Camp Constitution celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington

Published April 21, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff

 

Camp Constitution celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington this past weekend April 18-19. We started with our 3rd Annual Homeschool Overnight at the Lane House, located a few blocks from the Green, where attendees observed the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere which ended at the original Hancock-Clark House where Sam Adams and John Hancock were staying when Paul Revere warned them that the “regulars” not the British were coming.”  We returned to the Lane House for a few hours of sleep before walking down to the Lexington Green to watch the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington.  This was the first year that VIP viewing passes and media credentials were few and far between.  As a result, we didn’t get a good video of the event, but here is a link to last year’s reenactment:

After the reenactment, we went back to the Lane House for a hearty breakfast and a few hours’ sleep before getting our float ready for the Lexington Parade.

(Hancock-Clark House Lexington)                  (Some of our attendees in front of the Lexington Library)

The Parade Committee would not allow those with floats to hand things out to the on-lookers during the parade, but we did manage to pass our pocket copies of the U.S. Constitutions and information to those stopping by our float prior to the parade.  Many took pictures of the float with our banners. A lady from Finland hoping to become a U.S. citizen thanked us for our efforts but lamented that most Americans know little about our Constitution.  Another woman from Thailand who is a naturalized citizen shared the same sentiments.

Thanks to all who attended and helped out.  A special thanks to Dennis Pierson for lending us his trailer,  Pastor  Steve Barberadt of the Black Robe Regiment  http://www.blackrobereg.org/    for the use of his truck and marching in the parade, and Jonathan Swartz for his shuttle services.

 

He is Risen! “I know that my redeemer liveth” American Minute with Bill Federer

Published April 20, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff
American Minute with Bill Federer
He is Risen! “I know that my redeemer liveth
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The Book of Job, 19:25-26:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold.”… continue reading …

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Composer George Frederick Handel quoted Job chapter 19 in his masterpiece Messiah, 1742: “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”

George Washington Carver made comments on divine inspiration, after which he was criticized by a New York Times editorial, November 20, 1924.

Rev. Lyman Ward sent him an encouraging letter, to which George W. Carver replied, January 15, 1925:

 

“My dear Bro. Ward, Many, many thanks for your letter of Jan. 4th. How it lifted up my very soul, and made me to feel that after all God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.

I did indeed feel very badly for a while, not that the cynical criticism was directed at me, but rather at the religion of Jesus Christ. Dear Bro. I know that my Redeemer liveth.”

A Proclamation of Congress, 1778, quoted by Thomas Jefferson, as Governor of Virginia, and George Washington, as Commander of the Continental Army, stated:

“Above all, that he hath diffused the glorious light of the Gospel, whereby, through the merits of our gracious Redeemer, we may become the heirs of his eternal glory.”

In an Easter address in St. Peter’s Square, April 1, 1956, Pope Pius XII stated:

“This year’s celebration of Easter should be primarily a recall to faith in Christ, addressed to people who, through no fault of their own, are still unaware of the saving work of the Redeemer;

to those who, on the contrary, would wish to have His name wiped out of the minds and hearts of nations;

and finally, in a special manner, to those souls of little faith who, seduced by deceptive enticements, are on the point of exchanging the priceless Christian values for those of a false earthly progress.”

James Logan was Secretary for William Penn, and Chief Justice of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, 1731-39. He stated:

“Remember thou art called after the immaculate Lamb of God, who, by offering Himself a sacrifice for thee, atoned for thy sins …

 

Borrowing one hour from the sleep of sluggards, spend it in thy chamber in dressing thy soul with prayer and meditation, reading the Scriptures …

Remember that the same enemy that caused thy first parents to forfeit their blessed condition, notwithstanding the gate is now open for restoration, is perpetually using his whole endeavors to prevent thee from attaining this, and frustrate to thee the passion of thy Redeemer.”

 

Elias Boudinot was President of the Continental Congress, 1782-83, a U.S. Representative, 1789-95, where he helped frame the Bill of Rights, and Director of the U.S. Mint under Washington and Adams, 1795-97.

 

Boudinot became a genuine Christian during the Great Awakening, and was baptized by Rev. George Whitfield. He helped found the American Bible Society, stating in New Jersey, July 4, 1783:

“No sooner had the great Creator of the heavens and the earth finished His almighty work, and pronounced all very good, but He set apart … one day in seven for the commemoration of His inimitable power in producing all things out of nothing …

 

The deliverance of the children of Israel from a state of bondage to an unreasonable tyrant was perpetuated by the Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and enjoining it on their posterity as an annual festival forever …

The resurrection of the Savior of mankind is commemorated by keeping the first day of the week …

Let us then, my friends and fellow citizens, unite all our endeavors this day to remember, with reverential gratitude to our Supreme Benefactor, all the wonderful things He has done for us, in our miraculous deliverance from a second Egypt–another house of bondage.”

Pilgrim Pastor John Robinson (1576-1625) wrote in his Leiden letter:

 

“This holy army of saints is marshaled here on earth … under the conduct of their glorious Emperor, Christ …

Thus, through the Blood of that spotless Lamb, and that Word of their testimony, they are more than conquerors, bruising the head of the Serpent; yea, through the power of His Word, they have power to cast down Satan like lightning; to tread upon serpents and scorpions; to cast down strongholds, and everything that exalteth itself against God.

The gates of hell, and all the principalities and powers on earth shall not prevail against it.”

 

John Milton Hay was private secretary to President Lincoln and ambassador to Great Britain under President McKinley. He negotiated over 50 treaties as Secretary of State, 1898-1905, including the Open-Door policy with China; the Panama Canal; the Alaskan boundary; and the Philippine policy.

John Milton Hay, who had worked at the New York Tribune, 1870-1875, published his poem:

 

SINAI AND CALVARY

But Calvary stands to ransom

The earth from utter loss;

In shade than light more glorious

The shadow of the Cross.

 

To heal a sick world’s trouble,

To soothe its woe and pain,

On Calvary’s sacred summit

The Pascal (Passover) Lamb was slain.

 

Almighty God! direct us

To keep Thy perfect Law!

O blessed Savior, help us

Nearer to Thee to draw!

 

Let Sinai’s thunder aid us

To guard our feet from sin,

And Calvary’s light inspire us

The love of God to win.

Philanthropist George Hay Stuart (1816-1890) was president of the U.S. Christian Commission, formed out of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in New York, November 14, 1861.

During the Civil War, the U.S. Christian Commission raised millions of dollars in private donations to provide supplies, hospital stores and clothing to the army and navy. Stuart helped distribute 30 million gospel tracts and New Testaments to the soldiers.

One of his workers was Dwight L. Moody, who later became a world renowned evangelist. Stuart personally gave Bibles to President Lincoln and President Grant after their Inaugurations.

George Hay Stuart stated:

 

“I have prayed for this Union; and I have labored for it, simply because I believed that it would bring glory to my blessed Lord and Master, Jesus Christ …

I have labored and prayed for it, because it would bring brethren together, now unhappily divided, to see eye to eye, that the nations that have so long bowed down to idols might learn of Jesus and Him crucified …

Since these twenty-four hours have passed away eighty-six thousand four hundred immortal souls have gone to the judgment seat of Christ …

I never hear the funeral bell toll without asking myself the question, ‘What have I done to point that departed soul to the Lamb of God that died to save a perishing world?’

Brethren, buckle on your armor for a great conflict; buckle it on for giving the glorious Gospel of the Son of God to the millions of the earth who are perishing for lack of knowledge.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon stated in his sermon “The Leafless Tree,” March 8, 1857, New Park Street Chapel:

“If we read the Scripture’s aright the Jews have a great deal to do with this world’s history.

They shall be gathered in; Messiah shall come, the Messiah they are looking for, the same Messiah who came once shall come again, shall come as they expected him to come the first time.

They then thought he would come a Prince to reign over them, and so he will when he comes again.

He will come to be King of the Jews, and to reign over his people most gloriously; for when he comes Jew and Gentile shall have equal privileges, though there shall yet be some distinction afforded to that royal family from whose loins Jesus came; for he shall sit upon the throne of his father David, and unto him shall be gathered all nations.”

William Jennings Bryan, who was the Democrat Presidential candidate in 1896, 1900, and 1908, gave over 600 public speeches during his campaigns. His statue is in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

Bryan’s most famous being “The Prince of Peace,” printed in the New York Times, September 7, 1913, stating:

 

“The world had known love before … but Jesus gave a new definition of love. His love was as wide as the sea; its limits were so far-flung that even an enemy could not travel beyond its bounds.

Other teachers sought to regulate the lives of their followers by rule and formula, but Christ’s plan was to purify the heart and then to leave love to direct the footsteps …”

 

He continued:

 

“What conclusion is to be drawn from the life, the teachings and the death of this historic figure?

Reared in a carpenter shop; with no knowledge of literature, save Bible literature; with no acquaintance with philosophers living or with the writings of sages dead, when only about thirty years old He gathered disciples about Him, promulgated a higher code of morals than the world had ever known before, and proclaimed Himself the Messiah.

He taught and performed miracles for a few brief months and then was crucified;

His disciples were scattered and many of them put to death; His claims were disputed,

His resurrection denied and His followers persecuted; and yet from this beginning His religion spread until hundreds of millions have taken His name with reverence upon their lips and millions have been willing to die rather than surrender the faith which He put into their hearts …”

 

William Jennings Bryan concluded:

 

“How shall we account for Him? Here is the greatest fact of history; here is One who has with increasing power, for nineteen hundred years, molded the hearts, the thoughts and the lives of men, and He exerts more influence to-day than ever before.

‘What think ye of Christ?’ It is easier to believe Him divine than to explain in any other way what he said and did and was. And I have greater faith, even than before.”

In his Easter Message, April 2015, British Prime Minister David Cameron stated:

“The values of the Bible, the values of Christianity are the values that we need – values of compassion, of respect, of responsibility, of tolerance.

Now … you don’t have to be a Christian … to have strong values … but the point I always make is that it helps. We’re always trying to tell our children not to be selfish, but is there a better way of putting it than ‘love thy neighbor …'”

 

Cameron continued:

“We’re always telling our children to be tolerant … but is there a better way of explaining tolerance than saying, ‘do to others as you would be done by’?

It’s the simplest encapsulation of an absolutely vital value and the Christian church and the teaching of the Bible has put it so clearly.

We’re always telling our children that they must make the most of what they have; they must not waste what they have been given, and is there a better way of putting that than ‘don’t hide your light under a bushel, make the most of your talents.'”

 

Spanish King Felipe VI stated December 13, 2016:

“Europe needs … to be honest and respectful to both our common Judeo-Christian values and origins.”

 

Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl wrote in the foreword of the Hungarian translation of his book Out of Concern for Europe: An Appeal:

“Europe cannot be the new home for millions of people in need … (as many refugees come) from different cultural backgrounds.

They follow in significant part, faiths other than Judeo-Christianity, which is one of the foundations of our values and social order.”

 

British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge wrote in his 1975:

“As man alone, Jesus could not have saved us; as God alone, he would not; Incarnate, he could and did.”

President Donald Trump stated March 31, 2018:

“During the sacred holiday of Passover, Jewish families around the world give thanks to God for liberating the Jewish people from bondage in Egypt and for delivering them to the Promised Land of Israel. …

For Christians, we remember the suffering and death of God’s only Son and his glorious resurrection on the third day. On Easter Sunday, we proclaim with joy … Christ is Risen!“

Martin Luther declared:

“Our Lord has written the promise of the Resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in the springtime.”

George Washington’s tomb is engraved with the Scripture, John 11:25, where Jesus told Martha:

 

“I am the Resurrection and the Life; sayeth the Lord. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

—

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President Trump’s Proclamation on the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord

Published April 18, 2025 | By campconstitution

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Two and a half centuries ago, a small band of minutemen answered the call of freedom in the legendary Battles of Lexington and Concord, an epic tale of American strength and the first major armed conflict of the Revolutionary War.   We honor the memories, remember the sacrifices, and summon the courage of every hero of liberty who gallantly shed his blood for the cause of independence on April 19, 1775.

After years of intensifying frictions and escalating hostility between the British Crown and the American Colonies, all avenues to peace and diplomacy had been exhausted, and it became clear to the patriots that war was inevitable.  Following the Boston Massacre, the oppressive Intolerable Acts, and the lasting grievance of taxation without representation, the colonists began organizing militias as a final recourse in defense of their right to self-government.

The British regime’s reign of tyranny reached a breaking point when, in his fearless midnight ride from Boston, Massachusetts, Paul Revere announced the news that the Redcoats were marching to Concord, Massachusetts, to arrest Colonial leaders and seize American arms.  By the time they reached Lexington at dawn, the British encountered 77 intrepid American minutemen, led by Captain John Parker, boldly standing their ground in defense of their independence.  The surprised British fired a volley, mortally wounding eight American patriots — the very first American soldiers to lay down their lives for our emerging Nation.

The British ambush at Lexington became known as the “shot heard ’round the world,” prompting thousands of brave young men to leave behind their homes and livelihoods to fight for our freedom on the frontlines of the American Revolution — commencing the greatest fight for liberty in the history of the world.

Later that morning, the Redcoats arrived at Concord to find and set fire to patriot military supplies.  At the sight of rising smoke from atop a lofty hill, the colonists believed the Redcoats were burning the town, provoking them to advance to the North Bridge.  As Captain Isaac Davis, whose company stood at the front of the column, said of his soldiers gearing up to take on the Redcoats, “I haven’t a man who is afraid to go.”

As 400 daring militiamen descended down Punkatasset Hill toward the North Bridge, the startled British opened fire, killing 49 Americans, including Captain Davis.  “Fire, fellow soldiers, for God’s sake, fire!” shouted Major John Buttrick of the Concord militia at the sound of the discharging muskets — sending the British running back to Boston in retreat in a resounding victory for Colonial forces.  For the next 12 miles, the patriots relentlessly pursued the Redcoats, ambushing them from behind trees, walls, and other cover.  As one British soldier is said to have recalled, the Americans “fought like bears, and I would as soon storm hell as fight them again.”

April 19, 1775, stands to this day as a seminal milestone in our Nation’s righteous crusade for liberty and independence.  On this day 250 years ago, with the fire of freedom blazing in their souls, an extraordinary army of American minutemen defeated one of the mightiest armies on the face of the earth and laid the foundation for America’s ultimate triumph over tyranny.

Two and a half centuries later, their fortitude remains our inheritance, their resolve remains our birthright, and their unwavering loyalty to God and country remains the duty of every American patriot.  As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s independence next year, we honor the valiant men who fought in defense of their sacred right to self-government, we renew our pledge to restore our republic to all of its greatness and glory, and we commit to rebuilding a country and a culture that inspires pride in our past and faith in our future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 19, 2025, as a day in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                               DONALD J. TRUMP

The Weekly Sam: Our Free “Alpha-Phonics” Cursive and Arithmetic On-Line Courses are Now Up and Running

Published April 17, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff

 

After being unavailable for several months, our free Sam Blumenfeld’s on-line “Alpha-Phonics.” Cursive, and Arithmetic course are now up and running.  A special th

The Blumenfeld Archivesanks to our camp newspaper editor Mark Affleck for his efforts to bring these resources back on-line

Here are links:

http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/alphaphonics/index.htm

http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/Writing/index.htm

http://blumenfeld.campconstitution.net/Math/index.htm

The Blumenfeld Archives

Camp Constitution’s “Early Bird” Registration Ends May 1

Published April 15, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff

 

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.   Camp attendees who sign up before or on Thursday May 1 will save $50. per person.  A minimum deposit of $100. is required.  A link to the camp registration:  https://campconstitution.net/camp-registration/

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.

For more information contact Hal Shurtleff (857) 498-1309  campconstitution1@gmail.com

  

Camp Constitution’s Most Viewed Video on YouTube: “A Republic Not a Democracy” by Dan Smoot

Published April 13, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff

“A Republic Not a Democracy” by Dan Smoot has been our most viewed video-0ver 385,000 views since we uploaded it in 2017, but the vast majority of views have been over the past few years. It is an excellent and timeless explanation on what type of government the United States is.  If you haven’t already, please view this short video, then share it with others and hit the subscribe button as well.

 

American Minute with Bill Federer Tariff History

Published April 13, 2025 | By campconstitution

(This article was reposted with permission from The American Minute)

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Tariffs, also called imposts, as well as custom duties, are taxes on products being imported from foreign countries.

This was the U.S. government’s main source of income for the nation’s first century and a half.  … continue reading …

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The Interesting History of Income Tax

It is mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, which authorizes the Federal government to collect “duties” and “imposts” to help “pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States.”

In fact, the second bill signed by President George Washington was the Tariff Act of 1789, which imposed a 5 percent tariff on all imports.

Alexander Hamilton, as the first Secretary of the Treasury, created the Coast Guard to stop merchants from smuggling goods into America without paying tariffs.

The fastest ships of the day were called “cutters,” and since the Coast Guard was helping collect government revenue these vessels were called “Revenue Cutters.”

In the 1700s, the industrial revolution began in Britain. Britain burned coal, but coal mines would fill up with water.

In 1769, James Watt invented a steam pump to remove water from the mines. This quickly was adapted into the steam engine which powered factories.

Soon factories produced textiles very inexpensively.

During the colonial period, Britain discouraged manufacturing in the American colonies to ensure factories in England had a larger market for their products.

After the Revolution, U.S. tariffs made British goods more expensive, allowing the industrial revolution to spread in America.

Jefferson wrote April 6, 1816:

“It may be … the duty of all to submit to this sacrifice … to pay for a time an impost on the importation of certain articles, in order to encourage their manufacture at home.”

Factories sprang up in America, particularly in the northern states.

Steam engines powered “spinning jennies” made yarn, and enormous looms made textiles such as cotton, wool and shoes.

Factories made items from chemicals to clocks, and manufactured machinery, such as mechanical reapers and farm equipment, which allowed farmers to plant and harvest crops using less manual labor.

This resulted in lower food prices. Americans experienced the fastest rise in the standard of living in human history.

Factories, most notably, freed women up from menial tasks, such as spinning thread, weaving cloth, and sewing clothes. Now they could buy bolts of cloth made in factories, or even ready-to-wear clothes. Instead of washing clothes in washtubs and hanging them out to dry on clotheslines, they could own a washing machine and a dryer.

Instead of drawing water from a well and carrying it in buckets, they could have pipes bring water directly into the house. Instead of outhouses there was indoor plumbing.

Tariffs not only brought revenue into the Federal government the many factories provided jobs for the waves of immigrants.

From 1792 to 1812, tariffs were around 12.5 percent. After the War of 1812, tariffs went to 25 percent. By 1820, tariffs were at 40 percent, and by 1860, at 60 percent.

President Franklin Pierce stated December 5, 1853:

“Happily, I have no occasion to suggest any radical changes in the financial policy of the Government. Ours is almost, if not absolutely, the solitary power of Christendom having a surplus revenue drawn immediately from imposts on commerce.”

In March 1962, Ben B. Seligman wrote for Commentary Magazine, “Tariffs, the Kennedy Administration, and American Politics,” stating:

“In the early years of the Republic, all but about $20,000 of the $4.5 million of Treasury income stemmed from tariff levies. Up to the Civil War, in fact, over 90 per cent of the federal government’s receipts came from tariffs.”

Did you know there was no Federal Income Tax in America prior to the Civil War, when Lincoln enacted an emergency income tax to raise money for the Union, but it was repealed when the war ended.

Tariffs continued to be the main source of income for the U.S. government through the early 1900s, reaching at times as high as 95 percent.

On January 21, 1921, Tuskegee scientist Dr. George Washington Carver, at the request of the United Peanut Growers Association, addressed the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee to ask for a tariff on peanuts imported from China. This would help the farmers in America’s Southern States.

Carver’s report helped convince Congress to pass the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Bill in 1922, followed by the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill in 1930.

The move away from relying on tariff revenue started with Democrat President Woodrow Wilson, who enacted the first peace-time income tax, which was tacked onto the 1913 Tariff Act.

Income tax was initially a one percent tax on the top one percent richest people.

During World War Two, Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded the Federal Income Tax to tax majority of the population. He also enacted paycheck withholding.

The unexpected fallout of FDR raising taxes was “outsourcing.”

To avoid FDR’s taxes, many business owners moved their factories overseas where there was lower taxes, cheaper labor, less government regulation, and fewer lawsuits.

Loss of American factories meant a loss of American jobs, causing unemployment to rise.

As overseas factories became more profitable, they used their profits to lobby American politicians to vote for even lower tariffs so they could bring their foreign made goods back into the U.S. cheaper.

This policy was called “free trade.” But was it fair trade?

As it turned out, foreign governments often gave financial subsidies to their businesses so they could produce goods at a lower cost.

Then they would import these goods into America and sell them at a lower price, undercutting American factories and forcing many out of business. Once foreign nations had a monopoly, they would raise prices or pressure U.S. foreign policy by threatening to withhold products.

Fast forward to the present, President Trump’s reducing of the income tax and replacing it with tariffs is essentially a return to the policies that existed in America for its first century and a half, during which time the U.S. grew to have the strongest economy on earth with the highest standard of living for its citizens.-
—

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The Interesting History of Income Tax
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The Weekly Sam: Education and Food Back in the Old Days By Samuel L. Blumenfeld

Published April 11, 2025 | By campconstitution

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.

        Camp Constitution’s Report for the 1st quarter of 2025

Published April 9, 2025 | By Hal Shurtleff

 

 

While bad weather forced some cancelations of scheduled events, we were either hosting or attending, we still managed to have some successful events and activities.

                                                                               Camp Constitution in the News

It’s been almost three years since our “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.  An article about our friend Sampson Recioppi  contained references to Camp Constitution and an interview of me:  https://www.bostonbroadside.com/liberal-legislators/from-battlefield-to-bar-fight-patriotic-activism-bias-blocks-army-veteran-from-admission-to-the-new-hampshire-bar/ We continue to write article for The Weirs Times, a weekly newspaper in New Hampshire, The Boston Broadside, a monthly paper and two on-line news and info sources The Granite Grok and The Rochester Voice.

                                                           Camp Constitution on the Air

We were interviewed by Janie Cyr on New Hampshire Gospel Radio on the history of Camp Constitution, the “Shurtleff v Boston” lawsuit, the Blumenfeld Archive, and its ladies retreat and family camps.  https://youtu.be/l0AT_sXnfEU?si=rkTUlV7lvaXR0l6u     And, Tamara Scott of Worldview Tube interviewed us to discuss President’s Day and the Presidency:

                                                                                     

           The Camp Constitution Report

We did nine shows including interviews with 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.

 

                                                                                               Special Projects

       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.  In February, we were invited and accepted the invitation to have a float in the Town of Lexington, MA’s 250th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Lexington on April 19.

                                                                                                   Camp Constitution Media

With our true recorded a number a presentation by Dr. Chris Gnanakan of Liberty University and a presentation by our friends at Camp Sentinel.

https://youtu.be/ciLGxdKGgx8?si=MXrC9cK5SY5j8ZGQ

                                                                                                  YouTube, and Rumble

We finally got over 17,000 subscribers early in February. In this quarter we had 216 new subscribers and 45,000 views giving us a total of 2,051.578 views. Our most popular video continues to be “Republic vs Democracy.  Over the past few months, we have been uploading other programs by Dan Smoot.   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 2,913 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

                                                                        Camp Constitution Report on Podomatic and Other Platforms

We have received 87 plays and 394 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

 

                                                                                                            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 nation-wide 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 of 2025

We will have our 3rd annual Patriot’s Day Homeschool Overnight at the Lane House in Lexington. to take in the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington.  On the 19th of April, we will have a float in the Lexington Parade.  We have several day long home school expos and will return for the 14th time to the Mass HOPE Homeschool Convention, and for  the 12th time to the Maine Homeschoolers Convention.  Freedom Project Academy will be paying the camp fees of our annual family camp for several of their students and their families.

                                                                                                 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

 

 

 

Designed by Eric Conover.