line store: https://campconstitution.net/product/eugenics-in-american-education-and-the-making-of-a-black-underclass-by-sam-blumenfeld/
And a link to a PDF version:
http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/1987/BEL%2002-06%20198706.pdf
The Blumenfeld Archives
The Weekly Sam: Education and Food Back in the Old Days By Samuel L. Blumenfeld
I was born in 1926, which makes me probably older than anyone reading this magazine.
Which means that I have a sense of history, that is, an understanding of cause and effect,
that most young people lack these days. Is it important? As Sarah Palin would say,
“You betcha.” In other words, I know history intimately because I have lived through it:
the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the current
wars. That’s a lot of history to know first-hand.
Although I was born less than ten years after World War One, that war seemed as remote
to me as if it had never taken place. That’s the way the memory works, and that’s why I
can understand why so many people today cannot know what it was like to live through
World War II or the Korean War, or even the Vietnam War. And I have no idea how the
schools teach these wars these days.
I was born on Manhattan Island in the world’s greatest metropolis, the most expensive
and legendary piece of real estate on the planet. I was born in one of those tenements in
East Harlem which was filled with new immigrant families and their new American
children.
At age five I was sent to kindergarten at the neighborhood elementary school, P.S.
Number something or other. Of course, I walked to school. A very nice policeman at the
corner helped us cross the avenue. In those days kindergarten was play time. Formal
education started in the first grade. I remember the name of my first-grade teacher, Miss
Sullivan. Or was it Miss Murray? She taught us to read with phonics and to write in
cursive. So our little brains were totally activated to become lovers of books and
writing. There was no such thing as dyslexia in those days, and certainly no such thing
as Ritalin.
The classrooms were pretty clean and bare back then. Just a portrait of George
Washington hanging on the wall, and a cursive writing chart over the blackboard. We
sat in desks bolted to the floor. Today, kids sit around tables facing one another,
coughing into each others faces, pestering one another. Back then you faced the back of
a fellow pupil’s head and you did not chat. You were quiet and attentive. The teacher
was the focus of attention. She wasn’t a facilitator. She had your attention, so you
couldn’t possibly get attention deficit disorder.
Back in those days we went home for lunch. My mother usually prepared a fried egg
sandwich and a glass of milk. Then I walked back to school. On Sundays my mother
would make a herring and onion sandwich on a roll which I loved. She would buy a
salted herring out of a barrel at the appetizer or fish store and that would be our Sunday
breakfast and lunch. They were delicious. That was Eastern European fare.
Your taste in food is developed very early in life by what your parents feed you. So I’ve
always liked fried egg sandwiches. Today, schools serve breakfast and lunch, so parents
have less of an influence on what a child gets to eat. Once, during a school outing, we
were served tuna-fish sandwiches and tomato soup. I had never had that at home, and I
liked them. My sister, two years older than I, had friends who introduced her to foods
my mother was unfamiliar with, such as mayonnaise. Once we discovered mayonnaise,
it became a household favorite. My sister also introduced me to chow mein in the local
Chinese restaurant. I’ve loved Chinese food ever since.
For some reason tomatoes tasted better in those days. That’s probably because the taste
hadn’t been altered by so much special scientific breeding. But you can’t stop progress.
And so the advent of the supermarket with its myriad of packaged and frozen foods and
the rise of so many fast-food franchises has made it easier for Americans to feed
themselves with as little fuss and time as possible.
As for education, progress in the public schools has seemed to go in the opposite
direction. Despite all of the computers and new textbooks, reading skills have declined.
According to Reading at Risk, a report issued by the National Endowment of the Arts in
2007, American literacy is in serious decline. Dana Gioia, chairman of the Endowment
stated: “This is a massive social problem. We are losing the majority of the new
generation. They will not achieve anything close to their potential because of poor
reading.”
In short, instead of getting smarter, our kids are getting dumber. High tech executives
complain that young Americans lack the basic skills that are needed in today’s high tech
industries.
And that is why home-schooling is where you find real progress in education: high
literacy, enhanced academic skills, interest in technology, government, history,
geography, and most important of all, Biblical religion.
If you want to see what educational progress looks like in the 21st century, just attend one
of the many home-school conventions that now take place every spring across America.
You’ll see parent-educators in droves listening to lectures, examining books and
curricula, making sure that what they do at home will enable their kids to become the best
educated young adults in America.
The Blumenfeld Archives
Are Anchor Babies Constitutional? A Presentation by Pastor David Whitney
Camp Constitution instructor Pastor David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution gives a presentation on the subject of “Anchor Babies” and the U.S. Constitution. This presentation was conducted at our 17th annual family camp held at Singing Hills Christian Camp Plainfield, NH July 13-18, 2025.
Pastor Whitney refutes the notion promoted by the Left that the babies of illegal or legal aliens born in the United States are automatically U.S. citizens.
Camp Constitution’s Six-Month Report for 2025
We are a little late with this report:
Camp Constitution Ladies Annual Spring Fling
We had our largest turnout for the Ladies “Spring Fling held for the 2nd year at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center in early May Our guest speakers were Karen Testerman, author and gubernatorial candidate, and Sue Ianni, a January Sixer. The ladies also took a field trip to the Belknap County Sportsmen’s Club to do some marksmanship training.
Camp Constitution in the News
The publisher of the Rochester Voice, an on-line news for Greater Rochester, NH gave us a monthly column.-the Camp Constitution Report. Our monthly article now runs in four media outlets “The Boston Broadside” ‘The Weirs Times.” “The Granite Grok” and “The Rochester Voice.”
Our lawsuit “Shurtleff v Boston” continues to be mentioned in media outlets around the country especially during “Pride” Month. “Shurtleff v Boston” lawsuit was decided but it continues to be mentioned in the news around the country. Our case was recently cited in a decision by the University of Massachusetts Amherst when the “Pride” flag was removed from a building, and in February our case was mentioned in a controversy at the Marblehead, MA High School.
Camp Constitution on the Air
We were return guests on the Duke Pesta Show, The Sentinel Report hosted by Alex Newman, The Chuck Moscowitz Show, and the Tamara Scott Show. And first time New Hampshire Gospel Radio
The Camp Constitution Report
We did twelve shows including interviews with Jody Underwood of New Hampshire Educational Options, Karen Siegmund, President of the American Freedom Alliance, Woodrow Johnson, CEO of Revere Solutions, Michelle Gallagher, author of The Forefathers Monument Guidebook, Elena Barbera, producer and director of the documentary “American Groomer. This show airs on our YouTube Channel, Rumble, Podomatic, Spotify, and about five other podcast formats: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/shurtleffhal/episodes/2025-05-22T05_29_44-07_00
Special Projects
We had a float in Lexington. MA’s 250 Anniversary Celebration of the Battle of Lexington. The evening before, we hosted our 3rd Annual Patriot’s Day Overnight at the Lane House where we took in the reenactments of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and the Battle of Lexington. We had information tables at six New Hampshire Education Options expositions. The Freedom Project Academy led by our friend Dr. Duke Pesta sponsored an essay contest for his students and offered three families free tuition at Camp Constitution’s annual family camp. We had the opportunity to conduct an on-line class for a group of students both national and international. The topic was the U.S. Constitution. We did a video for the Potomac Tea Party that was aired on Independence Day.
Camp Constitution Media
We made a short video on Declaration of Independence signer General William Whippple, the Memorial Day Parade in Alton, NH sponsored by the American Legion and a presentation .by Dr. Chris Gnanakan of Liberty University and a presentation by our friends at Camp Sentinel.
YouTube, Rumble and Bitchute
We finally got over 17,000 subscribers early in February but struggled to get overt 17,030. In late June, we started getting some momentum. We had 62.2 thousand views this year giving us 2.1 million since we created the channel. Our most popular video continues to be “Republic vs Democracy. If you aren’t already a subscriber, here is a link to our channel where you can
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7ME18Q1xiqcrPEn5h5FbA
Our Rumble channel received 3,643 views the first six months of the year. views. We have uploaded some documentaries including “Operation Keelhaul” and “MAAFA 21 Black Genocide in the 2oth Century” as well as some classic anti-communists movies.
https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all
We have A Bitchute channel but haven’t uploaded many videos. We were happy to discovered that we are getting thousands of views of our videos and will be uploading more videos in the future: https://www.bitchute.com/profile/kiuIedaV8Erk
Camp Constitution Report on Podomatic and Other Platforms
We have received 204 plays and 1,333 downloads of our shows. We continue to be in the top ten for the category of conservative-right. In addition to our weekly show, we have uploaded some classic interviews and speeches by Dan Smoot, Gary Allen, and E. Merrill Root. A link to our show: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/shurtleffhal
Camp Constitution Press
We reprinted in an 81/2” x 11” format, the free market classic “Frogs and Freedom”:
A link to purchase copies of these: https://campconstitution.net/product/frogs-and-freedom-free-market-classic/
Speakers Bureau
We were the keynote speaker at the Berkshire (MA) Republic Committee’s annual Lincoln-Reagan where we gave a presentation on our Christian flag law suit to a very receptive group. Rev. Steve Craft was a speaker at an event sponsored by the Massachusetts Republican Assembly in late March.
Website
We have received 6.4 thousand views with 3.7 thousand visitors. We published fifty-four articles on our blog. https://www.campconstitution.net
Sam Blumenfeld Archives
We received 179,983 views. 631 Alpha-Phonics downloaded. 333 “Alpha-Phonics” instruction manuals downloaded, 507 How to Tutor books, and surprisingly 981 downloads of Sam’s “So You Want to Marry A Rockefeller” article/
The Blumenfeld Archives
The Blumenfeld Archives
Facebook Page
We have close to 3.2 thousand likes l and over 3,600 following our page. We also manage six other groups and one other page-all of them growing in members
Stopping An Article V Convention
We helped defeat an Article V Convention resolution and a “faithful delegate bill in New Hampshire.” We are part of a nationwide movement to protect the Constitution from an Article V Convention. Thousands have read our articles, blogs and videos on the subject as well as downloaded our on-line resources.
Looking into the next quarter
We concluded our 17th annual camp-a report went out last week. We have a number of events in August, and September which include co-sponsoring a Patriot day camp in Maine, information tables at numerous events, a float in the Alton Old Home Week, and presentations in Northern Maine.
How You Can Help
Continue to pray for our nation.
Attend or help someone attend our 17th annual family camp
Make a monthly donation or a one-time donation. Donations may be made via our PayPal account accessed from our website’s homepage https://www.campconstitution.net
If you own a business or are involved with a non-profit, consider a sponsorship for a minimum of $100. A year.
Thank you for helping to make Camp Constitution possible.
Blessings.
Hal Shurtleff, Director
Camp Constitution
Alton, NH
Camp Constitution’s 17th Annual Family Camp Report
Camp Constitution’s 17th annual family camp ended last Friday July. While our numbers were down from last year’s camp, we still had an excellent turnout with attendees coming as far as Alaska, Wyoming and Utah.
Returning instructors included Professor Willie Soon, one of the world’s top atmospheric scientists, who attended with his family, Pastor David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution, Rev. Steve Craft who serves at the camp chaplain, Mrs. Catherine White of the Constitution Decoded, Dr. Felecia Nace, author of several books, and author and host of the Liberty Sentinel program, Alex Newman. Guest instructors included Michelle Gallagher, author of A Guide to the Forefather’s Monument, Mr. Kurt Hyde, an expert of election fraud, and Mr. Chris Burke who taught an optional class on the use of HAM Radios. A link to our YouTube playlist of classes and activities at our camp:
https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PL7jnzBzBiNYDeD_94loNG8mUcUMFM2m2N/videos
Sunday, we held out staff and camper orientation, a hearty dinner and our nightly campfire. We start our first full day with an optional run and/or swim at 6:30. Wake up is 7:00 and morning devotions and flag-raising at 7:50. As he has for the past few years, veteran camper Franklin Soon plays “Reveille” https://youtube.com/shorts/cefjwGuxiRs?si=P5TJ7Gissmv
After a hearty breakfast, the camp conducts three 45-miniute classes
During the first class, Head Counselor Chris Kalis conducts room inspection where we look for cleanliness, as well as a Patriotic and Christian theme. Chris will give the room points towards the room inspection contest where the occupants of the winning room get treated to free pizza on Thursday after campfire. . The daily inspection results are posted in the camp’s daily newspaper, “Camp Constitution Journal” distributed in the evening. The paper, edited Mark Affleck, also has articles written by campers about the daily activities and classes. A link to PDFs of the camp paper: https://s3.amazonaws.com/camppictures/CampArchive/Journals/Camp%20Constitution%20Journal%2017-1%202025.pdf
From Monday to Wednesday, attendees were treated to a rendition of The National Anthem led by world renowned clarinetist Jonathan Cohler and “The Camp Constitution Band”: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_rbhDHwabNo
Mr. George Dewhurst conducted an optional martial arts class Monday afternoon: https://s3.amazonaws.com/camppictures/2025/Classes/index.html#02%2520Mon%2520Self%2520Defense%252004.MP4
For the third year in a row, Mr. Keith Hansom of Critical Dynamics conducted optional marksmanship classes on Tuesday afternoon with help from Pastor David Whitney and Mr. Jonathan Cohler:
On Wednesday afternoon, we took an optional field trip to the Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth, VT:
In the afternoon, attendees had plenty of recreational opportunities including volleyball, chess tournaments, swimming, gaga, basketball, and much more:
Teaching the junior campers ages 5-11 were Mrs. Edith Craft (5-8) and Mrs. Jessica Whitworth (9-12) with help from Donna DeSantis, Mrs. Roberta Stewart, and Mrs. Kathy Mickel:
On Thursday morning, junior campers paraded around the camp dressed in colonial attire:
At our closing ceremonies, the Super Camper Award went to first-time camper Melanie Shrader and veteran camper Eamon Westrick They both get a free tuition for next year’s camp for themselves or a sibling or friend. Westrick. Runner-up honors were Annaliese Westrick, Nyah Johnson and David Tyuvin. Videographer Mert Melfa was awarded the Super Staffer Award, and Pastor David Whitney received the Super Instructor Award.
Next year’s camp will run from Sunday July 12 to Friday July 17, 2026, at the same venue.
Thanks to all who helped to make this event happen.
The Weekly Sam: Devising Your Own Philosophy of Education By Samuel L. Blumenfeld
One of the great freedoms that homeschoolers have is the freedom to devise their own
philosophy of education as well as the freedom to implement it. It’s the most important
freedom we have. It’s what we call educational freedom, which is indispensable to the
maintenance of a free society. The liberals and atheists may succeed in getting the Ten
Commandments removed from a government building, but they have no power to impose
their philosophy of education on you and your children. They can impose it on the
children in the public schools, but they cannot impose it on you. And therein lies the true
freedom of the American people.
Thus, every homeschooler should exercise that freedom so that it becomes an important
part of the homeschool experience. What is a philosophy of education? It is a statement
of principles and beliefs that forces us to define the word education so that it becomes
something of substance and true meaning and not merely a word tossed around by
politicians, judges, and professional educators.
I remember sitting in a courtroom some years ago listening to an attorney, supposedly
defending homeschoolers, who told the judge that he believed that the “state had a
compelling interest in education.” He never bothered to define what he meant by
education. Nor did the judge ask him what the word meant, since we know that what
goes on in today’s public classrooms could hardly be called education. What takes place
there is brainwashing. So, what is education? That’s the question every homeschooling
parent should ask and attempt to answer.
My own definition is quite simple. To me, education is the process of passing on to the
younger generation the knowledge, wisdom, morals, and spiritual values of the older
generation. That’s how a civilization is maintained from one generation to the next.
People often wonder how was it possible for the Jewish people to survive as a people
despite dispersion and persecution, so that they could go from their expulsion from the
land of Israel by the Romans around 131 A.D. to the restoration of the State of Israel in
1948. How did they maintain their identity, their religion, their hopes and dreams for
over fifteen hundred years, scattered all over the world. The answer is simple: the Bible,
the Five Books of Moses, the Torah. That sacred Bible was handed down from
generation to generation and its message kept alive to this very day.
And that adherence to the Bible, from which the New Testament is derived, must be at
the heart ofthe American homeschooler’s philosophy of education. It is all spelled out in
Deuteronomy 6. The American nation was fuunded on that Bible, and that is the reason
why we still enjoy educational freedom in America. And that is why Bible study must be
at the heart of the homeschooler’s curriculum.
The liberals and leftists have been conducting their revolution in America by slowly
weaning Americans away from the Bible. Removing the Ten Commandments from a
state courthouse, where it served to educate the public about the origin of our laws, is one
of the more insolent and blasphemous of their actions. But what it teaches us is that we
must renew our efforts to bring up Christian children in the love and admonition of the
Lord. And so, we must diligently teach our children the Word of God.
If you want your child to be able to read the Holy Scripture with ease and enjoyment, you
must teach your child to read by intensive, systematic phonics. That’s the way it was
done in colonial times, and that is why Americans were so highly literate in those days.
They were taught to read in the correct phonetic manner, which made it possible for small
boys and girls to read the Bible fluently and with understanding.
So, from the start, your philosophy of education will be very different from that
espoused by the public school in your neighborhood, which so many of your neighbo~
children attend. It is very different in concept, since the public schools forbid the
teaching ofthe Bible in their curriculum. It is also different in methodology, since the
public schools teach children to read by the whole-word method, which dumbs them
down and intellectually retards them.
How can one teach American history without reference to the Bible? When John
Winthrop and 700 colonists landed in Massachusetts Bay in l630, he told the
congregation:
We are a Company, professing ourselves fellow members ofChrist, and thus we
ought to account ourselves knit together by this bond of love ….
We shall find that the God ofIsrael is among us, when ten of us shall be able to
resist a thousand of our enemies, when He shall make us a praise and glory, that
men of succeeding plantations shall say, “The Lord make it like that of New
England.” For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill the eyes of
all people are upon us.
Homeschoolers can teach our true history by making their children aware of the deep
religious faith of the founding fathers. But none of this can be taught in the public
school, which means that the history taught there is distorted and false. They cannot even
quote George Washington who issued a National Day of Thanksgiving Proclamation in
1789, in which he stated:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty
God, to obey His will~ to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His
protection and favor. …
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of
November next, to be devoted by the people ofthese United States … that we then
may all unite unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and
protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; … for
the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish
constitutions ofgovernment for our safety and happiness, and particularly the
national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we
are blessed.
As Christian parents you have the right to imbue your children with these wonderful
statements of our founding fathers, so that your children will know the true religious
origin ofour institutions. Our history is rich with such expressions of religious fervor on
the part of statesmen and politicians who understood the source ofAmerican felicity.
Your philosophy ofeducation should help you choose the materials with which to do the
teaching. Some parents want a highly structured program with much discipline in the
educational process. Other parents prefer a more relaxed approach to give their children
greater freedom to choose what they will study, having confidence that their children will
develop interests in subjects which parents may not have thought of.
One homeschooling mother on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, when required by the local
superintendent to submit her education plan for her son, wrote:
The priorities of our curriculum are daydreaming, natural and social sciences,
self-discipline, respect for self and others, and making mistakes. I encourage an
acceptance of failure so that he will be comfortable taking risks ….My curriculum
was best expressed by Blake: “To see a world in a grain of sand, And heaven in a
wildflower, To hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.”
Not all children can handle so much freedom. I remember reading a letter in a magazine
from a homeschooler who wished that her parents had exerted greater discipline over her
education so that she would not have wasted so much time reinventing the wheel.
In other words, many children want guidance from those who know more than they do.
They look at parents as the experts who can lead them to where they should go. Parents
who are professionals can easily lead their children to take up their profession if that is
what the child fields of interest.
Some parents decide very early what they want their children to become: engineers,
physicians, nurses, lawyers, teachers, military men, politicians, policemen, and other such
well-defined professions. Few parents would urge their children to become poets, actors,
TV anchormen, artists, fashion designers, models, journalists, editors, photographers,
Hollywood stuntmen, etc. Young people take up these professions mainly out of their
own interest, unless they have a parent in that line of work. For example, in Hollywood,
the children of actors, directors, and producers usually go into the same line of work as
their parents because of easy access to the profession and the connections of their parents.
Thus, if you want your child to go into a well-defined profession, you can provide the
kind of education that leads to it. On the other hand, by giving your child greater
freedom in choosing the curriculum, he or she may develop a desire to do what comes
naturally: writing stories, designing clothes, painting pictures, playmg an instrument,
singing, acting, or selling things. But they still have to learn the academic basics.
Many homeschooling moms are happy to maintain warm, comfortable, loving homes for
their families while their husbands provide the means to pay the bills. After all,
housekeeping is a profession as well as a science all its own. Cookillg, cleaning,
decorating, gardening, furnishing, sewing, shopping are tasks that virtually every child
learns by just watching their parents do it. A home is a special place for all of us. It is
where we socialize with parents and siblings and learn how to be civil with one another.
We can all remember the days when we had to share the bathroom, wash the dishes,
make our beds, prepare the meals, set up the decorations at Christmas time. Who would
deny that something is being learned everyday at home?
Stay-at-home moms also serve as models for their children who sooner or later will marry
and have families of their own and will have to do all ofthe things that their parents did.
When a stay-at-home mom supervises the education of her children, she raises her status
in their eyes. And when she and her husband develop their own philosophy of education
on top of all that, they become true educators.
The public schools have not only destroyed true education, but they have also destroyed
the teaching profession. In the old days a teacher stood in front of her class and taught
the basics in a way that made sense and produced excellent results. Today, that teacher is
a facilitator who simply walks around the room conferring with students but doing very
little real teaching. The children leave that system woefully uneducated and miseducated.
And so, parents who want their children to be smartened up instead of dumbed down
have been forced to do it themselves. And that is all to the good because it has forced
parents to free themselves from an institution that has become evil and destructive of
religion and morality.
Once the academic basics are taught, you can then decide what is important for your
children to know. They should know about our political system, and take an interest in
the electoral process. It’s the politicians who must protect our freedoms, and
homeschoolers should take an active role in supporting legislators who are on the side of
educational freedom. Taking part in political races may inspire your child to become not
only a legislator but also the President! Why not? Let your child aim high.
History, geography, science, mathematics, economics, a foreign language, and of course
English must all be in your curriculum. Each subject represents a challenge in terms of
how to approach it.
Homeschool book fairs offer an exciting array of books on all of
these subjects. The public schools offer dull textbooks that put the students to sleep.
You have the freedom to choose books that will make the subject interesting. A good
way to study history is by reading biographies and autobiographies. History is made by
men and women, and we can learn much by how they lived and influenced the future.
In the field ofeconomics you must provide your child with the arguments against
socialism. Economic freedom is as important as educational freedom, and it is vital for
your child to know the basic principles of both.
As for learning a foreign language, you and your child can decide which language to
study. Some languages open a whole new world of culture; others provide a practical
skill that may be of more economic value than cultural value. Usually in school a foreign
language is imposed. But at home you can make your own choice based on your own
criteria.
The fields of science and mathematics are the keys to a career in high technology. The
computer now rules our lives. Television, videos, CDs, DVDs, camcorders and other new hi
tech instruments are the currency of the new millennium. Your children are the ones who
will be living in the future world. If they are now ten years old, they are likely to live to
2080. What we must all hope for is that America in the year 2080 will be as free as it still
is in 2003, and hopefully even freer. All oft hat is up to the children that you and other
homeschoolers will have educated and sent out into the world. With God’s help, your
children will be a blessing to this magnificent United States of America.
The Blumenfeld Archives http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/main.htm
The Declaration of Independence and the Men Who Signed It.
Mrs. Wolf, my eight-grade history teacher in a Boston Public School, ensured that her students not only knew the reasons why the 13 colonies united against Great Britain, and declared their independence from Great Britain but had her students memorize a good portion of the Declaration of Independence. They also had to know about the men who signed what could have been their death warrant if they were unsuccessful, and the sacrifices they made.
As a means of honoring the memory of those brave men and my beloved history teacher, I felt that I had an obligation to share this information. Over the years, I would help man information tables on the Boston Common with a sign that reads “Honoring the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. How Many Can You Name?” Many of the people who stopped by our table were in town to attend the Boston Pops annual concert which would end with an incredible fireworks display. Few of them could rattle off more than two or three signers, but they left the table with a copy of the Declaration with all the names of the signers.
July 2, 1776, is the day that the Second Continental Congress voted for independence and for two days, delegates debated and edited the Declaration written over a three-week period by Thomas Jefferson. It is generally believed that John Hancock as the President of Congress was the only delegate to sign the Declaration on July 4th. August 2, 1776, was the date that most of the delegates signed the Declaration of Independence
Delegate John Adams of Massachusetts. the man who probably did more to get independence declared said this prior to the vote:
‘Sink or swim, live, or die, survive of perish, I give my hand and heart for this vote…. You and I indeed may rue it. We may not live to the time when this Declaration shall be made good. We may die; die colonists; die slaves; die, it may be ignominiously and on the scaffold. Be it so, be it so
“If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready…. But while I do live, let me have a country, or at least the hope of a country and that of a free country…
“Sir, before God, I believe the hour is come. My judgement approves the measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope, in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it, and I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration, It is my living sentiment and by the blessings of God, it shall be my dying sentiment, Independence now and Independence forever.”
| The Lives of the Signers
One of the best books about the signers of the Declaration of Independence is Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence by B. J. Lossing published in 1848 and reprinted by Wall Builders. In this excellent book, we get the true historical background of the signing of the document and a brief biographical sketch of the men who signed it. (A link to a free PDF version of the book: https://campconstitution.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/livesofsignersof0000bens.pdf One livesofsignersof0000bens The New York delegates Francis Lewis, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, and Lewis Morris bared a good portion of the British brunt losing their wealth and their property destroyed. Francis Lewis’ wife was imprisoned and died shortly after her release due to the brutal treatment she received. Philip Livingston had his businesses and home confiscated, and he died in 1778 broke and separated from his family. New Hampshire had three signers: William Whipple, Dr. Josiah Bartlett, and Matthew Thornton.
Josiah Bartlett was born in Amesbury, MA in 1729. He moved to Kingstown, NH in 1750 and opened up a medical practice. In 1765, he was elected to the Provincial Assembly. In May of 1774, his house was burned to the ground. Tories were suspected. He was the 2nd person to sign the Declaration. He later became New Hampshire’s first governor.
William Whipple was born in Kittery, Maine, then a part of Massachusetts in 1729. He became a ship’s master at the age of 21. He moved to Portsmouth, NH in 1769. In 1775, he was elected to New Hampshire’s Provincial Congress in 1775. He was elected to the Continental Congress. In 1777, he received a military commission by the New Hampshire Provincial Congress. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General and fought in a number of battles including the Battle of Saratoga. He freed his slave Prince Whipple who served beside him in a number of battles. He died in 1785 and is buried in Portsmouth.
Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland in 1714. At the age of three, he and his parents came to the America and settled in Wiscasset, Maine. In 1722, Indians raided his town and burned their house. The Thorntons moved to Worcester. Matthew studies medicine and became a doctor. He moved to Londonderry, NH, and was appointed a surgeon in the New Hampshire Militia. In 1775, he became the president of the New Hampshire Provincial Congress. He was elected to the Continental Congress but didn’t serve until November of 1776 when he signed the Declaration. In 1780, he retired from his medical practice and moved to Merrimack where he remained active in state politics serving as a state rep. In 1803 while visiting his daughter in Newburyport, MA, he passed away. He is buried in Merrimack, NH In some circles, the term “sacred honor” is considered a silly anachronism of a less enlightened era and regard the signers as “dead white European males whose values must be demeaned. However, we at Camp Constitution-staying true to our motto “Honoring the Past…Teaching the Present…Preparing the Future, along with, what I believe to be most Americans will never forget the true meaning of Independence Day. Happy 249th Birthday United States of America May you have many more, and may its citizens never forget the brave men and woman that have helped keep our nation free. For a free pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence with a list of the signers, please sent me an E-mail to campconstitution1@gmail.com
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of the most compelling facts is that not one of the signers betrayed the new nation. Not one “flip-flopped” or became “politically correct.” When they pledged their lives and sacred honor, they meant it. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration, several of them and their family members died from their wounds or hardships. Five were captured and imprisoned under harsh conditions. Twelve had their homes burned to the ground, and 17 were impoverished. And, no, none of them made these sacrifices to promote the institute of slavery. Indeed, the Declaration of Independence helped pave the way for the ultimate abolition of slavery in the United States.
Free PDF of Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence Book
As we celebrate the 249th anniversary of our nation’s birthday, we also need to honor the memory of the 56 brave men that made that birthday possible. They pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. The link below is for an 1870 PDF version of Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Benson Lossing of a book originally published in 1848 contains short biographies of these brave men.
https://campconstitution.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/livesofsignersof0000bens.pdf
New Hampshire Educaton Options: Upsetting the Education Mafia
My late friend and mentor Sam Blumenfeld once remarked that the government school system is a “sick obsolete dinosaur being propped up by powerful lobbyists like the National Education Association, and government officials.” The truth of that statement was on full display recently at the Wolfeboro Library. On June 10th New Hampshire Education Options held an exposition inside while outside on the sidewalk in front of the library were a group of people demonstrating against New Hampshire Education Options’ presence. There were well over 100 attendees at the exposition, mainly young couples with small children who are seeking alternatives to government schools. Some of the attendees were already homeschooling their children or sending them to private or charter schools.
The folks demonstrating against free people making their own decisions about their children’s education outside of the library-about twenty- were trying to preserve the sick obsolete dinosaur that cost the taxpayers up to $30,000 a year per student while not only giving them a substandard level of education but are aggressively promoting a worldview that is hostile to a moral and free people. I suspect some, if not all of them, were government school employees or family members of government school employees that have a financial interest in preserving that sick obsolete dinosaur. The organizer of the protest was Bobbi Boudman who ran unsuccessfully for state rep. This sick obsolete dinosaur supporter called the Education Options organizers and the attendees “hate mongers.” Such a reckless and irresponsible statement from a mouthpiece of the Education Mafia will not deter the folks at Education Options. It will only inspire them. As the saying goes, “If you are catching flak, you must be over the target.”
From Education Option’s website:
Our mission is to provide information, support, and connections to families who want to explore education options. To do this, we hold expos in different regions around the state, connect people to the resources that will help them, and support families in their efforts to educate their children.
EdOpt is a 501(c)(3) non-profit education organization. We accept tax-deductible donations to help us with our mission.
2024 Year Founded 12 Expos Hosted 1000+ Providers Indexed 2+Upcoming Expos.
A few testimonials:
My daughter used to cry every morning and feel sick to her stomach before going to school – she never wanted to go.
We chose a drop-off learning center. Mom of a 10 Year Old
My kids were never excited to learn until they started at Micah Studios in Newport. Mom of 3 (ages 7, 9 and 12)
My third grader was struggling to read at 1st grade level. We chose to homeschool. Homeschool Mom
Its founder is Jody Underwood:
President/Chair Jody Underwood has spent almost all of her life involved in education. Retired in 2023, she’s a learning scientist-she designed and produced software to help students learn or be assessed. For many years she worked for the Research Division of Education Testing Service (ETS), the people who bring you the SAT, NAEP, and other standardized tests.
She served on the Croydon, NH School Board from 2010-2023, serving as chair much of the time. She’s a founding board member of the non-profit School District Governance Association (SDGA) whose mission is to help school board members discover their lawful powers. She has been involved in bill review, focusing on the vast number of education bills proposed each year for the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance and the SDGA.
Along with a small team, she began the process of starting a charter school in the Upper Valley Area. They found that the law wouldn’t allow them to do the type of school they wanted but learned a lot about the process along the way. Jody worked with the founders to set up Micah Studios, a learning center in Newport, NH, which started in September 2024.
She has a PH. D. in Science and Technology Education, and a B.S. and M.S. in computer science with a focus in artificial intelligence. Her dream has always been to revolutionize learning environments to engage individuals to move ahead at their own pace.
Camp Constitution has attended nine of the twelve expos held around the state so far. These expos, usually held in public libraries or churches, are free to both vendors and the public. Attendees find a wide variety of options to the inferior government schools from private prep schools to Christian schools to charter schools, to learning centers and, of course, home schools cooperatives. They also offer extracurricular activities like aviation schools, acting classes, music lessons, , organic farming, gardening, nature hikes forensics for children, organizations offering scholarships, and much more. We offer families our week-long family retreats and our Sam Blumenfeld Archives which is a free on-line resource for educators and homeschoolers.
It has been an excellent experience for us. We have met with dozens of people from young parents who are planning to homeschool their children to parents who are exploring options to government schools to parents looking for after school programs.
Members of the Education Mafia, and their allies are not pleased that their near monopoly on the minds of our nation’s children are under attack. Let’s continue to break that near monopoly. Readers are encouraged to attend and/or host a New Hampshire Education Options exposition in their area. For more information, please visit their website https://edopt.org/about/