Another Saturday means another opportunity to express your opinions and shape this website.
How did you like the guest article? Who else would you like to include in this project? It's officially the summer, what are your plans? Anything even remotely history related to them? For the graduates out there, how does the idea of independence sound as you are going off to college or work? It's your forum so talk about what you want!
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All of this deep interpretation of the Declaration of Independence means we should not forget ALL of the men who helped write, edit and vote on this pivotal document.
Sure, Jefferson may get all the publicity but other notable names like John Adams, Richard Henry Lee and Ben Franklin signed it and worked on it. That hall also included somewhat famous names like Roger Sherman and the complete unknown like Georgia representative Button Gwinnett. Besides having an awesome name, Gwinnett appears to be given a second chance at fame just like Lin Manuel Miranda did for Alexander Hamilton (who was NOT a part of the Declaration remember) thanks to Stephen Colbert. ​Enjoy! By Caitlin Lansing
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I see the “pursuit of happiness” no clearer than in a visit to Chipotle. I’m no historian of restaurants, but I have a gut feeling that in 1993, when the restaurant was founded, the ability to customize your meal in real time, as you ordered it, was probably novel. In 2016, having so many options is commonplace, even expected. For forty years prior to a 2014 slogan change, Burger King advertised by telling its customers to “Have It Your Way,” only changing its tagline to “Be Your Way.” Panera Bread recently adopted electronic menus where you can customize each food and beverage option. Now, there are dozens of Chipotle spin-offs, including for different cuisines. Last time we looked at the most important sentence in the Declaration of Independence and spent roughly 100 sentences analyzing it.
It may be disproportional but I liked it. You can find that analysis here. Now that we established that all men are created equal now let's see what the equality entails in the next of Jefferson's self-evident "truths".. "...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." I know this project may seem haphazard at times but as we get further along the more things have become clear.
So, as a heads up Internet, here is the weekly schedule this summer for our little project. Sunday-Sunday soundtrack, listen to some revolution inspired jams and reflect upon the music. Monday-original content by Mr. Gibson Tuesday-outside perspective by either a guest columnist or "On Second Thought" which features related links and opinions. Wednesday/Thursday-more original content from yours truly Friday-Friday Fun examines some of the weirder facts about the Declaration and the Revolution Saturday-Saturday Open Forum, discuss what you want on your terms. Comments are vital to its success so be a part!
The most anti-revolutionary revolution song of all time.
In 1968 the world was falling apart. The Tet Offensive and the massacre at My Lai led to American outrage over the war in Vietnam. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed leading to riots and the Black Power salute in the Mexico City Olympics. Bobby Kennedy was shot not too long later. Counter culture, anti-Vietnam protestors were beat up in the streets of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention. Oh....and the Beatles released their song "revolution". On one hand it seems like this would be the right time to articulate the angst and frustration young people across the world were feeling. Yet that's not really what happened here. Instead, it was more a complaint or critique of these violent tactics being used by these protestors and a rather flippant cry to "count me out" of the anger and tension. The political left were certainly angry with the sentiment but it helped demonstrate just how murky the line was between right and wrong, good and evil. Revolution is complicated and that is why we are working this entire summer on this project. Thanks for reading and enjoy! In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson states that "among" these inalienable rights is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In saying among, there is the presumption that there are more natural rights than those three, even if he never articulates them. So what are they? Why would Jefferson say the word "among" and not tell us more about them? What should they be? Let me know in the comments section and enjoy your weekend! Welcome back to our intellectual journey through the Declaration of Independence.
Last time we delved into the causes/definition of revolution and why we seem so obsessed with it in modern times. Now we have reached the second sentence, the most famous line in the entire document. In fact, I do not find it hyperbolic to call it the most important sentence in American history. Why? This sentence will define what it means to be an American because it so specific and yet so vague at the exact same time. A sentence malleable enough to the individual reading it to interpret millions of ways and yet have enough girth to it to give it meaning. So before we can go any further I think we have to really, intensely scrutinize this sentence, which will be the point of today's article. Here it is: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Now I know to most of us this is just something to memorize for a test but have you ever really sat and thought about what is being said here? I am going to try and show you my thinking right now. Here are some additional articles, etc. to look over that are related to what was discussed so far. Share any other resources or comment on what you see.
Rise of the Anti-Hero https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-rise-of-the-anti-hero Gil Scott Heron and the Revolution Will Not Be Televised https://medium.com/cuepoint/why-gil-scott-heron-wrote-the-revolution-will-not-be-televised-6e298f9d4e2#.im3p02f6f Arab Spring in 2016 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soumaya-ghannoushi/the-arab-spring-is-not-dead_b_8980416.html V For Vendetta Facts http://www.moviefone.com/2016/03/16/v-for-vendetta-facts/ Bernie Sanders and His "Revolution" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-williamson/the-american-revolution-2_b_8201272.html Trump's Revolution http://spectator.org/trumps-revolution/ The "Revolutionary" American Revolution http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3222 The good news just keeps on coming, today I received confirmation of a third contributor to this summer project and it's definitely one of the most respected and admired teachers in the school.
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