Gary discusses the early history of the colonies, and how they founded their laws and constitutions on the Bible.
A misconception is held by many that the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence was the beginning of our nation. Abraham’s Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (Nov. 19, 1863) contributes to the confusion with the opening line: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
While America was not a nation of united states at the time, she was a nation nonetheless. Thirteen colonies with independent governments and intact constitutions were operating in 1776. The 52 signers of the Declaration weren’t dropped from the sky in Philadelphia on July 2. The freshly printed document announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were now independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. The decision was not made lightly. Thomas Jefferson expressed the sentiments of most of his fellow Americans in a letter he had written in November of 1775 to John Randolph, who was in England at the time:
Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose[s]; and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America.
In Jefferson’s mind, there was an America before its declaration of Independence. The political ideals of those who forged a more unified nation were not developed within a worldview vacuum. Since ideas have consequences, we should expect that the beliefs of the existing colonies would have an impact on the newly formed national government, and if not, then the individual states would retain them as they did. Sadly, however, the truth about our once robust Christian heritage is being steadily dismantled.
The early colonies’ reliance on God’s providence is nothing more than a faded memory for most Americans. If we are ever to restore what is about to be lost, we will need to learn the truth about our nation’s founding.
America's (More Than) 250th Celebration Pack
On July 4, 1620, more than 100 brave people were making plans to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to "the new world" to begin a new life. The Mayflower set sail in early September. The ship arrived in Cape Cod 66 days later in early November. The world would never be the same... 156 years later, 56 brave men signed a document that declared independence from the tyrannical overreach of King George. To mark this historic 250th Anniversary, American Vision is making these NINE important books available for one great price! More than 45% off!! These books prove that America began well before 1776, and her Christian history goes back centuries earlier. Our constitutional Founders inherited a nation founded by Christians and built, to use a phrase from John Adams, on “the general principles of Christianity." Each is an education in history, culture, and biblical worldview, but together they form a rock-solid foundation for proper thinking about America's incredible founding and early development.
Buy NowEvery Fourth of July, we celebrate the “birth of the United States,” but this is not quite accurate. The nation of America was born much earlier in the colonies. Thirteen colonies with independent governments and intact constitutions were operating in 1776. Gary discusses the early history of the colonies, and how they founded their laws and constitutions on the Bible.