Loading summary
Transcript38 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hi there, it's Bill Gray from Hillsdale College. Before you skip ahead, can I ask you a question or two? If you could teach 50 million Americans one thing, what would it be? Would you teach our great American story that this nation is unique, founded on self government and individual liberty? Maybe you would teach the truth about free enterprise, how hard work and opportunity allow anyone to rise. Or would you teach the gospel and the Christian faith that helps us live good and meaningful lives? At Hillsdale College, we're doing exactly that. Teaching the best that's been thought and said. Through our free online courses, K12 programs, Imprimis, podcasts and more, we reach and teach millions every year with the principles of liberty that make America free. And with your help, we can reach even more. Your tax deductible gift today will help us teach millions more people to pursue truth and defend liberty. Just text the word give to 7 1844. You'll get a secure link to make your donation in seconds. That's give to 718 44. Thank you for standing with us. Now back to the show.
- [01:22]
B
To celebrate 250 years of freedom, Hillsdale College's Matthew Spalding along with professor From Hillsdale in D.C. sit down with Larry O' Connor of WMAL to discuss the truths that make this country great. This is Hillsdale on the Hill.
- [01:41]
C
It is the semi quincentennial of the United States of America or at least our Declaration of Independence from Mother England. That's right, I said it semi quincentennial. I finally got it right. But it has to be written out for me. Bethany Mandel. I just.
- [01:57]
D
That is too hard. I can't do that.
- [02:01]
C
Joining us as he has every couple of weeks now as we celebrate America's 250th is the one and only Dr. Matthew Spalding. He's the Vice President for Washington operations and dean of the Van Ando Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College here in D.C. which by the way, I got to see they finally finished. It's been like a two year renovation and remodeling. It is so beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. The Van Andoil Graduate School of Government. And by the way, they offer a part time MA in government degree for young professionals if you're interested. Dr. Spalding, great to see you this week and thanks for joining us today.
- [02:38]
E
Great. Good morning to be with you and with Bethany, both of you, thanks for coming over the other day. Larry, that was great to see our facility and the new library and all the whole setup. So we're very excited about Opening it all up again.
- [02:49]
C
Yeah. Vince Colonnaise and I got to be there. And we participated in sort of a Hillsdale tradition, which is a happy hour for Washington and Lincoln's birthday. And I'd love to start there with you if we could. Let's start with Washington. I mean, what hasn't been said already about this great man and how vital he was 250 years ago? Do you think if we didn't have a man like Washington, we would have even moved toward independence in the way that we did?
- [03:16]
E
You know, that's a good question, but of course, it's a. In many ways an obvious, clear question, which is absolutely not. The. The other founders clearly recognize there's something different about this fellow. You know, when I. I actually wrote my dissertation on Washington, I thought, oh, he'd be easier because he didn't write a lot of books, and he wasn't. It wouldn't. It wouldn't be as hard to study. But of course, he's more complicated, more difficult. He writes more than any of the other founders. Yeah. By far. Jefferson knew he was better. He was great at what he was doing. Adams was, you know, kind of loved him, but also certain jealousy because he was so powerful and great and. And good at what he was doing. Hamilton was like a son to him. So he's. He's clearly the. The key figure in all this, which. Going to what you just pointed out, you know, no one does this anymore. We do an event, and we. We toast him on his birthday. The historical fact is that, you know, prior to. To that time in history, it was almost always the case that the general essentially took over most countries, all of history. It's all despotism. It's all tyranny. It's Caesar. Think of Napoleon in the modern, more modern era. But Washington didn't do that. He's this great bridge figure between the Revolution. He's in the Continental Congress. He goes and becomes the General. He's got military experience, and he takes us through the whole war, through this whole series of events we're kind of recounting. Where does he ultimately leave us? Constitutional Convention. We write this great document, the Constitution. He's chosen to be its president, but he deferred to the Constitution. And then what does he do? He's not only resigned his military commission for the sake of the Constitution, but then as president, he resigns his presidency.
- [05:00]
C
Yeah.
- [05:01]
E
So that the Constitution will go on without. It's an amazing story. Just amazing story.
- [05:08]
D
Dr. Psalm, do you have any concern about the. What I See at a lot of presidential libraries of like, the woke creep happening, especially, I think, is it Monticello that has the.
- [05:20]
C
Yeah. Jefferson's home, sadly, is really, really politically correct. I don't even call it politically correct. Yeah.
- [05:27]
E
And then Madison. Madison's home is very. Is really bad, too.
- [05:30]
D
Yeah.
- [05:31]
E
In Orange. Montpelier.
- [05:33]
D
Montpelier. That's the one I'm thinking of. That's the one that went really, really crazy. Is there anything that we can do as, you know, patriotic Americans who want to honor the presidents and not desecrate their legacies when it comes to this sort of woke creep happening at these.
- [05:52]
E
There are kind of two levels at what this debate is going on. One is the immediate one, one you've mentioned. There's this. This wokeness, this revival of this crazy sentiment. And. But we got to think about it for a moment. What's behind that, which is they oftentimes are motivated by particular issues and, you know, often race in the. More recently. But it's mostly that they've lost any sense of meaning. There's no purpose in history. History is whatever you make it. And so this is what we want to make it today. And the history profession has gone away from all this. I think the most important thing to do now, we should push back against those whenever you have an opportunity, because there's actually. That actually is racist to teach it that way. But the better way is to just teach good history. This is why you see the revival of classical schools and private education. There's a movement to get this in. Better history into public schools. People are writing books. This. This whole year of. Of pointing back to this history is a great unique opportunity to remind people. And what I find is that people are tired of that. The kind of the woke history story, because it's not a story. All it is is we're bad. This is bad. That's. These people were bad. It's not a story. Tell them the story. They want to hear the story. The great story going back to Washington. It's not because we put on Mount Rushmore that's great. It's because it's a great story. He did these great things. That's what they want to hear, and they just eat it up.
- [07:24]
C
Our guest is Dr. Matthew Spaulding, and he has written the book, by the way. It's the Making of the American Mind, the story of Our Declaration of Independence. And. Well, I mean, okay, tell us the story, Dr. Spalding, because it was 250 years ago right now, where we were enduring the siege of Boston. It had gone on, What, I think 10 months altogether, but it was reaching its climax here. Take us back at that time with the siege of Boston and how pivotal it was for the conversation that was beginning there in Philadelphia.
- [07:54]
E
Can you say semi quincentennial?
- [07:56]
C
Barely. Barely. I spent it all on that.
- [08:00]
E
Thanks. This is a great example of this. We kind of have in our minds perhaps some semblance of the series of events. But recall, Washington's appointed in June of 75, so he's already been appointed general. He arrives to Boston about the time they're having the battle of Bunker Hill. So he's already up there in late 1775. He realizes he does not have the weaponry to. To fight the British. The British occupied Boston because they took through this tea in the harbor and they've. They've disobeyed British laws and so the port's been closed. That's where the fighting is. They're. They're surrounding it. They're sieging Boston after Lexington, Concord. Washington sins, famously sends one of this. This young guy, he's in the way, he's in his 20s, with a crew up to Ticonderoga, 300 miles up, 300 miles back to retrieve, in the middle of winter, 60 tons of cannons. That's a great story in and of itself.
- [08:59]
C
Yeah. I can't believe that's not a movie.
- [09:02]
E
Well, it's, It's. It's been made. Several books have been written about. It would be a great movie. Yeah. But he brings these cannons back and he's gonna. Washington's going to put them strategically on what is called the Dorchester Heights, which is a high point overlooking Boston. And, you know, you go up to Boston nowadays, the territory, the geography of Boston is actually different. It used to be essentially an island with only one entrance to Boston. Once those cannons are on Dorchester Heights itching for a battle, really great strategic move. And he forces the British to leave Boston. They were going to fight him at one point, there's a storm. They're kind of confused. There's things going on, on. But they can't protect their ships in Boston, so they leave Boston. So right now, about now, 250 years ago, right, those cans have come back. They're putting them up on the Dorchester Heights and come a little bit later in the spring next month, the Boston are going to leave. Leave Boston British, and they're going to go up to Halifax. They're going to regroup. And we know what's coming next.
- [10:05]
C
Yeah. They enter New York harbor next Right.
- [10:09]
E
They'll eventually come back to New York.
- [10:11]
C
Yeah.
- [10:12]
E
But here's what's interesting. Washington after Boston, he's forced to bridge out of Boston. He's got to anticipate what they're going to do. The beauty of history is not knowing what's going to happen. He moved his army to New York, thinking that's where they're going to attack next. So he's preparing right now, 20, 50 years ago, we're preparing for what is going to be the hugest battle to come, which, unbeknownst to the Americans, the British invasion of New York will be the largest sea amphibious invasion in world history up to World War II. Wow. So the British realized we've got a war in our hands. We got to really turn up the heat here. Washington knows that we didn't win by getting the go to Boston. We've got a war in our hand. We got to get ready. So the spring is full of all this preparation for what they know. But Washington and the British know the coming war while Congress is dithering around, debating, debating, debating and not doing anything.
- [11:08]
C
Hold that thought, because that leads us to what Congress is doing nothing. While our soldiers are having to actually fight this impossible war. It sort of reflects, sort of what Congress is in the midst of right now, sadly, and tonight's historic State of the Union. So there's General Washington there now, remobilizing from after the siege of Boston, getting ready for New York. And he's asking, he sends letters. I mean, the paper trail is clear. He needs Congress at that time, the Continental Congress, to do something, anything to support the troops. What happened, Dr. Spalding?
- [11:44]
E
Well, so Congress doesn't want to do anything there. They're. They're divided. They're mostly wanting to reconcile with the British. So they're riven and they don't act. And they won't act until they receive some more information. So in a certain sense, you're right. It's like. It's like Congress today. Legislatures don't want to do things unless they have to. It turns out that's a truth over time. But they're the legislature. They're the supreme power. All the colonies represented. Washington has to defer to Congress. We can't get too far out on his ease. But keep in mind, he's taken his army into New York. New York is a loyalist colony, by the way, where there's a governor appointed by the king and a mayor appointed by the king. So he's actively already declared independence, if you will. Congress is divided and so two, two crucial things have happened here. Actually three. One is in January of 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously publishes a pamphlet called Common Sense. Yes. Which we've all heard of.
- [12:45]
C
Those anonymous bloggers will get you every time.
- [12:48]
E
An influencer, he was an influencer and he calls for independence. So it's out there, full throated call for independence. And then a number of other colonies, we've already talked about Massachusetts, the governor of Ayers dissolved the legislature, but the same thing happened in Virginia, South Carolina and I think there was one other colony. So the royal governors are closing down legislatures and they're asking Congress for permission. What do we do? And then the third piece of, crucial piece of information which Washington gets from a spy in Europe is he actually gets actual copies of the, the negotiations and the, in the final documents between the King of England and Hessian states in Germany to hire Hessians to go fight the Americans. And he sends that to Congress. Hey, what do you think of that? So he's building the pressure on them to actually act. But they're going to dither around, they're going to dither around all spring. They don't know that the timing is right. What do we do now? What? We don't have an ally. We need, we need an ally which eventually is going to look towards France. We want to make the states and colonies in the states. We're ready. Constitutionally, shouldn't we have a constitution first? But of course all that timing goes out the window as events start taking over, moving us into the spring, towards, towards the Declaration. And oh by the way, In May of 76 Washington leaves his post in New York and he goes to Philadelphia. And you know what, it's pretty clear even though this is all secret records that he told them, look guys, you gotta declare independence. We're going to war. Richard Henry Lee, Just a few weeks after Washington, Lee's introduces a motion for independence.
- [14:33]
D
So for families like ours, who love all of this, who love all the history, who live in this amazing area, who can avail herself of everything that is available here, what would you recommend as far as our to do list during this, how do you say it?
- [14:51]
C
Semi quincentennial.
- [14:54]
E
This is why we call it America 250.
- [14:58]
D
America 250, much easier.
- [15:00]
E
Look what's on my to do list, especially for younger, you know, children, young adults. The most important thing is to essentially learn biography, you know, early on. You don't learn the details of the chronology. This then, this thin, this then you don't read the documents and the pamphlets early on it's biography, you want to learn about them. So here in this area, you know, going to Mount Vernon, going to Monticello, despite all the messiness of it in terms of what is being spot there, you just to see the place is extremely important. The other thing of course we have a very good opportunity here that the National Archives has been completely redone over the last year or so. It's been just been reopened. It's got a big display there, it's interactive. You can see the Declaration of Independence, you can see the Constitution. So you know, those kinds of things are extremely important. And if you have the wherewithal, you know, you don't have to go very far to, to see some very interesting places. I mean Newburgh, where Washington had his camp in New York is, is. Is not that far. Newburgh, New York. There are other battlefields you can go out to a trip to Boston. Boston still wonderfully laid out. You can see the old North Church, see where the battle of Bunker Hill was fought. You can go down and see the Virginia legislature. You go to go down in Williamsburg. That's wonderfully laid out. Yeah. I think that history. The best way to get into a mind is to capture the imagination and history, dynamic history, history of great actions and events is what does it when you're young. And then once you get them, once you get them hooked on history which, which I think young people naturally like to see these, these heroic stories get, you know, get, get lists of all the great books to read for an age appropriate time. Once you get them into that, then they'll see and they'll want to learn more about the history and the particulars and it'll start coming together and the
- [17:00]
C
next thing you know they're getting their undergrad at Hillsdale and then the graduate program at the Fernando Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College right here in D.C. and they'll get the hang with Dr. Spalding. We gotta leave it there. Sadly. Dr. Matthew Spalding. We could talk for hours as you know as we have. But this morning we'll, we'll come it a day. Thank you, sir.
- [17:19]
B
Thanks for listening to Hillsdale on the Hill presented by Hillsdale College. To learn more about the Van Andel Graduate School of Government and Hillsdale's work in our Nation's capital, visit D.C. hillsdale EDU. That's D.C. hillsdale. EDUARDO.