American Minute

[Soldier4Christ]

He was one of six founding fathers to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. President Washington appointed him to the Supreme Court. Born in Scotland, he was an active delegate at the Constitutional Convention, speaking 168 times. His name was James Wilson and he died AUGUST 21, 1798.

The first law professor of the University of Pennsylvania, James Wilson wrote in his Lectures on Law, 1789-91: "Law...communicated to us by reason and conscience...has been called natural; as promulgated by the holy scriptures, it has been called revealed...But it should always be remembered, that this law, natural or revealed...flows from the same divine source; it is the law of God." James Wilson continued: "Human law must rest its authority, ultimately, upon the authority of that law, which is divine." The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania records in Updegraph v. Commonwealth, 1824: "The late Judge James Wilson, of the Supreme Court of the United States, Professor of Law in the College in Philadelphia... for our present form of government we are greatly indebted to his exertions...In his Course of Lectures (3d Vol. of his Works, 122), he states that...'Christianity is part of the common-law.'"

[Soldier4Christ]

Born AUGUST 22, 1934, he served in Vietnam, commanded the U.S. forces in Grenada and Desert Storm, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and knighted by the Queen of England. This was four star General Norman Schwarzkopf. On December 22, 1990, President George H.W. Bush was asked by the press: "There continues to be reports that American servicemen are not being allowed to wear American flag patches on their uniforms. There continues to be restrictions by the Saudis on religious materials." President Bush responded: "I've discussed this with our commanding general, H. Norman Schwarzkopf, and I am satisfied that our young men and women over there will be able to do what every other American family will be doing-thanking God for our many blessings at Christmas." In a 1991 interview with David Frost, General Schwarzkopf described an extreme flanking maneuver to cut off the Iraqi retreat: "When my forward commander radioed that they had reached the Euphrates River...I waited... 'General,' he said, 'I've got to tell you about the casualties.' I braced myself. 'One man was slightly wounded.' That's when I knew God was with us."

[Soldier4Christ]

"We have met the enemy and they are ours," wrote Navy Captain Oliver Hazard Perry, who died AUGUST 23, 1819. Captain Perry was renowned for his victory during the War of 1812 over 6 British warships in the Battle of Lake Erie. On September 10, 1813, Perry's vessels, with many sailors being free blacks, were anchored at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, blocking the supply route to Fort Malden. The British squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop, approached, commanded by the one-armed Commodore Robert Barclay, who helped defeat Napoleon's fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar. Strong winds prevented Perry from getting in a safe position and with no long range firepower his flagship was crippled and most of his crew killed by British cannons. In a courageous move, the 28-year-old Perry switched to the ship "Niagara" and sailed directly across the British line, firing broadside. He won the battle in 15 minutes and forced Barclay to surrender. This pivotal victory secured the Northwest Territory for the United States, opened supply lines and lifted the nation's morale. To the sailors on deck Captain Perry remarked: "The prayers of my wife are answered."

[Soldier4Christ]

Johannes Gutenberg invented the first moveable type printing press. His masterpiece, the Gutenberg Bible, was printed AUGUST 24, 1455. No longer copied by hand and chained to pulpits, Bibles were mass produced. Unfortunately his business partner sued and took his rights. Gutenberg, whose name means "beautiful mountain," wrote: "Let us break the seal which seals up holy things and give wings to Truth in order that she may win every soul that comes into the world." In The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1831, book 5, Victor Hugo wrote: "The 15th century everything changes. Human thought discovers a mode of perpetuating itself... Gutenberg's letters of lead...supersede Orpheus's letters of stone...The invention of printing is the greatest event in history. It is the mother of revolution." Victor Hugo continued: "Whether it be Providence or Fate, Gutenberg is the precursor of Luther." In A Tramp Abroad, 1880, Mark Twain wrote: "We made a short halt at Frankfort-on-the-Main...I would have liked to visit the birthplace of Gutenberg, but...no memorandum of the house has been kept." On August 12, 1993, at Denver's Regis University, Pope John Paul II gave a Gutenberg Bible to President Clinton.

[Soldier4Christ]

He discovered planet Uranus in 1781 and desired to name it after King George III, though others gave it his name, as Thomas Jefferson's wrote from Paris to John Page, August 20, 1785: "You will find in these the tables for the planet Herschel, as far as the observations hitherto made...You will see...that Herschel was...the first astronomer who discovered it to be a planet." Previously a music teacher and bandleader, Sir William Herschel identified double-stars, coined the word "asteroid," meaning star-like, discovered infrared radiation and constructed the largest reflecting telescopes of his day to catalogue thousands of nebulae and galaxies. Knighted by King George, he died in his observatory, AUGUST 25, 1822. Of the heavens, Sir William Herschel stated: "The undevout astronomer must be mad." His son, Sir John Frederick Herschel, took his father's telescope to the southern hemisphere where he catalogued hundreds of new stars and nebulae. Of the Bible, Sir John Frederick Herschel wrote: "All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths that come from on high and are contained in the Sacred Writings."

[Soldier4Christ]

"Women can vote" was the news AUGUST 26, 1920, with the passage of the 19th Amendment: "The right of citizens of the U.S. to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." President Gerald Ford stated February 13, 1976: "Susan B. Anthony...with other dedicated women... took the cause of women's suffrage to State capitals across our growing Nation...The irreversible change she wrought...led to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment." Also fighting for prohibition, Susan B. Anthony spoke at a Daughters of Temperance dinner, March 1, 1849: "Ladies! There is no Neutral position for us...If we sustain not this noble enterprise...then is our influence on the side of Intemperance. If we say we love the Cause and then sit down at our ease, surely does our action speak the lie. And now permit me once more to beg of you to lend your aid to this great Cause, the Cause of God and all Mankind." Another suffrage leader was Julia Ward Howe, author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, who wrote in the 3rd verse: "Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on."

[Soldier4Christ]

AUGUST 27, 1776, British General Howe trapped 8,000 American troops on Brooklyn Heights. Desperate, Washington ferried his army all night across the East River. Morning came yet half his troops were still in danger. A fog allowed the entire army to be evacuated. Never again did the British have such a chance to trap the American army. Major Ben Tallmadge, Washington's Chief of Intelligence, wrote: "As the dawn of the next day approached, those of us who remained in the trenches became very anxious for our own safety, and when the dawn appeared there were several regiments still on duty. At this time a very dense fog began to rise off the river, and it seemed to settle in a peculiar manner over both encampments. I recollect this peculiar providential occurrence perfectly well, and so very dense was the atmosphere that I could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance...We tarried until the sun had risen, but the fog remained as dense as ever." Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull had written to General George Washington, July 13, 1775: "May the God of the armies of Israel shower down the blessings of his Divine Providence...in the day of battle and danger."

[Soldier4Christ]

At the Civil Rights March in Washington, D.C., AUGUST 28, 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., stated: "I have a dream...where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." Martin Luther King continued: "This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'" Martin Luther King concluded: "When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"

[Soldier4Christ]

"Beloved Cherokees," wrote President Washington on AUGUST 29, 1796, "The wise men of the United States meet once a year, to consider what will be for the good of their people...I have thought that a meeting of your wise men...would be alike useful to you...I now send my best wishes to the Cherokees and pray the Great Spirit to preserve them." On May 12, 1779, Washington addressed the Delaware Indian Chiefs at the Middle Brook military encampment: "Brothers: I am glad you have brought three of the Children of your principal Chiefs to be educated with us...Congress...will look upon them as their own Children." Washington continued: "This is a great mark of your confidence and of your desire to preserve the friendship between the Two Nations...and to become One people with your Brethren of the United States...You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." Washington concluded: "Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention; and to tie the knot of friendship and union so fast, that nothing shall ever be able to loose it...I pray God He may make your Nation wise and strong."

[Soldier4Christ]

One of America's greatest generals for capturing Fort Ticonderoga with Ethan Allen and leading the charge at Saratoga, he felt unappreciated, so AUGUST 30, 1780, General Benedict Arnold conspired with British General Clinton to surrender West Point for 20,000 pounds, equivalent to one million dollars today. The British courier was Major John Andre, who had met Arnold's wife in Philadelphia. As Andre tried to cross to the British lines, he was searched, found with the blue prints for West Point in his boot and executed. Arnold escaped on the ship Vulture. George Washington wrote September 26, 1780: "Treason of the blackest dye was yesterday discovered! General Arnold who commanded at West Point, was about to...give the American cause a deadly wound if not fatal stab...Its discovery affords the most convincing proof that the Liberties of America are the object of divine Protection." On May 8, 1783, Yale President Ezra Stiles stated: "A providential miracle at the last minute detected the treacherous scheme of traitor Benedict Arnold, which would have delivered the American army, including George Washington himself, into the hands of the enemy."

[Soldier4Christ]

Imprisoned twelve years for preaching without a license from the King, he wrote Pilgrim's Progress, an allegory of a man named Christian fleeing the City of Destruction and directed by Evangelist to follow a narrow path to the City of Zion. The friends and dangers he meets along the way inspired the modern story Wizard of Oz. This classic of John Bunyan, who died AUGUST 31, 1688, was translated into over a hundred languages and found in nearly every colonial American home. Ronald Reagan, greeting Australia's Prime Minister, June 30, 1981, said: "Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, 'We are all travelers in what John Bunyan calls the wilderness of this world. And the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend-they keep us worthy of ourselves.'" Franklin Roosevelt said January 19, 1936: "When Theodore Roosevelt died, the Secretary of his class at Harvard, in sending classmates a notice of his passing, added this quotation from Pilgrim's Progress: 'My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder.'"

[Faithin1]

Very interesting.  I will email these to my son.  Thanks!

[nChrist]

He was one of six founding fathers to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. President Washington appointed him to the Supreme Court. Born in Scotland, he was an active delegate at the Constitutional Convention, speaking 168 times. His name was James Wilson and he died AUGUST 21, 1798.

The first law professor of the University of Pennsylvania, James Wilson wrote in his Lectures on Law, 1789-91: "Law...communicated to us by reason and conscience...has been called natural; as promulgated by the holy scriptures, it has been called revealed...But it should always be remembered, that this law, natural or revealed...flows from the same divine source; it is the law of God." James Wilson continued: "Human law must rest its authority, ultimately, upon the authority of that law, which is divine." The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania records in Updegraph v. Commonwealth, 1824: "The late Judge James Wilson, of the Supreme Court of the United States, Professor of Law in the College in Philadelphia... for our present form of government we are greatly indebted to his exertions...In his Course of Lectures (3d Vol. of his Works, 122), he states that...'Christianity is part of the common-law.'"

This is more than fascinating and completely true, but it's actually understated. "Common-law" is rights and wrongs that are simply assumed by average people. In other words, if an average person thinks that something should be wrong, it probably is wrong and against the law. "Christianity" encompasses the values, morals, and teachings of the Holy Bible. I said that the statement above was understated because many values, morals, and teachings of the Holy Bible became much more than just "common-law", rather adopted by the people and written into the formal laws of the land. There are countless examples of this throughout history. In fact, the Holy Bible is the most influential book in the history of mankind in terms of a source for values, morals, ethics, right, wrong, and eventually the adopted laws of mankind.

For Early America, the Holy Bible was the ultimate and unquestioned source for what is right and what is wrong. The Holy Bible was actually quoted in the adopted law. This would include times long before 1776. In many places, one could go so far as to say that the Holy Bible was the Law. Examples of this would include the "Puritans".

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen.

I just came across another source for this sort of information. It is a very large book (originally two books) that was written by a Benjamin F. Morris in 1864. From my understanding Morris was a historian that new Benjamin Franklin and some of the other founding fathers. There are documents and statements in this book that are not available anywhere else and prove beyond a doubt that the U.S. was founded on Christian principles. This book has been out of print for about 100 yrs and is now back in print and available again. The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State do not want this book to be known about. There is a rumor that they are trying to prevent it's distribution. Currently the book is sold out and having to be back ordered.

I WANT THIS BOOK!!

Oops, I should have given it's title. "The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States"

[nChrist]

I want the book also, especially considering that the ACLU doesn't want it distributed. If it's recently back in print and already sold out and back-ordered, it might be a worthy investment for every Christian to order 4 or 5 of them and distribute them to friends and family. I guess we could also see if our local library would handle an ample supply of them.

I have no idea when or where, but I'm sure that I've read something about "The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States". If it's as good as portrayed, maybe we could get enough people together to guarantee that the book becomes actively printed again. Limited printing usually results in fairly high costs, so the more wanting the book - the less it would cost. Limited printing could easily jack the price up to over $100 a copy. OR, it might be possible that the book is out of copyright and could be put in electronic format on the Internet. This would be the ultimate answer, and everyone could read it then. I'll try to look and see if anything already exists on the Internet.