Once again proving that the contempoary world's power is too rich and has way, way too much leisure, here is Lin-Manuel Miranda as he performs at the White House Poetry Jam. The piece is, of course, his "Alexander Hamilton Rap." For those who don't know who Hamilton and Aaron Burr are, you can read about them by following the links. Burr kills Hamilton in a duel in 1804 over a series of insults. If you are interested in how such could happen, look up the code duello.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving...Read Washington's Original Proclaimation of the Holiday
http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/washington-thanksgiving-original.html
Once again, we have Katthar to thank for finding an interesting tidbit of literature. It is the original proclamation of George Washington (1789--the year following the adoption of our current Constitution), where he proclaims the first "official" Thanksgiving for the country. It's a cutting from the original newspaper announcement, so you'll also get to see what a newspaper article looked like in 1789.
I remember at least one of you being very excited about the religious leanings of the founders, so you should enjoy this almost prayer. Washington was much more of a recognizable Christian to modern readers than many of the early founders. For instance, this proclamation has a very different character from the religious writings of, say, Tom Paine or Thomas Jefferson, but you should make sure to look for the absence of the word, "God." Franklin, as you read, was always cagey about his religion, but it looks as if he was, at least until late in life, a Deist. Following break, you'll get to read something about the country's early religious life. Did you know that Jefferson was pubically accused of being an Atheist, and many of the most religious Puritan descendents actually hid their Bibles when he was elected president, because they thought he would use his position to impose Atheism as an official, state religio?. If not, check out the pages surrounding Jefferson from Colonial Williamsbugh. The links are on the extra-credit page, and look under the election of 1801.
You should also note that this is the period between the adoption of the Constitution (1787) and the adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791). It is the Bill of Rights which guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The upshot? The government favoring one set of religious ideas over another was *much* easier in this period just before the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
Steve
Once again, we have Katthar to thank for finding an interesting tidbit of literature. It is the original proclamation of George Washington (1789--the year following the adoption of our current Constitution), where he proclaims the first "official" Thanksgiving for the country. It's a cutting from the original newspaper announcement, so you'll also get to see what a newspaper article looked like in 1789.
I remember at least one of you being very excited about the religious leanings of the founders, so you should enjoy this almost prayer. Washington was much more of a recognizable Christian to modern readers than many of the early founders. For instance, this proclamation has a very different character from the religious writings of, say, Tom Paine or Thomas Jefferson, but you should make sure to look for the absence of the word, "God." Franklin, as you read, was always cagey about his religion, but it looks as if he was, at least until late in life, a Deist. Following break, you'll get to read something about the country's early religious life. Did you know that Jefferson was pubically accused of being an Atheist, and many of the most religious Puritan descendents actually hid their Bibles when he was elected president, because they thought he would use his position to impose Atheism as an official, state religio?. If not, check out the pages surrounding Jefferson from Colonial Williamsbugh. The links are on the extra-credit page, and look under the election of 1801.
You should also note that this is the period between the adoption of the Constitution (1787) and the adoption of the Bill of Rights (1791). It is the Bill of Rights which guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The upshot? The government favoring one set of religious ideas over another was *much* easier in this period just before the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
Steve
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