What’s Inside
Article — Training Students to Study Primary Sources Classically Using the Declaration of Independence
Developing Better Thinkers Through Writing
Teacher Stories — How the Pledge of Allegiance Changed the Hearts of Teenagers
Poetry
Training Students to Study Primary Sources Classically Using the Declaration of Independence
Providing a window into the thoughts, beliefs, and passions of people living in remarkable times past makes primary sources fascinating to read. Primary sources can inspire the hearts and minds of anyone who reads them today with wisdom and truth spoken centuries ago. Once people have a chance to consider and ponder written truth, their hearts and minds are changed for the better. When God gave His written Word to us, He showed us how to find truth and wisdom in ancient texts. We follow His model when we study primary sources from the past.
While reading primary sources should be part and parcel to any student’s Classical Christian educational experience, learning how to study them should be the highest concern. Not all texts lend themselves to in depth study, so the Classical Christian teacher should be vigilant in searching out texts which enable his/her students to utilize Classical methods in their studies. The Declaration of Independence yields a treasure trove of opportunities for a Classical Christian teacher to employ Classical methods of study while also analyzing the document from a Biblical worldview. While studying the Declaration of Independence, students learn the following:
-- They learn how to define terms so that they find a deeper and nuanced understanding of the words in the document.
-- Students learn how to paraphrase the document faithfully by learning not to add their own interpretation to the source.
-- They learn the art of argument by copying a master model of one of the most famous and cogent arguments of the last 250 years.
–- Students learn how to follow a lengthy argument to its logical conclusion.
-- They learn that the words expressed in the document were chosen carefully and they need to seek out the purpose for each word.
-- Students learn to analyze a primary source derived from cumulative knowledge that contains some of the most important ideas regarding the human condition and principles that guide free political societies.
-- They are challenged in the present day by the people of the past to live their lives for ideals greater than themselves.
-- Students learn correct sentiments by reading the stirring and passionate explanation for the American colonies’ declaration of independence.
-– They learn that liberty is not based in self-interest, but that true liberty comes from depending on the will of God and a willingness to sacrifice one’s self for the good of others.
To teach the Declaration of Independence in such a manner that students’ hearts and minds are changed, important groundwork needs to be completed first. Setting expectations in preparation for studying the document, the teacher needs to help the students understand that although the document is famous for starting the American Revolution, it is also deeply philosophical and clever. Thomas Jefferson polished the document up before submitting it to the Second Continental Congress, and he chose the words in the document very carefully. The students’ job in studying the Declaration will be to find the meaning of the key words and phrases in order to figure out what Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress were telling the world.
Prior to a study of the Declaration of Independence, Logic school students should have analyzed Magna Charta, the Mayflower Compact, and the English Bill of Rights, and be acquainted with the basic rights of British citizens guaranteed in the colonial charters. Rhetoric school students would have previously studied these documents as well as the history of the Enlightenment and its philosophers, and a review of Cicero’s The Republic before studying the Declaration. Because the Declaration is a product of accumulated knowledge and thought, it requires accumulated knowledge and thought to be understood well, so a review of the aforementioned documents is a necessity. Presenting the events leading up to the American Revolution as an action packed story of philosophically based decisions will have the students in a fever pitch of excitement to read the Declaration of Independence.
A study of the Declaration of Independence first requires delving deeply into the meanings of the words and phrases in the main argument section. Painstaking patience is required, but the benefits are manifold. Defining terms teaches students to think about the nuanced meanings of the words and, with the help of their teacher, to discern why each key word was chosen.
So, how does this Classical study of a famous primary source work? With the class, the teacher should identify the key words to be defined using Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Students can use a class copy of the dictionary and also look up words at home using the online version. Next, the students will rewrite the main argument of the Declaration of Independence inserting the definitions in place of the original key terms. They will need to be careful to choose the best definitions and to write them in such a manner that, although a bit awkward, the phrases still make sense. After the students have rewritten the argument section, have them read out each phrase and discuss its meaning. Students may need to take notes on the document for phrases that are difficult to understand. Finally, as a class, write down each point in the argument in an outline form discussing the cause and effect relationships as they appear. Defining terms and rewriting the document with the annotated definitions will allow students time to ponder the ideas at a much deeper level. Throughout this process, students are thinking and analyzing using Classical methods of learning.
When the time comes to go over the grievances section, the teacher needs to remember that he/she is teaching students how to read a primary source document. Learning how to paraphrase each grievance faithfully and accurately is vital for each student. I say faithfully because oftentimes students will read primary source documents like literature and offer alternative interpretations that fundamentally alter the meaning of the original text. Analyzing the document to try to understand the thinking of the person who wrote it is appropriate, but care must be taken not to create new meaning where it does not exist. Follow the source; do not add to the source.
Similar to the process of studying Magna Charta, have the students write down their own paraphrases on a separate sheet of paper and then share them with the class. The teacher will take their suggestions and write out a good model on the board for students to copy. Students should be encouraged to run paraphrases that differ from the one of the board by the teacher for instruction and correction. Next, the teacher will hold a class discussion in which students explain how each grievance is or is not legitimate based on the governmental principles and rights found in Magna Charta, the Mayflower Compact, the English Bill of Rights, and the original colonial charters. A good way to motivate students to participate is for the teacher to write only good ideas on the board. Writing partially good explanations and having the class collaborate to complete less than clear arguments works well, too. It really is a fun exercise:)
Studying the grievances lays the groundwork for the upcoming study of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is going to correct the points made in the grievance section of the Declaration. A teacher may think that Logic and Rhetoric age students might not be interested in the grievances, but the opposite is true. They are at an age where their rights as individuals are important to them and they like learning about what they should be.
Studying the violations of rights guaranteed by previous documents during the build up to the American Revolution and reading how the American colonies decided to deal with the violations culminating in the Declaration of Independence teaches students about patience and longsuffering, moral courage, and the willingness to sacrifice one’s life so that others can have what they could not. It teaches students that according to the Founding Fathers, liberty was not based on self-interest, but on what was best for the whole. Obtaining political liberty was seen as an exercise in dependence upon God. In addition, the Declaration of Independence teaches students the expectations they should have for themselves as individuals and citizens in a political system based on a religious covenant and social contract.
The last three paragraphs of the Declaration are a perfect example of a conclusion of a long argument. The paragraphs reiterate the author’s main points and the last one ends with a poignant proclamation which reveals the depth of the signers’ convictions to achieve independence no matter what it cost. The last expression provides a beautiful opportunity for students to consider the minds and hearts of the signers from a political and a spiritual point of view. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Given the Founding Fathers example, for what would the students be willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes, and their honor? Ask what steps they are taking in their lives to ready themselves to be willing to give up their lives, everything they own, and their reputations for the sake of something more important than themselves.
As a teacher, when you are looking at your schedule and are wondering how you can take the time to teach the founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, look at the benefits of teaching the Declaration. Students will take on much of the battery of Classical Christian training by studying the Declaration of Independence in terms of developing strong academic habits of defining terms, paraphrasing texts, and analyzing texts, producing their own arguments in class discussions based on textual and historical evidence, being challenged to think about the Biblical purposes of equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, learning correct sentiments regarding powerful ideas that have changed the world for the better, and being challenged by wise folks in the past to consider what kind of adults they are becoming in the present. As a teacher, it does not get any better than this!
Developing Better Thinkers Through Writing
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Define key terms
Declaration —
Firm —
Reliance —
Protection —
Divine —
Providence —
Mutually —
Pledge —
Fortunes —
Sacred —
Honor —Rewrite the quote with definitions in place of key words.
Answer the following:
A. For what would you be willing to sacrifice your life, your fortune, and your honor?
B. Are you prepared to do so right now? If not, how would you prepare?
Teacher Stories
How Rewriting the Pledge of Allegiance Changed the Hearts of Teenagers
I worked in a Classical Christian school once that did not believe in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. When I asked about its absence in the daily schedule during teacher training, I was told that it was not considered important. I asked if I would be allowed to have my students say the pledge in my morning class and the headmaster and several colleagues laughed at me mockingly and said, “You can try.”
The word “pledge” means “warrant,” which means “to give authority to.” Warrant also means “to maintain,” which means “to hold; to support; to defend.” In our lives, we say pledges as outward signs of inward beliefs to show that we “give authority to” God, that we will “maintain” our nation’s liberties, or that we will “hold” and “support” the truths upon which our country’s government and our churches are based when we say the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, when we promise to tell the truth in court, when we take an oath to serve our country according to the rule of law as soldiers or office holders, and particularly at church each week when we recite the Apostles or the Nicene creed, when we sing hymns, and even when we pray. When we recite pledges we offer a tangible demonstration that we have a duty to uphold and to honor the very things, God and our country, that have enabled us to live as we do. We also train our children to offer due homage and appreciation for the gifts we have been given when we have them recite the Pledge of Allegiance and worship God at church.
When I instructed my tenth grade students to stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance on the first day of school, and subsequent days thereafter, they were quite resistant. Because they had been taught that the pledge was irrelevant, they did not appreciate my insistence on saying it each morning. Teachers and students in the hallways walking by could be overheard laughing at us as we said it. The students in my class made sure I understood their own opinions of reciting the pledge through their tones of voice and facial expressions. I did talk to the class about what a pledge was and why it was important to show loyalty, duty, and gratitude towards the very country that offered us such unparalleled freedom. My words fell flat, and no wonder, because I was the only adult in the building claiming that the Pledge was important. I wondered, if the students understood what the words in the Pledge meant, would they be more inclined to recite it?
I remembered an exercise that my mentor taught me to help students better understand the meaning of primary source documents by defining key terms and rewriting the document in an annotated version. I had the students write out the Pledge of Allegiance and underline key terms. I gave them an assignment to define the key terms by using Webster’s 1828 Dictionary online edition and to rewrite the Pledge of Allegiance while inserting the definitions in place of the original words in a manner that made sense even though it sounded awkward.
Once they completed their homework, which they initially complained about bitterly, I had the students read out their annotated pledges to the class and we wrote some of the examples on the board. I had noticed earlier that morning that the resistance to saying the Pledge seemed somewhat lessened, but I was not sure if it was just an anomaly.
The next morning, when I had the students rise to recite the pledge, they stood eagerly. During the recitation, their voices were strong and they spoke with conviction. Once finished, the students sat down and we began class. I was in absolute shock, but I said nothing. Every morning afterward, they eagerly stood and recited the pledge with the same level of conviction in their voices. No one ever resisted or complained about saying the Pledge again.
I never said a word about the change, because it seemed in doing so that something fundamental to the entire experience would be lost. It was like one of those moments when speaking ruins things and leaving things in a state of unspoken understanding seems best.
Some may dismiss my experience with that tenth grade class as merely anecdotal evidence of a profound change of heart. I have seen this change occur repeatedly after using this same type of exercise throughout my teaching career. Try it and see how it works for you:)
Of Old Sat Freedom on the Heights
By ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
Of old sat Freedom on the heights,
The thunders breaking at her feet:
Above her shook the starry lights:
She heard the torrents meet.
There in her place she did rejoice,
Self-gather'd in her prophet-mind,
But fragments of her mighty voice
Came rolling on the wind.
Then stept she down thro' town and field
To mingle with the human race,
And part by part to men reveal'd
The fulness of her face—
Grave mother of majestic works,
From her isle-altar gazing down,
Who, God-like, grasps the triple forks,
And, King-like, wears the crown:
Her open eyes desire the truth.
The wisdom of a thousand years
Is in them. May perpetual youth
Keep dry their light from tears;
That her fair form may stand and shine,
Make bright our days and light our dreams,
Turning to scorn with lips divine
The falsehood of extremes!