Amid yesterday's Fourth of July festivities, documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi aired her latest project on HBO, The Words that Built America. Featuring celebrities and politicians, the film is simply a reading of our country's Declaration of Independence and Constitution. This may sound a bit dull, but it was actually somewhat refreshing to watch. The Declaration is roughly the length of a high school essay and the Constitution is shorter than a Cheesecake Factory menu, yet they are the two most important pieces of writing in modern history. It's amazing to think that the entirety of the foundation of our government can be read aloud in less than 45 minutes.
I usually spend a little time in my American Literature courses analyzing these pieces of writing with students, often emphasizing what is not found as much as what is. Many students, who have been raised in an era in which everything must be a "right" and the government is like another parent, are surprised to learn that nowhere in our documents are the phrases "minimum wage," "Social Security," "Medicare/Medicaid," "public education," "health care," or others we so commonly hear today from our political leaders. The documents simply outline the very limited responsibilities of those in office, what they are not allowed to take away from citizens, and that defending the people from force/violence is the primary duty. It's quite remarkable how strongly implied the basic message is: "This will be a country that wants people to mind their own business and take care of themselves."
Take a look for yourself, and remember this Independence Day just how "independent" our citizens were meant to be.
I usually spend a little time in my American Literature courses analyzing these pieces of writing with students, often emphasizing what is not found as much as what is. Many students, who have been raised in an era in which everything must be a "right" and the government is like another parent, are surprised to learn that nowhere in our documents are the phrases "minimum wage," "Social Security," "Medicare/Medicaid," "public education," "health care," or others we so commonly hear today from our political leaders. The documents simply outline the very limited responsibilities of those in office, what they are not allowed to take away from citizens, and that defending the people from force/violence is the primary duty. It's quite remarkable how strongly implied the basic message is: "This will be a country that wants people to mind their own business and take care of themselves."
Take a look for yourself, and remember this Independence Day just how "independent" our citizens were meant to be.