Protestantism

» pink101 - The Natural State of Man

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If we are to discuss or understand the ideas of Freedom in America, it is incumbent on us to realize that the colonials thought of mankind as existing in a natural state before government and that it is the duty of government to secure those rights inherent to mankind in nature.
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There must be a starting point.
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-- posted by pink101

» pink101 - A Child

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"Not to know what happened before one was born is to always remain a child."
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Cicero
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicero
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-- posted by pink101

» pink101 - Current State of Affairs

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Picking up on the current state of affairs as though it represents some form of legitimacy is to play the childhood role.
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It is absolutely necessary to understand what the American Revolution was all about in order to get a handle on what is being done to our culture by the ruling class.
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Make no mistake about it, George W. Bush is the spokesperson for the ruling class and he is doing a pretty good job of reframing our historical perspectives.
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-- posted by pink101

» pink101 - Madison Finally Agrees

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The role the Bill of Rights carried out as the first Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution united the states into a nation.
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Every American should be taught the conditions under which the debates and discussions led to the Bill of Rights.
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Otherwise, the states would have been too powerful to legislate independent and inequitable ways of limiting the liberties of individuals.
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And, there was a strong movement afoot to produce a new constitution that would have over ruled the one under which we govern ourselves today.
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Madison finally agrees with Jefferson that the nation must have a Bill of Rights.
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-- posted by pink101

» pink101 - Above All

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Above all, it remains the responsibility of each individual to study the history for their own self.
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It is dangerous to take any person's word for anything in history of how America came to be; but, we must search out for truth and test the reliability of each and every essayist on our own.
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Is Howard Zinn a reliable historian? THAT is a question YOU must answer for your own self. Personally, I say he is a very good place to start. Much of what he says questions authority and that seems to be a good move in my way of thinking.
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To argue we were created to be a Chistian nation without knowing the truth of history is foolishness. So, unless you know the history, you are like a child.
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - I Have To Confess

In response to I Have To Confess posted by pink101:

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Please share what you learn, Pink. I'm especially interested in the Bill of Rights.

-- posted by Migisi

» Brian Tubbs - Respectfully

In response to Respectfully posted by pink101:

I most certainly do not think I'm arguing against American freedom.

» Brian Tubbs - Recommended study

In response to I Have To Confess posted by Migisi:

I recognize that Pink to some extent and Migisi especially don't care much for what I have to offer since I'm young and get my information from George W. Bush reading bedtime stories to me at night, but...

If you really are interested in learning about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I would recommend these sources...

1. Find a good founding era TIMELINE - so you can put everything in some chronological perspective.

Here's a basic one for kids...

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/arti...

I'm not saying you're a kid, but this is a helpful timeline.

2. Take this quiz on the 1760s...

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/us_f...

3. Read the Declaration of Independence

4. Read the Articles of Confederation - which were debated and approved by the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War

5. Read the Constitution itself - If you want to know about the Constitution, read it word-for-word. Start with the original (it was submitted to the states in 1787 as the original articles - no bill of rights, no amendments) and then read up on the amendments.

6. Read the Bill of Rights and the subsequent amendments

7. Double-check and refer back to your timeline as you do the above steps.

8. Now that you're familiar with the timeline and have read the actual major founding documents, you're ready to dig deeper into the context and personalities....here are some recommended books and website sources for that....

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon...

***The Avalan Project (above) is a GREAT source of original documents

http://www.earlyamerica.com/

***Archiving Early America - a GREAT online resource

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/us_f...

***Sorry for the personal plug, but I wrote this article about a forgotten but important founding era leader

http://www.rayraphael.com/take_a_quiz.htm

***This is a great quiz from a historian right up Pink's alley -- Ray Raphael (a protege of Howard Zinn). A great quiz. Highly recommended!

Books....

I recommend the following on the founding era:

*The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

*Common Sense by Thomas Paine

*the diary of Revolutionary War soldier Joseph Plumb Martin
---You can read excerpts from it at the link below...

http://www.ushistory.org/march/other/mar...

*John Adams by David McCullough

--Pulitzer Prize winner

*1776 by David McCullough

*Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fisher

*George Washington's War by Bruce Chadwick

*George Washington's War by Robert Leckie

*The First American Army by Bruce Chadwick

*A People's History of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael

--I do recommend Raphael's book, Pink. I just don't recommend you make that the ONLY book you read on the founding era. It's fine to read historians like Zinn and Raphael - but there are OTHER historians too.

Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 by the Colliers

Miracle in Philadelphia by Catherine Bowen

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

--A Pulitzer Prize winner

Vindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class, and Justice in the Origins of America by Thomas G. West

--No one should read anything which condemns the Founders without also reading West's book!

And there are many more. I'm just scratching the surface, but the above list should keep you busy.

FOR FUN...read Jeff Shaara's novel Rise to Rebellion. Great fiction which is actually pretty well researched and probably pretty close to what happened!

For a review of Shaara's book, go to the link below...

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/us_f...

--Since I liked it, you probably won't want to read it.

DO READ UP up on GEORGE MASON, who is regarded by many as the father of the national bill of rights!

I of course understand that my recommendations may incline you to do anything BUT what I suggest. After all, I'm young and I'm a Republican. Oh, and Heaven forbid, I'm a Christian. So, what can I know, right? But, maybe - just maybe - I have something of value to offer. Hard to fathom, esp for people like Migisi, I know. But it IS possible. It really is.

» Migisi - Recommended study

In response to Recommended study posted by BrianTubbs:
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since I'm young
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That REALLY got your hackles up, didn't it. Whipper snappers and whelps are so sensitive.
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George W. Bush reading bedtime stories to me at night,
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Awww... how nice. Do you have to help him with the big words?
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Here's a basic one for kids...
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Tee hee. He recommends the basic kid primer to this ignorant uneducated ol' lady. I get it.
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I'm young ... a Republican... a Christian.
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Three strikes. Yer outta here!! (wink) Would it surprise you to know that I was once all three at one time too?
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Your list of recommended books should impress me that you've done some reading from other sources besides the government-sanctioned history text books?

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - Recommended study

In response to Recommended study posted by BrianTubbs:

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I have already shown my resource for this thread.
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http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Bill-Right...
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The author, Leonard Levy, is known as a conservative, if anyone thinks that makes him more or less qualified on the subject.
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He is a prolific writer. At the time of this books release, he is 75 years old. This is his 36th book.
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-- posted by pink101