Constitution Day and our Woefully Inadequate Education System

Years ago, I received a text from my college-educated daughter on September 17th, saying  "Happy Constitution Day, as I know you are a fan, Dad."  My response was something to the effect of, "How come you and so many Americans today are not fans, considering that is the very document that codifies your liberties and restrains a potentially tyrannical government from usurping them?"  My daughter, unfortunately had succumbed to the leftist indoctrination of our educational system in college and now sees America as an unjust and racist nation.  

 

This is the quality of our educational system today with the ridiculously erroneous attempts to rewrite American history with largely debunked political diatribes such as the 1619 project.  Leftist professors are free to pontificate on the evils of America to a captive audience, and anyone asking critical questions is automatically mocked at best, or intimidated and chased out of school at worst.

There are a few strongholds of educational integrity left though.  Hillsdale College is one of these that teaches classical liberalism and the humanities.  They proudly teach American history and civics to all of their students in an unbiased fashion.  Further, they accept no money from the federal government whatsoever, including in the guise of students using federal aid for student loans.  They do this so as to have complete academic independence so as not to be beholden to leftist government bureaucracies demanding that their dictates be followed in the educational process.  

From time to time, Hillsdale College will send out emails to me.  I wanted to share this one as such endeavors in regaining control of our educational system from leftists may be the only way we can save America.  If your are so inclined, look into this and see if you might be interested in supporting Hillsdale College and our United States Constitution!

 

Following is the email I received:

 

 

Dear Mr. Michaels,

September 17 is Constitution Day—the day in 1787 that the members of the Constitutional Convention, meeting in Philadelphia, signed the final draft of the American Constitution. 

 

America’s Constitution endured for more than two centuries—longer than any other constitution in human history—because it was brilliantly conceived and based on the principles of liberty in the Declaration of Independence.

 

Today, however, certain parts of the Constitution have been completely subverted.

 

For instance, many of the functions intended to be carried out by our elected representatives are instead in the hands of unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats.

 

And some of the remaining parts of the Constitution—including the fundamental rights of free speech and freedom of religion in the First Amendment—are seriously under attack.

 

Underlying these efforts to destroy our Constitution is the movement in American schools and universities to push a false and dishonest account of American history. This account portrays our nation as essentially racist and irredeemably unjust.

 

It’s no surprise, then, that a recent Rasmussen poll found that over half of President Biden’s strong supporters think the Constitution “should be mostly or completely rewritten.” 

 

Or that two law professors—one from Harvard and the other from Yale—wrote an op-ed in The New York Times titled “The Constitution is Broken and Should Not Be Reclaimed.” 

 

American education has become a battleground, and reviving a proper understanding of American history and a proper reverence for the Constitution—especially among younger Americans—has become one of our most urgent priorities. 

 

You are already a generous and reliable supporter of Hillsdale’s educational efforts on behalf of liberty.   

 

That’s why I’m asking you to join Hillsdale’s Liberty & Learning Society today.

 

Liberty & Learning Society members are vital to our expanding efforts to educate citizens (especially younger citizens) about American history, the importance of the Constitution to liberty, and free-market economics. 

 

Joining the Liberty & Learning Society is easy. 

 

Members commit to an automatic, recurring monthly gift of $5, $10, or even $20 or more each month, which automatically advances the important work of reaching and teaching additional millions of citizens on behalf of liberty.

 

Most members give in the $25 a month range, but we are grateful for every single member at whatever level they can afford. 

 

In these trying and uncertain times, when so much is at stake, we have set an ambitious Constitution Day campaign goal: 1,200 new Liberty & Learning Society members by midnight on Constitution Day, September 17. 

 

When you join, you become a partner in educating additional millions of Americans about the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and America’s great heritage of liberty through efforts like our free speech digest Imprimis, our free online courses, and our expanding work in the area of classical K-12 education. 

 

By joining the Liberty & Learning Society, you also help us reduce fundraising expenses and maximize the impact of every dollar given.

 

Hillsdale has a tradition of and a reputation for being wise with our resources because we are almost unique in refusing to accept even one penny of government funding—not even indirectly in the form of federal or state student loans and grants.

 

All of Hillsdale’s work depends entirely on the support of individual citizens who understand the importance of our educational mission on behalf of liberty.

 

Will you consider being one of the 1,200 citizens we need to sign up for the Liberty & Learning Society before midnight on Constitution Day? 

 

You can learn more about and join the Liberty & Learning Society using this secure link:

 

https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/constitution-day-liberty-learning-society

 

And if you accept my invitation to join Hillsdale’s Liberty & Learning Society on or before September 17, I’ll send you a link to a session of our upcoming free online course, “Understanding The American Founding: A Conversation.”

 

We are deeply grateful for your support of our ongoing work to recover and preserve liberty and limited government for future generations of Americans. 

 

Warm regards,

 

 

Larry P. Arnn

President, Hillsdale College

Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty Since 1844

 

P.S. I’m grateful for your steady and reliable friendship, which is why I hope you will join our automatic monthly giving group, the Liberty & Learning Society, before midnight on Constitution Day, September 17.

 

When you do, you will become our partner in educating additional millions of Americans about the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and America’s great heritage of liberty.

 

Joining is simple, safe, and convenient—learn more at this secure link:

 

https://secured.hillsdale.edu/hillsdale/constitution-day-liberty-learning-society

Professor Amy Wax: Are We Free to Discuss America’s Real Problems?

I ran across this article and thought it was excellent in articulating the growing problem of a lack of tolerance and critical thinking from many folks in academia, and indeed in society in general.  As we have seen on my own infinitesimally small corner of the universe here on Saving Common Sense, any orthodox, conservative, or politically incorrect opinion is often met by the wailing and gnashing of teeth by some folks on the far left.  

Instead of always addressing the merits of the arguments presented, more often than not, the responses from some people are typically nothing more than epithets of racism, fascism, authoritarianism, and so forth.  There no longer exists a platform for civil debate and indeed that is what the extremism of the far left seemingly hopes to achieve.  They don’t want an exchange of ideas and ideals.  They want the extermination of any opinion that runs contrary to their own.  This is done in an Alinsky-like manner through ridicule, demonization, and marginalization of those with whom they disagree.

Professor Amy Wax spoke at Hillsdale College on this very topic recently, and her speech was adapted into the following essay.  It perfectly encapsulates the problem at hand and shows the dangerous path this lack of tolerance for free speech from some of our brothers and sisters on the left has in its deleterious effect on our society.  Either we address this and overcome this knee-jerk intolerant reaction and begin to teach critical thinking in academia and in society again, or we will continue to sink even deeper into the divided cesspool this intolerance has created.  Enjoy.

“There is a lot of abstract talk these days on American college campuses about free speech and the values of free inquiry, with plenty of lip service being paid to expansive notions of free expression and the marketplace of ideas. What I’ve learned through my recent experience of writing a controversial op-ed is that most of this talk is not worth much. It is only when people are confronted with speech they don’t like that we see whether these abstractions are real to them. 

The op-ed, which I co-authored with Larry Alexander of the University Of San Diego Law School, appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 9 under the title, ‘Paying the Price for the Breakdown of the Country’s Bourgeois Culture.’ It began by listing some of the ills afflicting American society: 

‘Too few Americans are qualified for the jobs available. Male working-age labor-force participation is at Depression-era lows. Opioid abuse is widespread. Homicidal violence plagues inner cities. Almost half of all children are born out of wedlock, and even more are raised by single mothers. Many college students lack basic skills, and high school students rank below those from two dozen other countries.’

We then discussed the ‘cultural script’—a list of behavioral norms—that was almost universally endorsed between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s: 

‘Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. Go the extra mile for your employer or client. Be a patriot, ready to serve the country. Be neighborly, civic-minded, and charitable. Avoid coarse language in public. Be respectful of authority. Eschew substance abuse and crime.’ 

These norms defined a concept of adult responsibility that was, we wrote, ‘a major contributor to the productivity, educational gains, and social coherence of that period.’ The fact that the ‘bourgeois culture’ these norms embodied has broken down since the 1960s, we argued, largely explains today’s social pathologies—and re-embracing that culture would go a long way toward addressing those pathologies. 

In what became perhaps the most controversial passage, we pointed out that cultures are not equal in terms of preparing people to be productive citizens in a modern technological society, and we gave some examples of cultures less suited to achieve this: 

‘The culture of the Plains Indians was designed for nomadic hunters, but is not suited to a First World, 21st-century environment. Nor are the single-parent, antisocial habits prevalent among some working-class whites; the anti-‘acting white’ rap culture of inner-city blacks; the anti-assimilation ideas gaining ground among some Hispanic immigrants.'

The reactions to this piece raise the question of how unorthodox opinions should be dealt with in academia—and in American society at large.”

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