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5th Annual Camp Constitution Ladies Spring Fling
“So Help Me God”: Purpose of an Oath, and Nietzsche’s shocking admission – American Minute with Bill Federer
On February 28, 2019, Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen (TN) was swearing in witnesses before a House Judiciary Subcommittee.
Then Congressman Mike Johnson (LA) made a point of parliamentary inquiry: “I think we left out ‘so help me God.’”
Cohen replied: “We did.”
Johnson asked “Can we have the witnesses do it again for the record?”
Cohen responded: “No,” then added: “If they want to do it, but some of them don’t want to do it, and I don’t think it’s necessary, and I don’t like to assert my will over other people.”
Johnson responded:
“Well it goes back to our founding history, it’s been part of our tradition for more than two centuries and I don’t know that we should abandon it now.”
Democrat Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY) interrupted:
“If any witness objects he should not be asked to … and we should let it go with that.”
That was it. Gone. Over two hundred years of precedent of witnesses ending their oath with the phrase “so help me God” abruptly discarded.
Why did the founders include “So Help Me God” in the oath?
Human nature!
Greek philosopher Plato explained that human nature was such, that if a person could escape accountability, they would act unjustly, with selfish immorality.
Plato wrote in The Republic, 380 BC:
“According to the tradition, Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the king of Lydia; there was a great storm, and an earthquake made an opening in the earth at the place where he was feeding his flock.
Amazed at the sight, he descended into the opening, where, among other marvels … looking in saw a dead body of stature … having nothing on but a gold ring; this he took from the finger of the dead and reascended …”
Plato continued:
“Now the shepherds met together, according to custom, that they might send their monthly report about the flocks to the king;
into their assembly he came having the ring on his finger, and as he was sitting among them he chanced to turn the collet of the ring inside his hand, when instantly he became invisible to the rest of the company and they began to speak of him as if he were no longer present …
… He was astonished at this, and again touching the ring he turned the collet outwards and reappeared; he made several trials of the ring, and always with the same result–when he turned the collet inwards he became invisible, when outwards he reappeared.
… Whereupon he contrived to be chosen one of the messengers who were sent to the court;
whereas soon as he arrived he seduced the queen, and with her help conspired against the king and slew him, and took the kingdom.”
Plato added:
“No man can be imagined to be of such an iron nature that he would stand fast in justice.
No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all respects be like a god among men.
Then the actions of the just would be as the actions of the unjust; they would both come at last to the same point.
… And this we may truly affirm to be a great proof that a man is just, not willingly or because he thinks that justice is any good to him individually, but of necessity, for wherever any one thinks that he can safely be unjust, there he is unjust.
For all men believe in their hearts that injustice is far more profitable to the individual than justice, and he who argues as I have been supposing, will say that they are right …”
Plato concluded that it would be illogical for a person with Gyges’ ring not to yield to the temptation:
“If you could imagine any one obtaining this power of becoming invisible, and never doing any wrong or touching what was another’s, he would be thought by the lookers-on to be a most wretched idiot.”
Only the belief in God–an eternal, invisible, just God–and that one is personally accountable to Him in the next life, could a person resist the temptation of the ring of Gyges.
William Linn, unanimously elected the first U.S. House Chaplain, stated May 1, 1789:
“Let my neighbor once persuade himself that there is no God, and he will soon pick my pocket, and break not only my leg but my neck.
If there be no God, there is no law, no future account; government then is the ordinance of man only, and we cannot be subject for conscience sake.”
The tradition in America has been for oaths to end with “So Help Me God.”
The military’s oath of enlistment ended with “So Help Me God.”
The commissioned officers’ oath ended with “So Help Me God.”
President’s oath of office ended with “So Help Me God.”
Congressmen and Senators’ oath ended with “So Help Me God.”
Witnesses in Court swore to tell the truth, “So Help Me God.”
Even an oath proposed by Lincoln for individuals wanting to be U.S. citizens ended with “So Help Me God.”
Lincoln announced his plan, December 8, 1863, to let back into the Union those who had been in the Confederacy:
“Whereas it is now desired by some persons heretofore engaged in said rebellion to resume their allegiance to the United States …
… Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States … make known to all persons who have … participated in the existing rebellion …
that a full pardon is hereby granted … with restoration of all rights of property … upon the condition that every such person shall take and subscribe an oath … to wit:
“I, ______, do solemnly swear, in the presence of ALMIGHTY GOD, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Union of the States thereunder,
and that I will in like manner abide by and faithfully support all acts of Congress passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves …
and that I will in like manner abide by and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during the existing rebellion having reference to slaves …
so help me God.”
A situation was faced by Justice Samuel Chase, who was Chief Justice of Maryland’s Supreme Court in 1791, and then appointed by George Washington to be a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, 1796-1811.
In 1799, a dispute arose over whether an Irish immigrant named Thomas M’Creery had in fact become a naturalized U.S. citizen and thereby able to leave an estate to a relative in Ireland.
The court decided in M’Creery’s favor based on a certificate executed before Justice Samuel Chase, which stated:
“I, Samuel Chase, Chief Judge of the State of Maryland, do hereby certify all whom it may concern,
that … personally appeared before me Thomas M’Creery, and did repeat and subscribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian Religion, and take the oath required … entitled, An Act for Naturalization.”
The purpose of an oath is to call a Higher Power to hold you accountable to perform what you promised.
It is a fearful understanding that you are inviting divine judgement upon yourself if you lie or break your promise.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary gave the definition:
“OATH: A solemn affirmation or declaration, made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed.
The appeal to God in an oath implies that the person imprecates (invokes) His vengeance and renounces His favor if the declaration is false,
or if the declaration is a promise, the person invokes the vengeance of God if he should fail to fulfill it.”
An example of an oath is in Genesis 31:49-53, taken between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban:
“… for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee …
Behold this heap … this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee …
I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. “
An unorthodox view of taking an oath was mentioned by Bill Clinton at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 4, 1993:
“Just two weeks and a day ago, I took the oath of office as President.
You know the last four words, for those who choose to say it in this way, are ‘so help me God’ … Deep down inside I wanted to say it the way I was thinking it, which was, ‘So, – help me, God.'”
Judicial courts thought oaths would lose their effectiveness if the public at large lost the fear of the God, as He gave the commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”
New York Supreme Court Chief Justice Chancellor Kent noted in People v. Ruggles, 1811, that irreverence weakened the effectiveness of oaths:
“Christianity was parcel of the law, and to cast contumelious (insulting) reproaches upon it, tended to weaken the foundation of moral obligation, and the efficacy (effectiveness) of oaths.”
George Washington warned of this in his Farewell Address, 1796:
“Let it simply be asked where is the security for prosperity, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in the Courts of Justice?”
In August of 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville observed a court case:
“While I was in America, a witness, who happened to be called at the assizes of the county of Chester (state of New York), declared that he did not believe in the existence of God or in the immortality of the soul.
The judge refused to admit his evidence, on the ground that the witness had destroyed beforehand all confidence of the court in what he was about to say. The newspapers related the fact without any further comment …”
DeTocqueville continued:
“The New York Spectator of August 23d, 1831, relates the fact in the following terms:
‘The court of common pleas of Chester county (New York), a few days since rejected a witness who declared his disbelief in the existence of God.
… The presiding judge remarked, that he had not before been aware that there was a man living who did not believe in the existence of God;
that this belief constituted the sanction (validity) of all testimony in a court of justice:
and that he knew of no case in a Christian country, where a witness had been permitted to testify without such belief.'”
President Dwight Eisenhower addressed the American Legion Back-to-God Program, February 20, 1955:
“Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first — the most basic — expression of Americanism.”
Oaths to hold office had similar acknowledgments.
The Constitution of Pennsylvania, 1776, signed by Ben Franklin, stated in chapter 2, section 10:
“Each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz:
‘I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.'”
The Constitution of South Carolina, 1778, article 12, stated:
“Every … person, who acknowledges the being of a God, and believes in the future state of rewards and punishments … (is eligible to vote).”
The Constitution of South Carolina, 1790, article 38, stated:
“That all persons and religious societies, who acknowledge that there is one God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and that God is publicly to be worshiped, shall be freely tolerated.”
The Constitution of Mississippi, 1817, stated:
“No person who denies the being of God or a future state of rewards and punishments shall hold any office in the civil department of the State.”
The Constitution of Maryland, 1851, required office holders make:
“A declaration of belief in the Christian religion; and if the party shall profess to be a Jew the declaration shall be of his belief in a future state of rewards and punishments.”
In 1864, the Constitution of Maryland, required office holders to make:
“A declaration of belief in the Christian religion, or of the existence of God, and in a future state of rewards and punishments.”
The Constitution of Tennessee, 1870, article IX, Section 2, stated:
“No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this State.”
Justice James Iredell, nominated by George Washington to the Supreme Court, defined an oath as a:
“solemn appeal to the Supreme Being for the truth of what is said by a person who believes in the existence of a Supreme Being and in a future state of rewards and punishments.”
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court stated in Commonwealth v. Wolf (3 Serg. & R. 48, 50, 1817:
“Laws cannot be administered in any civilized government unless the people are taught to revere the sanctity of an oath, and look to a future state of rewards and punishments for the deeds of this life.”
It was understood that persons in positions of power would have opportunities to do corrupt deep-state backroom deals for their own benefit.
But what if that person believed that:
- God was watching;
- that He wanted them to be just and honest; and
- that He would hold them accountable in the future.
These beliefs would motivate a person to hesitate doing wrong, thinking “even if I get away with this my whole life, I will still be accountable to God in the next.”
This is what is called “having a conscience.”
But if that person did not believe in God and in a future state of rewards and punishments, when presented with the same temptation — with no ultimate accountability — they would yield to it.
In fact, if there is no God and this life is all there is, a person, according to Plato, would be an idiot not to.
John Adams wrote again to Judge F.A. Van de Kemp, December 27, 1816:
“Let it once be revealed or demonstrated that there is no future state, and my advice to every man, woman, and child, would be, as our existence would be in our own power, to take opium.
For, I am certain there is nothing in this world worth living for but hope, and every hope will fail us, if the last hope, that of a future state, is extinguished.”
Democrat Presidential Candidate William Jennings Bryan reasoned, September 17, 1913:
“There is a powerful restraining influence in the belief that an all-seeing eye scrutinizes every thought and word and act of the individual …
A religion which teaches PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD gives strength to morality”
President Reagan stated in 1984:
“Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience.”
Sir William Blackstone, one of the most quoted authors by America’s founders, wrote in Commentaries on the Laws of England, 1765-1770:
“The belief of a future state of rewards and punishments, the entertaining just ideas of the main attributes of the Supreme Being,
and a firm persuasion that He superintends and will finally compensate every action in human life (all which are revealed in the doctrines of our Savior, Christ),
these are the grand foundations of all judicial oaths, which call God to witness the truth of those facts which perhaps may be only known to Him and the party attesting.”
Signer of the Declaration John Witherspoon wrote:
“An oath … implies a belief in God … and indeed is an act of worship …
In vows, there is no party but God and the person himself who makes the vow.”
The Gospel is:
God is just, and therefore must judge every sin;
but
God is love, and He, Himself, provided the Lamb to take the judgment for our sins.
Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul admonished in his letter to the Philippines, 2:12:
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.” (NLT)
This was the view of Secretary of State Daniel Webster, who, when asked what was the greatest thought that ever passed through his mind, replied:
“My accountability to God.”
Benjamin Franklin wrote to Yale President Ezra Stiles, March 9, 1790:
“The soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its conduct in this.”
Franklin also wrote:
“That there is one God, Father of the Universe … That He loves such of His creatures as love and do good to others:
and will reward them either in this world or hereafter,
That men’s minds do not die with their bodies, but are made more happy or miserable after this life according to their actions.”
John Adams wrote to Judge F.A. Van der Kemp, January 13, 1815:
“My religion is founded on the love of God and my neighbor; in the hope of pardon for my offenses; upon contrition …
In the duty of doing no wrong, but all the good I can, to the creation, of which I am but an infinitesimal part.
I believe, too, in a future state of rewards and punishments.”
Some tried to extinguish “a future state.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is remembered for his line “God is dead.”
He exposed how hypocritical it was for atheists to claim to be “moral” (“Twilight of the Idols,” The Portable Nietzsche, ed., trans. Walter Kaufman, NY: Penguin Books, 1976, p. 515-6):
“When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one’s feet.
This morality is by no means self-evident: this point has to be exhibited again and again, despite the English flatheads.
Christianity is a system, a whole view of things thought out together. By breaking one main concept out of it, the faith in God, one breaks the whole: nothing necessary remains in one’s hands.
Christianity presupposes that man does not know, cannot know, what is good for him, what evil: he believes in God, who alone knows it.
Christian morality is a command; its origin is transcendent; it is beyond all criticism, all right to criticism; it has truth only if God has truth — it stands or falls with faith in God.”
Nietzsche criticized English atheist Mary Ann Evans, whose pen name was “George Elliot,” by pointing out that it was hypocritical for an atheist to claim to be good:
“G. Elliot: They are rid of the Christian God and now believe all the more firmly that they must cling to Christian morality.
This is an English inconsistency: we do not wish to hold it against little moralistic females à la Eliot.
In England one must rehabilitate oneself after ever little emancipation from theology by showing in a veritably awe-inspiring manner what a moral fanatic one is. That is the penance they pay there …
When the English actually believe that they know ‘intuitively’ what is good and evil, when they therefore suppose that they no longer require Christianity as the guarantee of morality, we merely witness the effects of the dominion of the Christian value judgment and an expression of the strength and depth of this dominion:
such that the origin of English morality has been forgotten, such that the very conditional character of its right to existence is no longer felt. For the English, morality is not yet a problem.”
Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, in his book The Brothers Karamazov, 1880, had the character Ivan Karamazov contend that if there is no God, “everything is permitted.”
Kenneth Lantz described in The Dostoevsky Encyclopedia, 2004 (Greenwood Publishing) how Dostoevsky criticized Europe:
“In Dostoevsky’s incomplete article ‘Socialism and Christianity,’ he claimed civilization had become degraded, and it was moving towards liberalism and losing its faith in God.
He asserted that the traditional concept of Christianity should be recovered.
He thought that contemporary Western Europe had ‘rejected the single formula for their salvation that came from God and was proclaimed through revelation,’ and replaced it with practical conclusions such as, ‘every man for himself and God for all,’ or ‘scientific’ slogans like ‘survival of the fittest.’
Dostoevsky considered this crisis to be the consequence of the collision between communal and individual interests, brought about by a decline in religious and moral principles.”
Rufus King, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, wrote in “Reports of the Proceedings and Debates of the Convention of 1821, Assembled for the Purpose of Amending The Constitution of the State of New York,” October 30, 1821:
“In our laws … by the oath which they prescribe, we appeal to the Supreme Being so to deal with us hereafter as we observe the obligation of our oaths.
The Pagan world were and are without the mighty influence of this principle which is proclaimed in the Christian system – their morals were destitute of its powerful sanction while their oaths neither awakened the hopes nor fears which a belief in Christianity inspires.”
John Adams warned October 11, 1798, in his address to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division of Massachusetts’ Militia:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.
Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net …
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Noah Webster wrote in A Collection of Papers on Political, Literary and Moral Subjects (New York, 1843):
“The virtue which is necessary to … render a government stable, is Christian virtue, which consists in the uniform practice of moral and religious duties, in conformity with the laws of both of God and man.”
Harvard Professor Clay Christensen, the Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, observed February 8, 2011:
“If you take away religion, you cannot hire enough police.”
John Adams wrote in a Proclamation of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer, March 6, 1799:
“No truth is more clearly taught in the Volume of Inspiration … than … acknowledgment of … a Supreme Being and of the accountableness of men to Him as the searcher of hearts and righteous distributor of rewards and punishments.”
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American Minute is a registered trademark of William J. Federer. Permission granted to forward, reprint, or duplicate.
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Image Credits: Public Domain; Description: George Washington in 1797; Date: January 1, 1797; Author: Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828); https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Washington_1797_cropped.jpg
Artwork details: Title: The Inauguration of Washington as First President of the United States, April 30th 1789 – At the Old City Hall, New York – The oath of office was administered by Chancellor Livingston of the States of New York – Mr. Otis the Secretary of the Senate holding up the Bible on a crimson cushion.; Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907); Sitter: George Washington (American, 1732–1799); Date: 1876; Medium: Hand-colored lithograph; Dimensions: Image: 8 7/8 × 12 1/2 in. (22.6 × 31.7 cm); Sheet: 13 1/2 × 17 11/16 in. (34.3 × 44.9 cm); Classification: Prints; Credit Line: Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962; Object Number: 63.550.455
The Weekly Sam: Eugenics and the Making of A Black Underclass by
From 1986 to 1999, Sam wrote a monthly newsletter called “The Blumenfeld Education Letter.” They are all available in the Sam Blumenfeld Archive. Many of them are timeless especially this one from June 1987-“Eugenics and the Making of a Black Underclass.” Sam traces the racist history of Eugenics and how it was created and embraced by the so-called progressives in the United States. A link to the newsletter is below. Please help share this vital information far and wide
http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/1987/BEL%2002-06%20198706.pdf
2024 Year End Summmary of Dead Article V Convention Applications
2024 YEAR-END SUMMARY
The graveyard visual below summarizes our 2024 wins (click on the image to enlarge). And/or you can CLICK HERE for more detail.
Mark Meckler, President of the deceptively named “Convention of States“ (COS) organizations, lost in all of the 21 States he tried to get to pass an application. 😄
The organization pushing for a convention ostensibly limited to passing a Balanced Budget Amendment (which was introduced in Florida, South Carolina, and Idaho) passed only in Florida. But Florida had already passed it during 2014, so the application passed during 2024 was redundant.
Wolf-PAC‘s application failed in the 5 States where it was introduced—all Democrat states, except for New Hampshire. There, it appeared that Wolf-PAC introduced their application to confuse legislators, in an attempt to defeat our Rescission resolution. The latter amazingly passed the NH House before dying in the Senate.
The US Term Limits organization (USTL) got applications passed in Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina. But all of the States which passed USTL’s application this year had previously passed other applications for Congress to call a Convention. So USTL’s new applications are also redundant [since Congress can count all of the applications together regardless of the particular Amendment asked for].
Rumor has it that USTL now has funding greater than that of COS—so it will most likely be a force to reckon with in 2025. In fact, their new false and absurd narrative, which contradicts 8 or 9 years of USTL testimony insisting Congress will never term-limit itself, gained traction in 2024. They now tell legislators that history proves that the chances of a convention are slim to none, but legislators’ “Yes” votes on applications are needed anyway—to scare Congress into proposing the Amendment themselves!
During March 2024, thanks to our liberal allies, we celebrated New York’s becoming the 9th State in as many years to rescind all their applications. That makes 13 states with no active applications. If four additional states rescind, there won’t be 17 States left for Congress to count to reach the 34-state threshold per Article V.
THANK YOU for your personal visits, remote and in-person testimony, letters, texts, and phone calls. Your results have been amazing—especially considering the tens of millions of dollars we’re up against. During 2024, we sent 87 blasts for 23 States (90% during Jan. thru May)—mostly on applications, but also rescission, rule changes, sunsets, delegate bills, & updates. New in 2024 were outrageous grant requests from the Phoenix Correspondence Commission asking various State Legislatures (i.e., taxpayers) to fund the CON Lobby’s attempts to shred our Constitution!
As to this coming year: applications have already been pre-filed for 2025.
Every letter & call counts—in fact all some legislators do is count how many people support or oppose the legislation! So please act on our blasts —even if you write only one sentence. Our Constitution depends upon it. We value your time and send alerts only when we’re fairly certain they can make a difference.
Thank you for defending our Constitution!
Camp Constitution Announces Its 17th Annual Family Camp
Camp Constitution will hold its 17th Annual Family Camp at the Singing Hills Christian Camp https://www.singinghills.net/ Plainfield, NH. from Sunday July 13 to Friday July 18, 2025
Returning instructors include Pastor David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution, Keith Hanson of Critical Dynamic, Professor Willie Soon, world renowned astrophysicist and climate realist, Catherine White of The Constitution Decoded, Alex Newman, author and host of the Sentinel Report, and Rev. Steve Craft, Camp Constitution’s chaplain.
Guest instructors include Mr. Kurt Hyde, retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Air Force, and election fraud expert. In addition to the classes, the camp will offer marksmanship courses, martial arts, hiking, basketball, volleyball, wiffleball, and optional field trip and swimming, chess, gaga and corn hole tournaments. Campers and staff end the day with an evening campfire.
Camp Constitution’s annual camp is a family camp open to entire families, unaccompanied minors, and adults. The cost for the week which includes lodging, meals and class handouts is $300 for those 13 and over. $200. For campers 12 and under, and three and under with parents are free. The camp offers an “Early Bird” discount of $50, per person by registering by May 1. A link to the camp registration: https://campconstitution.net/camp-registration/
For more information contact Hal Shurtleff (857) 498-1309 campconstitution1@gmail.com
Camp Constitution’s Annual Report for 2024, and Looking Into 2025
Camp Constitution started 2024 with a bang when Camp Constitution instructor Professor Willie Soon’s interview by Tucker Carlson aired early in the month. Towards the end of the interview, Professor Soon gave a 1 ½ minute-, unscripted, from the heart, “infomercial for Camp Constitution which led to 50,000+ new views of our website, $2,400. in unsolicited donations, a dozen new books orders, and approximately 30 new camp attendees some coming as far as Germany, and Texas.
https://youtu.be/s9-SqR7luKY?si=eu_mzKWZSovLb6cb
16th Annual Family Camp
Camp Constitution’s 16th annual family camp ran from Sunday July 14 to Friday July 19. For the fifth year in a row, the camp took place at the Singing Hills Christian Camp in Plainfield, NH. This may have been our largest turnout in our camp’s history with attendees coming as far as Frankfurt, Germany, Cape Town, South Africa, Florida, Uganda Texas, and Wisconsin
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, and author and host of the Liberty Sentinel program, Alex Newman.
Our guest instructors were Mrs. Julie Wilkerson who played the abortion nurse in the movie UnPlanned: The Abby Johnson Story and author Dr. Felecia Nace. Dr Nace attended out 2020 camp and was the guest speaker at this year’s Ladies “Spring Fling” . For the tenth year, Mr. Mert Melfa served as our videographer and uploaded videos of our classes and activities. A link to our 2024 Family Camp YouTube playlist: https://studio.youtube.com/playlist/PL7jnzBzBiNYBuAEivmEE9B-L1wy4ZKTEc/videos
We start our 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. Afterwards, there is a reading from the Bible. As he has for the past few years, veteran camper Franklin Soon plays “Reveille” on the trumpet followed by the firing of our cannon: https://youtu.be/vlj4Kz-TV3w?si=KqfpCG8-wvJYbGOz
After a hearty breakfast, the camp conducts three 45-minute classes.
During the first class, Head Counselor Chris Kalis conducts room inspection where both cleanliness, and a Patriotic theme will give those in 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 Girls of Room 11 in Mountain View were the winners. 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 PDF versions of the paper: https://s3.amazonaws.com/camppictures/CampArchive/index.html
Monday afternoon, we offered an optional martial arts training class taught by Mr. George Dewhurst of Alton, NH.
Over the years, we have been blessed with talented campers and staff and this year was no exception. From Mrs. Paulie Heath, our campfire director who is a Christian recording artist to the Soons-Emily, Ben, and Franklin to Josh Viliniskis, to Mrs. Catherine White to new campers Elayna, Alise, and Christie Uhl from Milwaukee to Jonathan Cohler, a world-renowned clarinetist, our ears were treated to some incredible music. These talents are highlighted at our evening campfires, where in addition to music and signing, attendees tell “Dad” jokes, skits, and recite poetry. Campfire ends with a devotion and the playing of “Taps”
Our junior campers -ages 5-12- also attend classes taught by Mrs. Edith Craft, Mrs. Kathy Mickel who also serves as our nurse, Mrs. Jessica Whitworth, and Mrs. Roberta Stewart. On Thursday, the Junior Campers have a parade through camp:
For the second year, Mr. Keith Hanson and his team at Critical Dynamics taught the optional firearms training on Tuesday afternoon. We had a number of first-time marksmen on hand.
Mr. Chris Kalis, who drives all the way from Michigan, serves as both our head counselor and recreational director. He runs the afternoon program which includes volleyball, basketball, “steal the bacon” a chess tournament, and our annual wiffleball game between “The Shurtleff All Stars” and “The Kalis Barnstormers.”
Wednesday afternoon, we had an optional field trip to the Precision Museum in nearby Windsor, Vermont where we learned about our nation’s role in the Industrial Revolution.
On Thursday afternoon, Alan “Spunky” Bellanger entertained Junior campers.
The camp has both a pond and a pool which are popular with the campers:
On Thursday evening, the camp held its closing ceremony where the Super Camper and Super Staffer awards along with and our new “Willie Soon” Award for Instructional Excellence. are presented. Mrs. Jessica Whitworth was awarded the Super Staffer award, Professor Willie Soon was awarded the first “Wille Soon Award.” Ben Soon and Elisabeth Krutov were the Super Campers, and Jonathan Larson and first time camper Alise Uhl were the runner ups. Super Campers win a free tuition for next year’s camp. Junior camper program director Mrs. Edith Craft presented certificates of completion to our junior camper camp program.
(Ben Soon, Jonathan Larson, Elisabeth Krutov and Alise Uhl)
Here is a link to pictures and videos of activities of our camp:
Next year’s camp will run from Sunday July 13 to Friday July 18 and returns to Singing Hills Christian Camp in Plainfield, NH.
Camp Constitution in the News
Our lawsuit “Shurtleff v Boston” continues to be mentioned in the news around the United States. Our case was cited in defense of the recently passed law in Louisiana that calls for the placing of the Ten Commandments in the state’s public school classrooms. Cities and towns across the United States cited our case when passing ordinances banning all third-party flags including Lockhaven, PA, Enfield, CT and LaRue, TX. While other towns and cities, due to our case, have allowed the flying of Christian, and Pro-Life flags including Waltham, MA, Hartford, CT and Nashua, NH. We write a monthly article that runs in the “Weirs Times” based in Laconia, NH. The article is usually carried in “The Boston Broadside” and the on-line Granite Grok.
Camp Constitution on the Air
While at our annual family camp. Alex Newman did a live show on Frank Speech where he interviewed a number of our instructors. We had two appearances on the Duke Pesta Show, and three appearances on the Tamara Scott Show which airs on Frank Speech, two appearances on the Pro-America Report hosted by Ed Martin of the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, an appearance on the Chris McCarthy Show on WBSM New Bedford, an appearance on Red Pill Politics which airs on Republic Radio, and for the first time, an appearance on the George Hale–Ric Tyler Show on WVOM FM Maine, and an appearance on the Liberty Sentinel Show with Alex Newman. We also appeared as a guest on Chattin with Jeanine- TV Show which airs on Merrimac, NH’s cable station, and hosted by New Hampshire State Rep Jeanine Notter. We also co-hosted a show on the newly rebooted Catching Fire News. And, mentioned above, an interview of Professor Willie Soon with Tucker Carlson.
Tamara Scott
Special Projects
We recently joined forces with New Hampshire Patriot Hub https://www.nhpatriothub.org/about-us/ in their campaign to get schools across New Hampshire to teach their students about the Matrix of Liberty-the meaning behind the Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, MA. We had a float, for the fourth year in row, at the Alton, NH Old Home Day Parade where we distributed over 300 pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution. We hosted info tables at the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, information tables at the Mass HOPE and Homeschoolers of Maine annual conventions. We participate in a flag raising ceremony of Resurrection Sunday in front of Nashua, NH’s City Hall. We had our Spring and Fall Clean Ups at our two miles of road on Alton, NH, and an information tables the Education Options Expo held in Newport, in late August, and Manchester, and Peterborough in December. In early August, we co-sponsored a day camp in Maine for children ages 5-12.
Camp Constitution Press
With our trusty video camera, we recorded a number of presentations and events. and upload them on our YouTube and Rumble channels. These presentations included Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies in Alton, NH, Wreaths Across American Stop Ceremony in Gardner, MA, speeches by Vince Ellison, Phil Zohiates, and speakers at our week-long and weekend camps.
Thanks to two generous donors, we were able to run radio spots promoting the Sam Blumenfeld Archive, and Ladies Weekend Retreat on WRKO, the most popular AM talk radio show in New England, and WORD Radio WSEW in Rochester. The spots also ran free on New Hampshire Gospel Radio WVNH, WANH, and WJNHA link to the radio spot: https://youtube.com/shorts/CC7MaLHpQPQ?si=3wzZlG6P49CQ6NU6
YouTube, and Rumble
We received 460,000 views in 2024 and two million, seven thousand since the channel’s inception and as well as doubling our subscribers with 8,820 new subscribers giving us close to 17,000 subscribers. Our Rumble channel had 15000 views, 1,500 likes, and 290 followers. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to these two channels and share the videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7ME18Q1xiqcrPEn5h5FbA
https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all
Camp Constitution Report on Podomatic and Other Platforms
We have received 1,000 plays and 2,500 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 published The Racist Roots of Planned Parenthood and Its Legacy of Death and Art and Revolution, and we had another printing of Alpha-Phonics, and The 1928 U.S. Army Manual. Thanks to the efforts of Bill McNally and his daughter, Barbara, who edited an unpublished manuscript on the JFK assassination written by Sam Blumenfeld in 1965, we will be publishing Sam’s work titled Did the KGB Kill Kennedy? Bill and Barbara are also working on a more difficult edit of Sam’s Did the Communists Create the Neo-Nazi Movement in America
Speakers Bureau
We had 38 speaking engagements including five engagements by best-selling author Vince Ellison, and two for Williamm Brown and Phil Zodhiates of Save the Persecuted Christians.
Website
87,000 views and published 178 articles on the blog. We requested permission from World Net Daily to report their articles. Within a few hours, we received this:
Dear Hal, that would be fine. And by the way, WND has been covering your Christian flag case for many years.
Consider this email your license to republish WND News Center content, providing you adhere to the provisions noted on the WND News Center site https://www.wndnewscenter.org/ in the Terms of Use: https://www.wndnewscenter.org/terms-of-use/
David Kupelian, Editor in Chief, WND News Center
Sam Blumenfeld Archives
735,000 hits with over 2,000 Alpha Phonics workbooks downloaded. As mentioned above, we reprinted 200 copies of Alpha Phonics and ran 30-second promotional spots on several radio stations including WRKO, and WORD Radio in Rochester, NH:
https://youtube.com/shorts/CC7MaLHpQPQ?si=Hh2QeYh7qOP0buV7
The Blumenfeld Archives
Facebook Page
We have close to 4,000 likes 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
Between our camp blogs, resources from our website, and YouTube channels, we helped stop many resolutions for an Article V Convention. We testified against HCR 8 a resolution introduced by the far-left group Wolf PAC in New Hampshire’s House and it was soundly defeated, and we testified in favor of HCR 9, a resolution to rescind New Hampshire’s only Article V application. It passed the House by a voice vote which surprised many pundits but was not taken up in the Senate. In Maine, we helped defeat a resolution for an Article V Convention. On the morning before the vote, we appeared as a guest on WVOM-the Voice of Maine to discuss the issue. A link to the interview: https://youtu.be/g72_f6vk1ts?si=7R8Mg2aog5ZRFBVr
Ladies Spring Fling
We held our 5th annual ladies “Spring Fling” in early May held at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center. Guest speaker was Dr. Felecia Nace.
Third Annual Weekend Family Retreat
Camp Constitution held its 3rd annual family retreat up at Camp Sentinel in Tuftonboro, NH this past weekend and it was chock full of information, encouragement, and activities!
Friday evening, Reverend Steven Craft gave a presentation on Race Worship. He likened the race debate to the “Golden Calf of the 21st Century”, encouraging attendees to be modern day Davids up against a Goliath of racialized ideology. While some have weaponized race, we must remember that Jesus shed his blood for ALL of us, which makes us equal in the eyes of God. Kin folk, not “skin” folk!
We also had a Constitution 101 presentation by Camp Constitution Co-Founder, Hal Shurtleff! He recommended watching “A More Perfect Union” and reading “Christianity and the Constitution” by John Eidsmoe as well as The Federalist Papers. He reminded us that the amendments in the Bill of Rights PROTECT our rights – not grant them.
Saturday was a full day of activities and crafts for the kids, and speeches for the adults in the morning, starting with Michael King of Massachusetts Family Institution. He shared some concerning slides and papers put out in schools, like the ‘Gingerbread Person’ for elementary/middle schoolers, ‘Gender Unicorn’ for kids as young as 4, and the Trever Project for teens; since they have begun making things like this widely known, they have managed to make Sex Ed an opt-in program and more than 7000 children have chosen to skip those classes, making it a home education topic instead. They have in fact had many victories regarding this topic and others in schools, have several National partners, and are paving the way in church-based education alternatives in MA!
A link to Mr. King’s presentation: https://youtu.be/GsP843c_6zc?si=-j3BDfEIzdwNMA73
Michael King of the Mass Family Institute Junior Campers taught by Mrs. Jessica Whitworth
We also got to hear some information and watch some videos from the Chandler family about the Trail Life USA and American Heritage Girls programs. They operate for boys and girls, respectively, from ages 5 to 18+ and are a Christ-based alternative to Scouts. They are both Nationwide programs that can be joined here in New England, or parents can sign up to lead a new chapter if there isn’t one nearby.
After lunch there was a break with options to do recreational activities, go apple picking or shopping, or even visit the WW2 Museum in Wolfeboro. Our family opted into the WW2 Museum which had a few interactive exhibits for the kids, a vast number of artifacts, and a great hall of ages where you got an in-depth look at the years from 1939 to 1945. It ended with an up-close look at tanks and other military vehicles from the time. Though the word “democracy” was thrown around a little too often for my taste, it was definitely a worthwhile visit – make sure to check out their used book rack in the gift shop for some hidden treasures!
The film “Monumental” was being shown when we returned to camp – a great watch for the whole family! Camp Sentinel, where this retreat was held, was very accommodating with a warm fire all day, comfortable couches, and plenty of drinks and snacks!
The evening rounded off with Representative Paul Terry sharing how to Influence Elected Officials. He provided a packet of information to each attendee full of valuable information, tips, and action item checklists! One of the main points made was how blessed we are to live in NH where we have the largest number of representatives in the Nation! Each member of the House only has about 2,200 citizens they represent, which makes them incredibly accessible. Those of us who wish to see change need to take advantage of this fact – not just when we want something, but also to thank them or even just get to know them. A link to Rev. Terry’s presentation: https://youtu.be/rPXu954Q9So?si=sPY6Lc-qi7TOx8DA
Rounding off the evening, Jack McCarthy, a representative for Tactical Civics, spoke about the organization. They believe that the solution to the problems we are facing today include establishing County Grand Juries and Constitutional Militias. He also noted that learning your state constitution is just as (if not more) important as learning your US constitution.
Each morning of the retreat started with a flag raising ceremony overlooking the mountains, and every evening ended with a campfire accompanied by singing, poetry, readings, skits, and music. There were also a few tables available all weekend full of the different organizations’ information, sign-ups, books, and more.
Sunday consisted of worship led by Rev. Craft. After some singing, the children were led out for more crafts as the sermon began. This all centered somewhat around the race debate, but also dove into the division we bring on ourselves in politics and religion. Why do we focus on denominations, when we are all brothers and sisters of Christ, seeking Him in all things? We need to unify and strengthen ourselves in this fight between good and evil – because that is truly what we are facing now.
Finally, I spoke about the topic of my book “The Racists Roots of Planned Parenthood And Its Legacy of Death.” Did You know that over $500 Million in federal funds goes to Planned Parenthood? Or that Martin Luther King Junior was the first recipient of the Margaret Sanger award? Have you ever heard Sanger’s quote that seeing shrieking children in schoolyards made her feel her mission had failed? Did you know that one of Margaret Sangers collaborators was none other than Ernst Rudin, president of the International Federation of Eugenics organizations and later, Nazi director of sterilization and founder of the Nazi Society for Racial Hygiene? A link to a free download of the book:
It was a wonderful weekend full of education, building connections, sharing God’s word, and having new experiences as a family. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to support a worthy cause and check out the awesome library available through Camp Constitution. Check out their website (campconstitution.net) for more resources, and to learn how to sign up for the next Camp Constitution event!
Co-Sponsoring Texas Leadership Conference and a Visit to Carthage, Texas
In early October, my wife Maura and manned an info table at the annual Texas Leadership Conference attended by Riley Gaines, Coach Joe Kennedy, and Pastor Paul Blair to name just a few. We also conducted a presentation on how to start your own camp, and we visited the statue of our late friend and Camp Constitution instructor Dr. Mildred Jeferson.
Camp Constitution mourned the passing of long-time supporter Linda Bean, instructor and mentor John McManus, and co-founder of Camp Constitution and its manager Charlie Everett.
Looking into 2025
We have several events scheduled for January including teaching a class on the U.S. Constitution to a homeschool group.
We were invited to have a float in the Patriot’s Day Parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington April 19. We will also host our 3rd annual homeschool overnight at the Lane House on April 18th. We will have info tables at the Mass HOPE and Homeschoolers of Maine Homeschool Convention. Our 5th annual ‘Spring Fling” and our 17th Annual Family Camp.
How You Can Help
Pray for our nation.
Attend our 17th annual family camp.
Host a Camp Constitution speaker.
Subscribe to our YouTube and Rumble channels and follow us on Podomatic.
View and share our videos, podcasts, and downloads on our web site.
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.
Blessings.
Hal Shurtleff, Director
Camp Constitution
Alton, NH
Charlie Kirk Wrong About Jimmy Carter
Charlie Kirk recently praised the late Jimmy Carter. In a recent post he wrote:
“Jimmy Carter represents a type of Democrat that no longer exists. Christian, loving husband and a true patriot. He was objectively an awful president, but he loved America and never intentionally tried to do it harm. America could use more Democrats like him.”
While he was a loving husband, and an awful president, everything else Charlie Kirk said about him is wrong. I agree with Charlie on many issues, appreciate his work in college campuses, and the role he took in getting young people to the polls, but he got this wrong. He is not alone; however, many conservatives have expressed similar sentiments. They look at his work with Habitat for Humanity while overlooking his record and his unwavering support for the globalists and the Democrat Party.
During the Carter Administration, I was a soldier in the U.S Army. After my basic training at Fort Dix NJ, and advanced training at Fort Lee, VA,* I did a tour of duty in Augsburg, West Germany in a field artillery unit with nuclear capabilities followed by a tour of duty at Fort Campbell, KY in the 101st Airbourne Division. While they didn’t call it DEI back then, we had a mandatory 40-hour race relations class. The men conducting the class were vile, and anti-White. A Green Beret officer, forced to attend, walked out in disgust. In the wake of these classes, race relations deteriorated. As a 19-year-old, I concluded that destroying race relations was the goal. During a battalion formation, we had to listen to a delegation from the Defense Department explaining how vastly inferior we were to the Soviets and Eastern Bloc nations. I asked why they don’t tell this to Congress and the President.” My question was never answered, but a senior NCO said to me “Shurtleff, why don’t you chase German, girls, drink beer, do your time, and don’t worry about these things.” Years later I learned that Carter’s National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski-the father of Mika-advised Carter that if the Soviets attack NATO, let them have half. I was in that half of NATO that he was happy to give the Soviets.
When I left Boston for my military service, the cost of renting a decent one-room bedroom apartment in my neighborhood was $125. to $175. When I left the Army in 1980 and returned home, the cost of a one-bedroom apartment tripled. While all the blame cannot be laid upon Carter, his economic policies had led to double digit inflation and economic stagnation. The term “stagflation” was popularized during Carter’s term. While the media convinced voters that Jimmy Carter was an outsider, he was a charter member of the Trilateral Commission, an organization dedicated to a global government, and an “America Last” policy. Carter filled his cabinet with both Trilateral Commission and Council of Foreign Relations members. Carter’s international policy led Zbigniew Brzezinski-the ultimate Deep Stater -was an unmitigated disaster for the U.S. and its allies. Brzezinski had a love affair with Marxism. He remarked that “Marxism is simultaneously a victory of the external, active man over the inner, passive man and a victory of reason over belief.”
Carter betrayed the Shah of Iran that led to a takeover by radical Islamists, and the taking of American hostages. We are still paying for that disaster. The Carter Administration supported sanctions against Rhodesia which helped communist terrorist Robert Mugabe into power. Carter betrayed Somoza of Nicaragua paving the way for the communist Sandinista takeover of that once vibrant nation. He cut formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations with Communist China. Perhaps his most destructive foreign policy was the giving of the Panama Canal to dictator Omar Torrijos. A provision in the treaty gave Panama millions of dollars to take the canal build by U.S. taxpayer money. Panama used a good portion of that money to pay off loans to the U.S. based Marine Midland Bank.
While his administration was supporting our enemies, he slashed the U.S. Military budget, opposed the B-1 bomber, the MX missile, and the development of the neutron bomb. He supported the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union while acknowledging that the Soviets had violated the SALT I treaty. He also vetoed the construction of new aircraft carriers. As mentioned above, his military embraced an early version of D.E.I. with the mandatory race relations classes which helped to further erode morale
Carter’s domestic policies were not much better. His support of an increase in the minimum wage led to a high unemployment mainly for Blacks. While promising not to raise taxes for working families, he promptly supported tax policies that led to high inflation. His windfall profit tax on crude oil led to a huge increase in the cost of gasoline while discouraging domestic production. He supported a tax on imported oil and an tax increase on gasoline. These two measures were thankfully defeated.
While calling himself a “Born Again” Christian, he supported abortion while president and “same sex” marriage in later years. He, and all of the other ex-presidents came out in support of the job killing and unconstitutional NAFTA agreement. He was a diehard Democrat never wavering in his support for the destructive policies of the Democrat Party. His last political act was voting for Kamala Harris. The late Congressman Larry McDonald ran an open letter to Carter in the New York Times listing his disastrous policies and concluded “You either know what you are doing, or you don’t.” It is my opinion base on the facts that he did indeed know what he was doing. He wasn’t a patriot who loved America and never intentionally intended to harm America. Based on his support for abortion, “same-sex marriage, and the entire agenda of the Democrat Party, I would have to seriously question his commitment to Jesus Christ. I do, however, hope that he repented of his sins and is now in the presence of the Lord.
In 1980, Gary Allen authored a detailed article on Carter entitled “The Background and Record of Jimmy Carter:”
https://s3.amazonaws.com/camppictures/CampArchive/General/Carter%20Record.pdf
- The cultural Marxists under the Biden Admin changed the name of the fort. When I was there in 1977, the training units were predominately Black and, as far I knew, there was not any issue with the name of the fort.
Carl Sandburg “I see America not in the setting sun …The American Minute with Bill Federer
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The Weekly Sam: Looking Backward 123 Years Later By Samuel Blumenfeld
(The following article was written by Sam back in 2011. This article is part of the Sam Blumenfeld Archives: http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/main.htm
The year 2011 marks the 123rd year since the publication of Edward Bellamy’s famous
utopian novel, Looking Backward, in which the author depicted a happy, socialist
America in the year 2000. In Bellamy’s optimistic fantasy, greed and material want
ceased to exist, brotherly harmony prevailed, the arts and sciences flourished, and an
all-powerful and pervasive government and bureaucracy were efficient and fair.
The book became enormously popular, selling 371,000 copies in its first two years and a
million copies by 1900. Its influence on American progressive educators and
intellectuals was enormous. In fact, it became their vision of a future American paradise
in which human moral perfectibility could at last be attained.
The extent of the book’s influence can be measured by the fact that in 1935, when
Columbia University asked philosopher-educator John Dewey, historian Charles Beard,
and Atlantic Monthly editor Edward Weeks to prepare independently lists of the 25 most
influential books since 1885, Looking Backward ranked as second on each list after
Marx’s Das Kapital. In other words, Looking Backward was considered the most
influential American book in that 50-year period.
John Dewey characterized the book as “one of the greatest modern syntheses of humane
values.”
Even after the rise of Hitler’s National Socialism in Germany and
Marxist-Leninist communism in Russia, Dewey still clung to Bellamy’s vision of a
socialist America. In his 1934 essay, “The Great American Prophet,” Dewey wrote:
“I wish that those who conceive that the abolition of private capital and of energy
expended for profit signify complete regimenting of life and the abolition of all personal
choice and all emulation, would read with an open mind Bellamy’s picture of a socialized
economy. It is not merely that he exposes with extraordinary vigor and clarity the
restriction upon liberty that the present system imposes but that he pictures how
socialized industry and finance would release and further all of those personal and private
types of occupation and use of leisure that men and women actually most prize today….
“It is an American communism that he depicts, and his appeal comes largely from the
fact that he sees in it the necessary means of realizing the democratic ideal….
“The worth of Bellamy’s book in effecting a translation of the ideas of democracy into
economic terms is incalculable. What Uncle Tom’s Cabin was to the anti-slavery
movement Bellamy’s book may well be to the shaping of popular opinion for a new
social order.”
Bellamy envisaged America becoming socialist by way of consensus rather than
revolution. In turn, Dewey, who spent his professional life trying to transform
Bellamy’s vision into American reality, saw education as the principle means by which
this transformation could be achieved. He spent the years 1894 to 1904 at the University
of Chicago in his Laboratory School seeking to devise a new curriculum for the public
schools that would produce the kind of socialized youngsters who would bring about the
new socialist millennium.
The result, of course, is the education we have today–a minimal interest in the
development of intellectual, scientific, and literacy skills and a maximal effort to produce
socialized, politically correct, individuals who can barely read.
Today, many years later, the University of Chicago stands as an island of academic
tranquility in Chicago’s Southside, surrounded by a sea of social and urban devastation
caused by the philosophical emanations from Dewey’s laboratory and other departments.
Charles Judd, the university’s Wundtian professor of educational psychology, labored
mightily to organize the radical reform of the public-school curriculum to conform with
Dewey’s socialist plan.
According to Dewey, the philosophical underpinning of capitalism is individualism
sustained by an education that stressed the development of literacy skills. High literacy
encourages intellectual independence which produces strong individualism. It was
Dewey’s exhaustive analysis of individualism that led him to believe that the socialized
individual could only be produced by first getting rid of the traditional emphasis on
language and literacy in the primary grades and turning the children toward socialized
activities and behavior.
In 1898, he wrote a devastating critique of traditional Three R’s education, entitled “The
Primary-Education Fetich (sic),” in which he took to task the entire centuries-old
emphasis on literacy. He wrote:
“The plea for the predominance of learning to read in early school life because of the
great importance attaching to literature seems to me a perversion.”
He then mapped out a long-range, comprehensive strategy that would reorganize primary
education to serve the needs of socialization. “Change must come gradually,” he wrote.
“To force it unduly would compromise its final success by favoring a violent reaction.”
If what he was advocating was so beneficial, why would it favor a violent reaction?
The simple fact is that when parents send their children to school they want them to
become good readers. They don’t send them to school to become socialists.
Obviously, Dewey had learned a lot from the Fabian socialists in England whose motto
was Festina lente–”Make haste slowly.”
Part of the new primary curriculum was a new method of teaching reading, an
ideographic method that teaches children to read English as if it were Chinese, by simple
word recognition, as if each word were like a Chinese character. It was called the
“look-say or sight” method. In fact, it was at the University of Chicago that Charles
Judd’s protégé, William Scott Gray, developed the Dick and Jane reading program which
in the 1930’s became the standard method of teaching reading in American schools and
has caused the devastating epidemic of functional illiteracy in America.
By 1955, the reading problem had become so severe that Rudolf Flesch felt compelled to
write a book about it, Why Johnny Can’t Read. But it didn’t move the educators to
change anything. They were firmly committed to Dewey’s plan to create a socialist
America. Indeed, in 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts released a somber
report on the state of American literacy. Its chairman, Dana Gioia, 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.”
False doctrines lead to tragic consequences. Chicago’s Southside, New York’s Harlem
and East Bronx, Boston’s Roxbury, and other such third-world type enclaves in American
cities, peopled by the new American underclass, all of whom have attended American
government schools, are the making of the arrogant eugenicist doctrines, policies, and
strategies of the progressive movement. Progressives, of course, will never admit
responsibility for the human wreckage they have created. In fact, they have deified Dewey,
attributing the failures of progressive education to everything but Dewey.
Meanwhile, Bellamy’s consensus utopia is far more remote today than it was in 1888.
The present economic mess created by the socialists in Washington–with, unfortunately,
some help from the Bush Administration–cannot possibly evolve into anything Bellamy
would have recognized. At least back then many intelligent people entertained the
delusion of human perfectibility and that utopia was possible.
Today, after the horrible events of the 20th century, we know that Bellamy’s basic
analysis of capitalism and human nature was false. But the fact that diehard socialists
still exist in America and occupy the highest ranks of power in Washington is proof that
man is indeed a fallen creature and capable of the kind of evil that destroys nations. We
survived John Dewey and Edward Bellamy. But will we survive Obama?
(Thankfully, we survived Obama and thanks to the efforts of people like Sam, the homeschool movement is flourishing as more and more parents realize how destructive government schools are to their children. Please join the Blumenfeld Archive-link above-and share it as widely as possible-Ed)
The Blumenfeld Archives
Monument to the Forefathers – The Matrix of Liberty – Coming to NH
