What Would The Founding Fathers Think?
By David Bowman
In a fun twist of history, technology and graphics David Bowman looks at the founding of America and wonders what our Founding Fathers would think of today’s America.
When our Founding Fathers signed the Constitution they began a new form of government, one based on giving freedom and power to the people. America was to be a rising sun in a dark world. But would the founding fathers be pleased with the direction that America has gone? Have we stayed true to the principles that our nation was founded on?
Today, the United States of America is in serious trouble. We are facing problems that could destroy us – problems that include taxes, the federal deficit, healthcare issues, and mortgage crises. But how did we get into this mess and what is the true problem?
In just a few years America’s youth will be face-to-face with these problems. So it is important to learn early in life the wisdom that our nation was founded on and to understand the true nature of the problems that we face today. Then we will be ready to solve our problems because we will have returned to our root beliefs.
America was founded on belief in God and a desire for religious freedom. Religious beliefs were an important foundational stone in America's early days, “religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (northwest Ordinance, Article 3). The common beliefs in God were what held the country together, religious differences were not points of contention driving us apart.
Values and virtues were the second level in America's foundation. For this country to work the way it was intended there are certain values and virtues we all must have. These include being responsible - hard workers, honesty, and generous. We must strive for excellence in all that we do.
The third level is that we govern ourselves, but we do not govern by whatever we feel like but by the Ten Commandments of God. Freedom without regard for the consequences of our action is the reason America is being crippled by its problems today.
By limiting the power of the government, the rights of the people are protected. The government is suppose to protect our right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness – the rights given to us by God. The government receives its power from the people. The people choose representatives who have values similar to their own to be a part of the government. The government is broken into three parts so the powers are further limited, so that it is not controlled by just one person or group of people. Power must rest with the people and trickle up to the federal level from the local level.
We need to remember that the Constitution is our instruction manual on how the government is suppose to be run. The Constitution limits government, protecting the rights of the American people to govern themselves based on their religious beliefs, values, and virtues. These checks and balances were put in place to safe-guard the country from power hungry individuals.
But America of today has decided that God and religion are not necessary in today's modern world, it is an antiquated idea that needs to be kept from the public life. This separation of God has brought about a lack of values and virtues in today’s America. The family unit has been weakened and with it the moral fiber that was America's backbone. As America loses its foundational stones, freedoms are lost because people need to be controlled and taken care of. People now have a distorted view of their rights and what these rights entail. We have the right to pursue happiness. Our happiness is not nor was it ever a guarantee.
Unfortunately, the federal government claims it can cure all problems. It takes more power from the local government and freedoms are slowly eroded. But the bigger government gets the more it costs. These costs are paid through taxes, borrowing money, and printing money all of which weaken the country.
America’s government has forgotten its purpose to be of, by, and for the people. Instead it has determined its role to be over all and for its own purpose. If we don't reverse the course we are on America will soon collapse in on itself. We must return to the Constitution, to the spirit in which it was written.
This book would be an excellent addition to any library’s juvenile history section, it would also be a title of interest to home-schoolers.
I received a Digital copy of this title for the purpose of this review.
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Hi Dave,
First off, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to provide a little extra insight into What Would the Founding Fathers Think? My pleasure. Thankyou.
1) What made you want to write this book? I think there is a HUGE need for effective, engaging materials that teach YOUNG Americans what their country is truly all about. And not just “What did the Founders intend for this nation back then… but also ‘hey’, look at how far ‘off the mark’ we are as a nation today”, so they can see the disconnect that ahs occurred between the past and now. I mean, kids don’t just somehow innately acquire this knowledge…they need to be taught the principles of liberty… long before they reach voting age. There is so little out there for their age group… and it is so needed right now
2) Why did you decide to have the Founding Fathers "Skype" with the future to explain America's foundation to today's reader? With youth, I’ve learned it’s not just WHAT you try to teach them (the content), but HOW you teach them that matters. It has to be fun!. Creative. I felt that engaging the reader in a two-way dialogue, question/answer style between Founding Fathers and Modern Young People… would make learning these principles much more interesting and palatable. And SKYPE, CHAT…. That’s the language of today’s youth! J
3) Is there a specific age group you hope reads What Would the Founding Fathers Think It is geared towards a preteen/teen audience.. but honestly, anyone will get something out of it. Curious 7-9 year olds will learn something. And most adults learn at a teen level anyway. I’ve had several “grown-ups” tell me how much THEY got out of the book.
4) How much fun did you have creating this concept? I think I had TOO much fun J The time traveling idea, the illustrations, the different examples used to teach the various concepts… all with fun, expressive illustrations. I would literally laugh out loud at myself as I drew some of these pictures. It’s very rewarding to watch a book like this come together… a book that is fun AND educational.
5) Do you have a favorite scene from What Would the Founding Fathers Think? Oh, I love the illustration of Franklin, Washington, and Madison BLASTING OFF into the future in the time machine… and then the picture of them RIGHT after the they’ve stopped their time travel into the future, and their faces are still plastered back due to the G forces of time travel. Too fun!
I also love the Sheriff Shane and the basketball tryouts analogies. The whining expressions on the kids faces who felt as if (after getting “cut”) they were “entitled” to be on the basketball team. Classic.
6) If you could be one of the Founding Fathers which one would you want be and why? Tough question, they are all so inspiring. I love the greats like George Washington, but I have always been extremely impressed with James Madison (which is why I picked him as the third character in my book). We basically owe the creation of our constitution (and this nation really) in large part to his efforts. Without James, there would have been no Constitutional Convention. He initiated that! And he was only in his mid-thirties at the time… young, short, sickly.. but man, did he step up to the plate when it mattered. That’s why he’s often revered as the Father of the Constitution.
7) Which moment in America's history do you wish you could experience firsthand? Oh, so many. I think to have been at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 would have been amazing. To watch these great minds wrangle and debate and then, almost miraculously, come to a consensus and sign that great document, marking the birth of the United States of America as we know it. God truly had His hand in that event.
8) Are you planning additional books to follow up What Would the Founding Fathers Think? Yes, I have some more ideas in mind. But first, I just hope and pray that this book does well, so as to make these sequels possible.
Thank you again David, for taking the time to talk with us about What Would the Founding Fathers Think? It was an enjoyable look at America's early history. Thank you, Meagan. I appreciate your support! J
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