By Pete Stiglich
I suspect America’s Founding Fathers may have been smiling down upon a small band of North State patriots this past weekend. All told, about ninety local folks willingly gave up a significant part of their weekend to spend precious time expanding their knowledge about their Founding Fathers and the principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Most assuredly, Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the Declaration of Independence, appreciated the importance of a well educated populace. As he so aptly put it,
“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government; whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
From all indications, a large majority of those attending the seminar certainly felt something most assuredly has gone ‘wrong’ in America. Whether it be the enormous, unsustainable national debt or the federal government’s apparent disregard for their constitutionally limited powers, attendees were clearly looking for ammunition that would better help them regain control of their government.
According to Jefferson, expanding one’s tool chest of knowledge was absolutely the right place to start their journey.
The seminar, “The Making of America”, took place all day Saturday at the Shasta College downtown campus. Redding’s Bostonian Tea Party sponsored the event with instruction provided by the National Center for Constitution Studies (NCCS). NCCS was founded by Dr. W. Cleon Skousen, author of The 5,000 Year Leap and The Making of America.
The morning session, “Developing America’s Great Success Formula” was described in seminar materials as “…the exciting exploration which Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Washington and others made in order to rediscover the key to the creation of the first free nation in modern times.”
Following a short lunch break, the afternoon session embarked on a “…refreshing look at the solid political and economic principles from the preamble through the amendments to the Constitution.”
According to seminar leader, Mr. Bill Norton from Gilbert, Arizona, nearly every problem in America today can be solved by restoring these successful concepts.
Mr. Norton also shared that demand for the seminar has escalated tremendously in the past couple years, most likely as a direct result of people’s dissatisfaction with the road America finds itself on today. From just a handful of offerings a year or two ago, NCCS presented some 87 such seminars in 2009 and is expecting to more than double that number in 2010.
Clearly, the masses have awakened and are beginning to arm themselves with the power of knowledge. This is a good thing and bodes well for our Nation and her future. I, for one, left the seminar with a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices of our Founding Fathers, not for the sake of power but for the love of their country and the liberties we all enjoy today.
As Jefferson so wisely said,
”I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome direction, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.”
Special thanks to Suann Prigmore, the driving force behind bringing NCCS to Redding, along with a lot of help from fellow Bostonian Tea Party members. You can learn more about Redding’s Bostonian Tea Party by going to www.bostonianteaparty.ning.com
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