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- America just celebrated her birthday—how does a country get a birthday?
- Everybody in Colonial America read broadsides! Do you know what a broadside is?
- Patriots' words of faith on the need for freedom.
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| Earlier this week, President Bush visited a shoe factory in Port Washington, WI where the CEO presented him with a pair of red, white and blue shoes. Would you like to have red, white and blue shoes? Photo courtesy of the White House. |
- President Bush is visiting Germany this week as a participant in the G-8 Summit. G-8 is a very important meeting with leaders from several key nations-- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia. They meet once a year to discuss matters of great importance to the world, so it’s really good for us to pray for the leaders involved in the G-8 Summit that they will be safe and will have God’s leadership and guidance in everything they discuss and decide. Pray that God will show His power and presence in a very special way.
- Space Shuttle Discovery is having a terrifically successful run, and her crew say they have accomplished everything they planned to do! So it’s a great time to pray for the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery as they prepare to leave the International Space Station and get ready for the return to earth on Monday, July 17.
- Things are getting pretty rough in the Middle East, as Palestinian Hezbollah has fired rockets at cities in northern Israel and innocent people have been injured and killed. So we can pray again for peace in the Middle East that the fighting will stop and people will find ways to live in peace. Pray for President Bush and Secretary of State Rice as they speak with other world leaders regarding this bad situation.
- Keep on praying for our troops--especially that they will be safe and will be aware of any problems taking place around them. Pray for the kids who have a mom or a dad serving in the military that they will get along well while their parent is serving our country. Pray for the members of the Iraqi security forces to keep getting stronger and for the government of Iraq to grow increasingly independent and effective as they seek to lead their nation.
EPA Administrator—Stephen L. Johnson |
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| Portrait courtesy of the EPA |
Stephen L. Johnson is the leader of our country’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As the first professional scientist to lead this department, Stephen Johnson works to set very clear standards for the quality of our environment—that includes our air, water and land. He uses his experience and knowledge as a scientist to make decisions and set policies, improving our planet while trying not to limit business and industry too much, because that could create difficulties for our economy. He and his team are also responsible to see that our natural resources are used wisely. He listens to those living closest to the land, because they know our environmental needs best.
He has worked with Congress on President Bush’s Clear Skies Initiative to reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent, without disrupting the economy or raising electricity prices. He also works closely with the Department of Homeland Security to keep our food supply safe.
Steve Johnson brings 24 years of experience at the EPA, where he has worked since almost the start of that department. In his position as Administrator of the EPA, he relies on the support and encouragement of his wife, Debbie and their children and grandchildren. Mr. Johnson was born on March 21, 1951 in Washington, DC. He received a B.A. in Biology from Taylor University in Indiana and an M.S. in Pathology from George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation--Robert Mueller |
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| Photo courtesy of the University of Virginia. |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a rich history of protecting Americans and fighting crime—all the way back to 1908! Created by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte and President Theodore Roosevelt, earliest investigations concerned corruption and crime of all kinds. Since the first 34 investigators were hired, the agency has become one of the largest in the world with a force of 28,000 employees.
The first priority of the FBI is to defend Americans from terror attacks and foreign intelligence threats as well as fighting corruption, organized crime, white-collar crime and all major acts of violent crime. That’s a lot of things to take care of, but they also investigate crimes as well! The FBI has jurisdiction over 200 categories of federal law! In fact, the FBI is home to the largest database of fingerprints in our country, used extensively in criminal investigation and identification. They receive more than 37,000 sets of fingerprints every day, seven days a week.
Robert Mueller is a former Marine and Vietnam veteran. After military service, Director Mueller earned his law degree and began practicing law, but was soon tapped to be Attorney General first in San Francisco, and later in Boston. He was appointed Assistant Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush and had a rich history of public service mingled with the private practice of law. He was appointed Director of the FBI on September 4, 2001, just days before the 9/11 terror attacks. In the ensuing years, he has overseen the perhaps the largest reorganization ever of the Bureau.
Robert Mueller received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and his Masters in International Studies from New York University. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Virginia School Of Law in 1973, where he served on the Law Review. He is married and with his wife, Ann, has two children.
O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring You.
—Nehemiah 1:11
For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
—Galatians 5:13
America just had a birthday! Unless you were on another planet, you probably celebrated in some way as our country turned 230 years old. You probably had a picnic or watched a parade, and most likely, saw some fireworks. But did you ever think about how a country gets a birthday? How do you know when it is born? What kind of gift should you give to a country? Let’s try to get the answers to these questions and more in this week’s Presidential Prayer Team for Kids Update as we learn about our country’s Declaration of Independence and how we got it.
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| This photo shows what the first buildings in Plimouth (yes--that’s how it was originally spelled!), Massachusetts looked when the earliest Pilgrims settled there. Photo courtesy of Plimouth Plantation |
New countries are born in a few different ways, but it usually involves a battle of some kind. Sometimes the battle is over ideas or beliefs and sometimes it is over land or territory. When America was born, the battle was over both!
It started more than 100 years after the first settlers came to our shores--both at Jamestown, Virginia and Plymouth, Massachusetts. In time, new people came from all over Europe to the New World. At first, like the early Pilgrims, they were looking for freedom to worship as they pleased. Many wanted to establish a new religious colony where God was the head and all the people believed the same things. This was only partly successful, because after a couple generations of children were born, they started to question the beliefs of their forefathers.
As more and more people came, more new settlements were developed, each one based on a different view of faith and Christian practice. Eventually there were many settlements and the people united to become thirteen separate colonies.
Remember that America wasn’t yet known as America--it was a rugged and distant outpost across a huge ocean. The land we now live on had been claimed by Great Britain, so everyone who lived here was a British subject. The money used to buy and sell was the British pound, not the dollar. Click here to see the British Union Jack--the flag that flew over the colonies until after the Revolution.
After several generations had lived under British rule, many of our finest leaders began to feel more and more like they were being treated unfairly by Britain. They felt they were being given unfair rules and laws and were especially unhappy paying taxes to Britain. They wanted to have more of a say in the way they were governed, because though they were accustomed to paying taxes--many of the colonies collected taxes--they didn’t believe that Britain had the right to tax them so harshly for their favorite things--like tea, especially.
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| This Broadside was distributed around the Colonies to spread the news about the Boston Massacre. Though the five little coffins may look a little scary, they were a very common symbol in Colonial times. In fact, the skull and crossbones were often used on headstones as a symbol of resurrection, not death! Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
Things began to get tense in the colonies! In Boston and Philadelphia, colonists gathered and staged protests. They held meetings to debate their views, and they distributed pamphlets called “broadsides.” If you’ve ever thought about the American Revolution and wondered how people communicated with each other, sharing the ideas that knit our nation together, this is one way! Broadsides were used to express ideas, stir up feelings, complain about injustice or honor someone who had died. Once they came off the printing press, they were distributed quickly, so broadsides were a good way of communicating in the days long before television, radio or the Internet.
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| This photo shows some men who dressed up as British soldiers--Redcoats--similar to the soldiers who shot five people in Boston in the famous Boston Massacre. Image courtesy of stanleywhitman.org |
As feelings for the idea of revolution from Britain grew, more and more of the Colonists gathered in public places to show their feelings. One day in March of 1770, a large group gathered near Faneuil Hall, a popular place to discuss issues. They were unhappy that Britain had sent so many of their military troops to the city--Redcoats, they were called. In fact, a large group of Redcoats were there, watching the demonstration. Soon, a scuffle took place, pushing turned to shoving, harsh words were exchanged and tempers flared. Some people even threw snowballs at the Redcoats. The soldiers began to shoot into the crowd--with bad results. Sadly, five young men were killed and several others were wounded. This event became known as the Boston Massacre.
News about the Massacre spread fast. Enterprising colonists like Paul Revere used this event as another opportunity to build feelings about the Revolution. Revere produced an engraving that was sent all over New England. Many who had not been all that excited about the patriot’s idea of freedom from British rule changed their views.
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| This is a copy of Paul Revere’s original engraving that showed the Boston Massacre. Revere’s illustration got people very excited about the idea of freedom from the British. Image courtesy of the UT, Knoxville. |
The Boston Massacre was just one of many
events--including the Boston Tea Party--that led to the Revolutionary War.
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| The Boston Tea Party was not a party at all! It happened when a number of colonists got absolutely fed up with the taxes on tea--a favorite of Colonists--that King George III was demanding. On December 16, 1773 a group of men from the Sons of Liberty dressed up and boarded a British merchant vessel in the early morning hours. They threw thousands of pounds of tea into the harbor spoiling it, and showing the British that they were no longer willing to pay such harsh taxes. Image courtesy of PBS. |
Remember that many of the most important leaders in America’s revolt from Britain were men and women of great Christian faith. They believed that God was leading them to found a new country, free from the harsh rule that a King or a Queen could inflict on them. It is easy to find lots and lots of great words from the Founding Fathers on the need to split from Britain--everyone was talking about it for many years before the Declaration of Independence finally was prepared.
These quotes from our Founding Fathers show their belief in the new nation and God’s hand in it. When you read them, it is easy to understand how these beliefs all came together in the Declaration of Independence.
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| John Adams portrait courtesy of the National Gallery of Art. |
“Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.”
--John Adams, 1765
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| Portrait of patriot Samuel Adams courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
“Our unalterable resolution would be to be free. They have attempted to subdue us by force, but God be praised! In vain. Their arts may be more dangerous then their arms. Let us then renounce all treaty with them upon any score but that of total separation, and under God trust our cause to our swords.”
--Samuel Adams, 1776
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| Joseph Warren was a patriot and leader in the Revolution. He and his wife, Mercy were close friends of John and Abigail Adams. Portrait courtesy of Holy Cross University. |
“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit--appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”
--Joseph Warren, American account of the Battle of Lexington, 1775
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| Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. Portrait courtesy of the National Gallery of Art. |
“The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.”
--Thomas Jefferson, 1774
As you can see, many events worked together with the beliefs and experiences of early American patriots to bring about the decision to break away from British rule. Once enough conviction had built up, the members of the Continental Congress decided to draft a document that would clearly explain why they felt they must pursue independence. They called on Thomas Jefferson to write it, and he did. Then Congress debated his document and removed portions of it. Eventually they had a statement of grievances against King George III that they could all agree on.
When you read the beginning of the Declaration, you can easily see the godly faith of the Founding Fathers coming right through:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”
--The Declaration of Independence
Read these words from the Declaration over again.
QUESTION 1
True or False, Thomas Jefferson believed that God is the true Giver of all rights, no matter what country your citizenship is with.
- True
- False
QUESTION 2
True or False, Jefferson believed that God allows and even wants His children to be happy and free. He made them that way.
- True
- False
QUESTION 3
True or False, Jefferson believed that leaders get their privilege to govern from those whom they govern.
- True
- False
Click here to see a copy of one of the earliest versions of the Declaration.
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| Abraham Lincoln photo courtesy of the University of Illinois. |
I have never had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence . . . I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere separation of the colonies from the motherland, but that sentiment of the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence . . . I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.
--Abraham Lincoln
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| Photo courtesy of the White House. |
I think it is fitting we come together to recognize the importance of prayer and the importance of faith. You see, Americans are a people of faith. And for millions of our citizens, prayer is a daily part of life. In prayer we give thanks for the many blessings bestowed upon us by our Creator. We're blessed with courageous young men and women willing to defend us in time of war. We're blessed with a growing economy and material prosperity. And we're blessed by the diversity and creativity of millions of Hispanic Americans who enrich our great country.
We've got plenty of blessings to give thanks for, and I'm blessed by the fact that millions of Americans, many of whom I've never seen face-to-face, pray for me and my family. It's one of the great blessings of America, to be President of a land of prayer. So this morning we come together to give our thanks for all our blessings, and recognize our nation's continuing dependence on divine providence.
--George W. Bush, address to the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, June 8, 2006
This is a great time to learn about our country’s struggle for independence. As we watch other countries like Iraq in their struggle to form a government and to provide for their citizens, we should be grateful for the vision and passion of our forefathers. As they put their lives on the line for freedom, they knew that their “grand experiment,” if it worked, would impact many generations to come. And here we are, 230 years later, so very blessed to live in a country where we can pray freely. So as a kid who prays, remember to thank God for all the great things about living in America. And remember to pray for President Bush and all of our country’s leaders, because that’s a big part of what makes our country great.
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