Did YOU Know . . . There are 27 of them!!

There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution.

Beginning with the Bill of Rights. 

The first 10 amendments, ratified December 15, 1791.

Bill of Rights - First 10 - December 15, 1791

First Amendment
Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment
Right to Bear Arms

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Third Amendment
Quartering of Soldiers

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment
Search and Seizure
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment
Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Due Process, Takings

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment
Right to Speedy Trial by Jury, Witnesses, Counsel

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment
Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment
Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment
Non-Enumerated Rights Retained by People

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10th Amendment
Rights Reserved to States or People
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

11th Amendment - February 7, 1795
Suits Against States

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

Reconstruction Amendments

12th Amendment - June 15, 1804
Election of President and Vice President

The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate; -- 

the President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; -- 

The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. 

But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. 

And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.-- 

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

13th Amendment - December 6, 1865
Abolition of Slavery

Section 1  -  Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2  -  Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

14th Amendment - July 9, 1868
Citizenship Rights, Equal Protection, Apportionment, Civil War Debt

Section 1  -  All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2  -  Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Section 3  -  No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4  -  The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5  -  The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

15th Amendment - February 3, 1870
Right to Vote Not Denied by Race

Section 1  -  The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Section 2  -  The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

16th Amendment - February 3, 1913
Income Tax

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

17th Amendment - April 8, 1913
Popular Election of Senators

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

18th Amendment - January 16, 1919
Prohibition of Liquor

Section 1  -  After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2  -  The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3  -  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

19th Amendment - August 18, 1920
Women’s Right to Vote

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

20th Amendment - January 23, 1933
Presidential Term and Succession, Assembly of Congress

Section 1  -  The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2  -  The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3  -  If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4  -  The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5  -  Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6  -  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

21st Amendment - December 5, 1933
Repeal of Prohibition

Section 1  -  The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2  -  The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3  -  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

22nd Amendment - February 27, 1951
Two-Term Limit on Presidency

Section 1  -  No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2  -  This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

23rd Amendment - March 29, 1961
Presidential Vote for D.C.

Section 1  -  The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as Congress may direct:

A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

Section 2  -  The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

24th Amendment - January 23, 1964
Abolition of Poll Taxes

Section 1  -  The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.

Section 2  -  The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

25th Amendment - February 10, 1967
Presidential Disability and Succession 

Section 1  -  In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2  -  Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3  -  Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4  -  Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

26th Amendment - July 1, 1971
Right to Vote at Age 18

Section 1  -  The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Section 2  -  The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

27th Amendment -  May 7, 1992
Congressional Compensation

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

From this Website

This Is How Old America's Founders Were . . .

The leaders who shaped the United States during the American Revolution came from a wide range of ages. Some were seasoned statesmen with decades of political experience, while others were ambitious young leaders just beginning their public careers. 

At the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, their ages reflected this diversity:

• Benjamin Franklin — 70 years old
• George Washington — 44 years old
• Thomas Jefferson — 33 years old
• John Adams — 40 years old
• Alexander Hamilton — 21 years old
• James Madison — 25 years old
• John Hancock — 39 years old
• Samuel Adams — 53 years old
• Patrick Henry — 40 years old
• Thomas Paine — 39 years old
• John Jay — 30 years old
• Gouverneur Morris — 24 years old
• Charles Carroll of Carrollton — 38 years old
• James Monroe — 18 years old

• John Marshall — 20 years old

•Aaron Burr — 20 years old

These ages show that the American Revolution was led by a blend of youth and experience. While veterans like Benjamin Franklin brought wisdom and diplomatic skill, younger leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Gouverneur Morris, and Alexander Hamilton contributed fresh ideas that would shape the nation’s founding documents and institutions for generations.

pastellaburns also added:

And they could read and write in Greek and Latin, were proficient in mathematics, were scholars of ancient history, studied the law, were trained orators (some of them), owned businesses etc. The men of 1776 were a few steps above the “men” of today on nearly everything.

Pictures with ages:

1. Who's the only US President who's first language was not English?



Martin Van Buren - 8th President - He was born in NYC to Dutch parents who immigrated there when NYC was a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam

From Instagram insidehistory

THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT!

Three Branches of Government

A civics note explaining the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. 

It shows how each branch works and why separation of powers matters.

 

From Instagram edusphereacademy1996

Hero Edith Cavell From WWI - A Nurse Who Did MUCH - and Was Executed

Learn about Edith Cavell, the nurse who saved over 200 people and was later executed for doing so.

I tried to find this exact video on YouTube - but was not able to. Sorry. 

Find the YouTube video below:
 

Instagram video:

CLICK HERE

Life Story of Edith Cavell | British Nurse Who Rescued 200+ Soldiers in WW1

So unfortunately - this person won't allow other to play their video on other websites - you have to click on "watch on YouTube"

I'll look for another one!

For some reason this video sometimes does not show up

So here is the link, if it shows unavailable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7T4HhwKzMY

Inspiring 4th of July Quotes

Patriotic 4th of July Quotes

“Liberty and independence forever.”
Davy Crockett

“The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.”
Carrie Jones

“The legacy of brave men and women who have fought and died for their country is the freedom we enjoy as Americans.”
Lucian Adams

“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.”
The Declaration of Independence, 1776

“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
John F. Kennedy

“It’s a party in the U.S.A.”
Miley Cyrus, “Party in the U.S.A.”

“He who is brave is free.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“America is a tune. It must be sung together.”
Gerald Stanley Lee

“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

“You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”
Marsha P. Johnson

“Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better.”
Albert Camus

“Liberty is the breath of life to nations.”
George Bernard Shaw

“I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American!”
Daniel Webster

“Only in America
Where we dream in red, white and blue
Only in America
Where we dream as big as we want to.”
Brooks & Dunn, “Only in America”

“The happiness of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind; she is destined to become the safe and venerable asylum of virtue, of honesty, of tolerance, and quality and of peaceful liberty.”
Marquis de Lafayette

“Happy 4th of July! This country of immigrants, religious refugees, outcasts and dreamers has come a long way. Let’s keep going.”
Ellen DeGeneres

“Nothing but harmony, honesty, industry, and frugality are necessary to make us a great and happy people.”
George Washington

“Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance.” 

Woodrow Wilson

“Liberty has been planted here; and the more it is attacked, the more it grows and flourishes.”
Samuel Sherwood

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
Arthur Ashe

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
Abraham Lincoln




Funny 4th of July Quotes

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
George Orwell

“Americans will put up with anything, provided it doesn’t block traffic.”
Dan Rather

“America’s a family. We all yell at each other. It all works out.”
Louis C. K.

“Today is the 4th of July, when we honor the day that Uncle Sam chopped down Benedict Arnold at the Alamo. Happy hot dogs!”
Stephen Colbert

“Let’s kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy!”
Captain Jimmy Wilder, “Independence Day”

“Just found out that every Fourth of July, the British celebrate, ‘We Dodged a Bullet Day.’”
Conan O’Brien

“Oh my gosh, you look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog real bad.” 

Paulette Parcelle, “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde”

Short Fourth of July Quotes

“We shall go wild with fireworks ... And they will plunge into the sky and shatter the darkness.”
Natsuki Takaya

“One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation, evermore!”
Oliver Wendell Holmes

“May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”
Peter Marshall

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Nathan Hale

“Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.”
Ayn Rand, “The Fountainhead”

“Liberty has been planted here; and the more it is attacked, the more it grows and flourishes.”
Samuel Sherwood

“America is another name for opportunity.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”
Ronald Reagan

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
Elmer Davis

“Who ever walked behind anyone to freedom? If we can’t go hand in hand, I don’t want to go.”
Hazel Scott

“It is impossible to conquer a nation determined to be free!”
Thomas Paine

Inspirational 4th of July Quotes

“Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”
George Washington

“We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something — for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to. And we have good reason to be hopeful and optimistic.”
Ronald Reagan

“Find a moment, just a simple moment, to close your eyes and think of the men and women who protect the freedoms you enjoy. It’s a privilege, not a right.”
Matthew Lillard

“History is entirely created by the person who tells the story.”
Lin Manuel Miranda

“Independence Day: freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed — else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower

“In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you.”
Amy Tan, “The Joy Luck Club”

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
Harry Truman

“Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“When Freedom from her mountain height 

Unfurled her standard to the air 

She tore the azure robe of night 

And set the star of glory there.”
Joseph Rodman Drake,  “The American Flag”

“The happiness of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind; she is destined to become the safe and venerable asylum of virtue, of honesty, of tolerance, and quality and of peaceful liberty.”
Marquis de Lafayette

“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.”
John Milton, “Areopagitica”

“Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just one step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will be America’s heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.”
John Quincy Adams

“Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.”
Marquis de Lafayette

“Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.”
James Bryce

“Happy 4th of July! As you take this day to honor America, ask yourself, “Why am I not honoring America on the other 364 days? Shame on me.”
Stephen Colbert

From THIS website

Sidney Poitier Takes Issues With Racist Journalist in 1968 Interview -

On this day (Feb 20) in 1927, 

actor and film director 

Sidney Poitier, was born.

Here is a powerful interview from him 

in 1968 addressing how he was 

being treated by the press.

He has words with the journalists after only 

being asked questions surrounding race.

Every American Needs To Hear This Speech - You Want To Succeed in School - You'll Have To Earn It

If every high school principal said this,

it would change students' lives and would change America. 

So what exactly should every high school principal say?

Script:

If every high school principal gave the following speech, America would be a much better place.
To the students and faculty of our high school:
I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people. I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if you are black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, European, Latin American or Asian, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity this school will recognize is your individual identity—your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will recognize is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm here an ethnic or racial identity—or a national identity other than American —you will have to attend another school. This includes after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in our society. Those clubs cultivate narcissism—an unhealthy preoccupation with the self—while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself.
This school’s clubs will be based on interests and passions—clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnicity, race or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I do not care whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America’s citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. Furthermore, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the job market, if you leave this school without excellent English-language skills. We will learn other languages here—it’s deplorable that most Americans only speak English—but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not the right school for you.
Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. There will be a dress code at this school.

And you will address all teachers by their title, not by their first name. They are your teachers, not your pals.

Ragged Old Flag - A Testament

 

Four Marines Come Together . . . Because One Needed Help

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.

The old man was looking at the engine.

I put my groceries away in my car, and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.

I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too, and took a few steps towards him.

I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade. He then turned back to the old man. I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying:"You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age." And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief, and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine. He then went to his wife and spoke with her; he appeared to tell her it would be okay.

I had seen enough, and I approached the old man.

He saw me coming and stood straight, and as I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having a problem.'

He smiled sheepishly, and quietly nodded his head.

I looked under the hood myself, and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me.

Looking around, I saw a gas station up the road, and I told the old man that I would be right back. I drove to the station and I went inside. I saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of them, and related the problem the old man had with his car. I offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine), I spoke with the old gentleman.

When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, 'What outfit did you serve with?'

He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal ...

He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me. I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.

He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it and I stuck it in my pocket. We shook hands all around again, and I said my goodbye's to his wife.

I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station, I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.

One of them pulled out a card from his pocket, looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.

For some reason I had gone about two blocks, when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name was written:'Congressional Medal of Honor Society.'

I sat there motionless, looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage, and an honor to have been in his presence.

Remember, OLD men like him gave our FREEDOM for America . Thanks to those who served and still serve, and to all of those who supported them, and who continue to support them.

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall. If you don't stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!

Remember, Freedom IS NOT free. Thousands have paid the price, so you can enjoy what you have today.

LET'S DO THIS - JUST 19 WORDS:

GOD OUR FATHER, WALK THROUGH MY HOUSE AND TAKE AWAY ALL MY WORRIES; AND PLEASE WATCH OVER AND HEAL MY FAMILY; AND PLEASE PROTECT OUR FREEDOMS, AND WATCH OVER OUR TROOPS, WHO ARE DEFENDING THOSE FREEDOMS. AMEN.

Clay Christensen on Religious Freedom

 

The views in this video do not necessarily 

represent the views of the Harvard Business School.

Clayton Christensen

American economist

Description

Description

Clayton Magleby Christensen was an American academic and business consultant who developed the theory of "disruptive innovation", which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century. Wikipedia

Born: April 6, 1952, Salt Lake City, UT

Died: January 23, 2020, Boston, MA

The True Story of the Star Spangled Banner - As You've Never Heard It -

 

A Time for Heroes: The Story of Nathan Hale

Sept 10, 1776 - This Day In History
Nathan Hale volunteers to spy behind British lines

General George Washington asks for a volunteer for an extremely dangerous mission: to gather intelligence behind enemy lines before the coming Battle of Harlem Heights. Captain Nathan Hale of the 19th Regiment of the Continental Army stepped forward and subsequently become one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War.

Disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster, the Yale University-educated Hale slipped behind British lines on Long Island and then successfully gathered information about British troop movements for the next several weeks. While Hale was behind enemy lines, the British invaded the island of Manhattan; they took control of the city on September 15, 1776. When the city was set on fire on September 20, 1776, British soldiers were put on high alert for sympathizers to the Patriot cause. The following evening, on September 21, 1776, Hale was captured while sailing Long Island Sound, trying to cross back into American-controlled territory.

Hale was interrogated by British General William Howe and, when it was discovered that he was carrying incriminating documents, General Howe ordered his execution for spying, which was set for the following morning. After being led to the gallows, legend holds that Hale was asked if he had any last words and that he replied with these now-famous words, “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” There is no historical record to prove that Hale actually made this statement, but, if he did, he may have been inspired by these lines in English author Joseph Addison’s 1713 play Cato: 

“What a pity it is

That we can die but once to serve our country.”

Patriot spy Nathan Hale was hanged by the British on the morning of September 22, 1776. He was just 21 years old. Although rumors later surfaced that Hale’s capture was the result of a betrayal by his first cousin and British Loyalist Samuel Hale, the exact circumstances leading to Hale’s arrest have never been discovered.

Original Article

A Time for Heroes: The Story of Nathan Hale

by Circian

Introduction Nathan Hale was a young man who had every prospect for a happy and fulfilling life. He was very well educated for his day — a Yale graduate in an era when very few went to college. Although there are many contemporary accounts regarding his appearance and personality, no negative statements have been recorded; indeed, he was vividly remembered and admired by his acquaintances — longer than 60 years after his death.

Accounts from classmates, friends, relatives, fellow soldiers, teachers, and students all carry the same general theme: that he was kind, gentle, religious, athletic, intelligent, good looking and as one contemporary testified, "the idol of all his acquaintances."



Both men and women commented on his striking appearance. He had fair skin and hair, light blue eyes and stood just under six feet tall. No wonder it was said that all the girls in New Haven were in love with him. Nathan's love of sports included wrestling, football and broadjumping (stakes marking one of his record-breaking broad jumps are said to have stood on the New Haven Green for many years). Those who knew him commented on his kindness and strong Christian ideals. We know that he attended religious services while in the army and prayed with his men who were ill.

His amiability, intelligence, and love of learning are mirrored in his remarkable collection of friends, his outstanding career at Yale, and his growing success as a schoolmaster. Yet in spite of the above, this remarkable young man ended his life in the most ignominious manner known to his day and age: death by hanging — the ultimate degradation — reserved only for the most despicable of criminals.

This short biography outlines Hale's life and examines the myths and facts surrounding his remarkable story and his famous last words. He is representative of many young 18th century professionals obsessed with being of service, who — foreshadowing a 20th century brand of patriotism — asked not what their country could do for them but rather what they could do for their country.


"Liberty is our reigning Topic, which loudly calls upon every one to Exert his Tallants & abilities to the utmost in defending of it — now is the time for heros — now is the time for great men to immortalize their names in the deliverance of their Country, and grace the annals of America with their glorious Deeds." — James Hillhouse to Nathan Hale, July 11, 1774 Yale classmate, James Hillhouse, wrote this in a letter to Nathan Hale when he was studying law in New Haven and Nathan was teaching school in New London. It shows the thinking of young professionals in Connecticut just prior to the outbreak of the revolution. They were enthusiastic and ready to "exert their talents and abilities for liberty", to say nothing of "glorious deeds".
CAPTAIN NATHAN HALENathan Hale of Coventry, CT was born in 1755 into two respectable New England families. His parents, Richard Hale and Elizabeth Strong Hale, were staunch Puritans who believed in religious devotion, a strong work ethic, and education. The Hale family boasted many Harvard graduates and the Strongs included numerous ministers and teachers with solid ties to Yale College. As a prosperous farmer and deacon of the church, Richard Hale was a pillar of the Coventry community.

The sixth of ten surviving siblings, Nathan's early years were marred by sickness but he eventually grew into a strong, healthy child with a quick mind. Both his mother and grandmother encouraged his education and he was tutored by the local minister, Rev. Dr. Joseph Huntington, who greatly influenced his love of learning. Both Nathan and his older brother, Enoch, were sent to Yale College in 1769 at the ages of 14 and 16, respectively. They became part of the shinning Class of '73, many of whom were destined to have admirable careers in the service of their state and country.

Yale at the time provided a Spartan life for its students including a thorough, disciplined education in religion, mathematics, science, and the classics. Its main purpose was to prepare young men for the ministry; however, many of them chose other occupations such as law, medicine, or business. During his college years, Nathan was exposed to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of New Haven and to many new, progressive ideas of the eighteenth century. It was doubtless a different world from the isolated, farming community where he had been raised.

Both Nathan and Enoch belonged to the literary fraternity, Linonia, that discussed and debated educational topics and also issues of the day, including astronomy, literature, and the ethics of slavery. Meetings were held in the students' rooms at New College — a large brick dormitory in the center of campus. This beautiful building, where Nathan and Enoch were roommates, still stands at Yale and is now called Connecticut Hall.



These years were full of activity, friends, and varied interests. Nathan was very involved in Linonia, participating in numerous debates, plays, parties, and speech-making. During his three year membership (freshmen weren't admitted), he held every office in the fraternity, including chancellor, and also helped form the first secular library at Yale. Nathan graduated from college with first honors at the age of eighteen, participating in the 1773 commencement debate: Whether the education of daughters be not without any just reason, more neglected than that of sons.

Like many young graduates, Hale took a position teaching school — first in East Haddam and later in New London, CT. The purpose of this temporary work was for the young men to make a modest living while deciding what to do in life. In rural East Haddam, however, Hale appears to have been lonely, missing the lively company of his college friends. In one letter he complains somewhat sarcastically about his isolation, lack of mail, or any noteworthy news. He was delighted when, a few months later, he was offered a fantastic job with the prestigious Union School in a bustling seaport town on the Connecticut coast.

New London was definitely more to his liking — it even had a newspaper, liberal in character, published by Timothy Green, a proprietor of the Union School. Nathan's classes consisted of about 30 young men who were taught Latin, writing, mathematics, and the classics. In 1774, he also conducted a summer school for young ladies from 5 to 7 AM. That the young ladies of New London were willing to attend a 5 AM class in the classics was perhaps more a tribute to the schoolmaster's good looks that any attraction to the subject at hand.

Nathan Hale has been posthumously linked with many ladies and several romances have been contrived for him by their descendants and fanciful historians. Although he never appears to have been serious about marriage, during 1774 he was teased by two college friends about an infatuation with his landlord's niece, Elizabeth Adams. Little is known about this relationship or any of the other romances attributed to Hale. Elizabeth married in 1775 while Nathan was in the army (at the Siege of Boston). She lived into her 90s and in 1837 wrote a stunningly beautiful remembrance of her friend, Nathan Hale, then dead for sixty-one years.

Nathan enjoyed teaching and his mild manner of imparting knowledge was greatly appreciated by both students and parents alike. Consequently, in late 1774 he was offered a permanent teaching position as the master of the Union School. It is interesting that his uncle, Major Samuel Hale, a veteran of the French and Indian War, was a famous educator and master of the prestigious Latin School in Portsmouth, NH. Nathan soon wrote to this uncle asking for some quick advice about accepting the permanent position and its proposed salary. Samuel most likely replied in the affirmative because Nathan decided to take the offer and make teaching his profession.

During this same year, like many patriotic young men in New London, Hale joined a local militia and was soon elected 1st sergeant by his comrades — the highest rank of any new recruit. Apparently his enthusiasm and military talent were also being recognized by his peers.

His time in New London must have been happy and stimulating. While his amiability made him many delightful acquaintances among the town's best families, nineteen-year old Nathan Hale also continued several close friendships with his former Yale classmates. Their surviving letters tell of the joys, frustrations, romances, and boredom experienced by young people on the threshold of life and painfully impatient for it all to unfold. By the spring of 1775 therefore, civic-minded Nathan Hale had many interesting friends, a great job that he enjoyed, perhaps a girl friend (or more), and an enjoyable life in a bustling cosmopolitan seaport city. Everything was going his way.

When war broke out in April, many chapters of Connecticut militia rushed to Massachusetts to help their neighbors during the Siege of Boston. Hale's militia marched immediately but he remained behind — perhaps because of his current teaching contract which did not expire until July, 1775. Or perhaps he was unsure. Contemporary letters tell of the conflict that went on in his friends' minds — doubtless mirrored in his own — whether to join the new army and fight in Boston or to keep quiet and wait. This was not the clear decision we all see today and these young professionals had a lot to lose. The new master of a prestigious private school does not without considerable risk take on the label of rebel and traitor.

In early July 1775, Nathan received a heartfelt letter from a Yale classmate and one of his best friends — Benjamin Tallmadge [Note: Tallmadge would later became famous as a Revolutionary War soldier, Washington's friend and spymaster, a prosperous businessman and a US Congressman from Litchfield, CT]. Always the pragmatist, Tallmadge (then teaching in Wethersfield, CT) had gone to see the war for himself. Upon his return, Ben poured out his heart in a letter to Nathan Hale dated July 4, 1775 — the last year that date would be just another day. After analyzing the pros and cons of joining up, Tallmadge finally told Nathan that, in spite of his friend's engagement in a noble public service (teaching school),
Was I in your condition...I think the more extensive Service would be my choice. Our holy Religion, the honour of our God, a glorious country, & a happy constitution is what we have to defend.The day after receiving Tallmadge's letter, Nathan Hale accepted a commission as 1st lieutenant in the 7th CT regiment under Colonel Charles Webb of Stamford. He resigned his teaching job with great regret and it was said that his students were most distressed at his leaving.

After a last visit to Yale and several weeks recruiting men, Hale was ready to join in the siege against Boston. No doubt amid much fanfare — fifes and drums blaring — the 7th Connecticut Regiment paraded defiantly out of New London on September 23, 1775. 1st Lieutenant Nathan Hale marched proudly among them — strong and eager, ready for anything — his new officer's commission and his precious Yale diploma folded carefully in his camp bag. He had exactly one year to live.

During these early army days Nathan kept a diary which records the mostly tedious and mundane activities of a young officer on the siege line. Stationed at Winter Hill, he enjoyed military life and threw himself wholeheartedly into the duties of a company commander, trying to be the best officer he could, yet yielding to and clearly enjoying the new, macho experiences of camp life. Like most young soldiers, he complained about his superiors and worried about his subordinates — on one occasion offering his own salary to his men if they would stay in the army another month. Still — he told his friends — he was enthusiastic, happy to be there and wouldn't accept leave even if he could get one (which he couldn't).

When George Washington reorganized the army in January, 1776, Nathan received a captain's commission in the new 19th CT regiment and — to his credit — several men asked to be placed under his command. When spring arrived, Washington's army moved to Manhattan to prevent the British from taking New York City. Nathan spent six months camped at Bayard's Mount, building fortifications and preparing for the inevitable battle. During that time it was commented that he cared very much about his men's welfare, even praying with them when they were ill. He was also a strict disciplinarian, once cutting up forbidden playing cards but in a lighthearted manner that did not cause resentment.



When the British invaded Long Island in August 1776, Hale had still not seen combat. Later, during the disastrous Battle of Long Island (August 27th), his regiment manned the forts which were never attacked. He doubtless helped with Washington's brilliant retreat across the East River but his military career was not living up to the exciting discussions of war that had marked his student days at Yale. After almost a year in the army, he had kept records, drawn supplies, written receipts, and supervised guard duty (although there is one unconfirmed report that he led a daring night assault on a British sloop, stealing some much needed supplies). These were not the exploits young men dreamed of when they went to war.

At the beginning of September 1776, with the British in command of Western Long Island and the rebel army trying to defend Manhattan, Washington formed an elite, green beret-type group of New England Rangers. They were placed under the command of Lt. Col. Thomas Knowlton of Ashford, Connecticut. Knowlton had distinguished himself at Bunker Hill and was rapidly becoming one of Washington's most favored officers. The rangers were assigned to patrol the Westchester and Manhattan shorelines and other points around Hell Gate. Hale was soon invited to command one of the four ranger companies whose mission was forward reconnaissance.

Since he could never defend all of Manhattan, Washington desperately needed to know the probable site of the upcoming British invasion. The best way to obtain this pivotal information was to send a spy behind enemy lines. Because paid civilian spies were often unreliable or turncoats, Washington sought army volunteers for this critical mission. A memo written at this time outlines his desperation, pressuring his generals to find someone, anyone, fast. Unfortunately, in honor-conscious 18th century minds, spying was considered to be a demeaning, dishonest, and indecent activity, unworthy of a gentleman.

Nevertheless, Knowlton was under enormous pressure to find such a volunteer and by whatever inducement, persuaded Nathan to go behind enemy lines on Long Island. He may also have been sent into New York City (then at the lower tip of Manhattan Island) to "make discoveries". Before leaving, Nathan asked his army buddy, Captain William Hull, for advice. Hull tried hard to dissuade him from the dangerous and controversial mission but in the end Nathan justified it by saying that any task necessary for the public good became honorable by "being necessary". Most likely he also wanted to do something exciting and useful for a change (with a bit of adventure added in).

Accompanied by his sergeant, Steven Hempstead, Hale left Harlem Village in early September and headed north along the East River. Although armed with an order allowing him to commandeer any armed American vessel, Hale was prevented from crossing to Long Island by numerous British ships on patrol. He finally found passage at Norwalk, CT and crossed the L.I. sound in a rebel longboat. Leaving his uniform, commission, silver shoe buckles and other personal possessions with Hempstead, Nathan Hale slipped into the darkness at Huntington Bay, L.I. and dropped out of sight.

Unfortunately, details of his spying activities are lost to history. He doubtless spent several days behind enemy lines in his contrived disguise as an schoolmaster looking for work. Before he could return with any useful information, however, the British invaded Manhattan at Kip's Bay (East River at 34th St.), taking most of the island on September 15th and 16th. His mission negated, Hale probably decided to cross into British-occupied New York City presumably to gain whatever intelligence he could for Washington, who was now entrenched behind the bluffs at Harlem Heights.

On September 20th, New York City was set on fire, causing confusion, rioting, and a heightened alert for rebel sympathizers. By this time, Hale is thought to have returned to Long Island, probably for a planned rendezvous with the longboat. On the evening of September 21, 1776, he was somehow stopped, perhaps near Flushing Bay, by a company of Queen's Rangers led by Lt. Col. Robert Rogers (of Northwest Passage fame).

The circumstances of his capture have never come to light although many theories have been proposed. Almost immediately after Hale's death, rumors flew that he had actually been recognized while undercover by his first cousin, Samuel Hale. A Harvard-educated lawyer, Samuel was a dedicated Loyalist then in New York working for the British as deputy commissary of prisoners. Back home in New England, Samuel was accused of heartlessly betraying Nathan and turning him over to the enemy. These allegations were eventually denied by Samuel and what part, if any, he had in his cousin's fate has never been substantiated. Nonetheless, "Samuel the Tory" was vilified for the remainder of his life and forbidden to return to his native state of New Hampshire after the war (he had fled to England). Even his descendents were stigmatized by Samuel's alleged betrayal of an American hero.

Nathan Hale was immediately brought for questioning before the British commander, General William. Howe, who had just moved into the Beekman Mansion (near the present corner of 51st Street and 1st Avenue). Intelligence information was found on Hale's person and since this was not in code or invisible ink, he was irrevocably compromised. He therefore thought it best to identify himself, his rank, and the purpose of his mission. This may have been done to establish a record of his fate or perhaps to regain some semblance of an honest soldier (rather than a spy). Although Howe was moved by the young man's demeanor and patriotism, it could not be denied that he was out of uniform behind enemy lines. The customs of war were clear and Nathan was sentenced to hang the next day.

A tradition says that Hale spent the night confined in a greenhouse on the Beekman estate and that he was denied a minister or even a bible by the provost marshall, an unsavory character named William Cunningham. We know that the next morning, Sunday, September 22, 1776 at 11:00 AM, Nathan Hale was marched north, about a mile up the post road to the Park of Artillery. It was located next to a public house called the Dove Tavern, about 5 1/2 miles from the city limits. This mileage along the Post Road corresponds closely with the traditional site of the Dove Tavern at the present NW corner of 66th Street and 3rd Avenue.

After making a "sensible and spirited speech" to those few in attendance, the former schoolteacher and Yale graduate was executed by hanging — an extremely ignominious and horrible fate to one of his time and class.

Whether Hale said that he only regretted having one life to lose for his country has been debated. The quote comes from a British engineer, John Montresor, who kindly sheltered Nathan in his marquee while they were making preparations for the hanging. Hale entered and appeared calm, asking Montresor for writing materials. He then wrote two letters — one to his favorite brother and classmate, Enoch Hale, and the other to his military commander (these letters have never been found and were probably destroyed by the provost marshall, Cunningham, who later gained possession of them).

Captain Montresor witnessed the hanging and was touched by the event, the patriot's composure, and his last words. As fate would have it, Montresor was ordered to deliver a message from General Howe to Washington (under a white flag) that very afternoon. While at American headquarters, he told Alexander Hamilton, then a captain of artillery, about Hale's fate. A few days later, Hale's friend, Captain Hull, went with the delegation returning Washington's answer to Howe and managed to speak with Montresor. The British engineer told Hull that Nathan had impressed everyone with his sense of gentle dignity and his consciousness of rectitude and high intentions. Montresor quoted Nathan's words on the gallows as: I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.

This elegant statement, doubtless paraphrased from Addison's popular play, Cato, is the quotation best remembered from the execution of Nathan Hale. He must have been telling the British that his cause still had great merit and that someone like himself — intelligent, educated and decent — was willing to die for it without regret. It should be put in prospective that the "cause" was in bad shape in September 1776. The much-defeated and demoralized rebel army had been chased into upper Manhattan, ripe for total destruction by the vastly superior British forces. Its soldiers were deserting in droves now — sometimes whole companies at once — and the end seemed only a matter of time. But Hale told the British straight — standing on the gallows — that his "country" was still worthwhile and worth dying for. The enemy was duly impressed, seeing that most of them considered the rebels to be a dirty, rag-tag bunch of contentious rabble.

William Hull later told the world about his friend's patriotism, bravery, and sacrifice; however, since Hull's account is not that of an eyewitness, many historians have denied his story as a unsubstantiated folk legend. If this is true, it means that either Montresor or Hull lied about Hale's last words, which seems like a strange thing for either of them to do. Montresor was a staunch Tory with no reason to contrive a complimentary quote surrounding an insignificant rebel's death. Hull was a Yale graduate and an army officer bound by an code of honor. He had no reason to make up such a quote nor did he even mention it until many years later (his account of Hale was first published in a 1799 history book). From a practical standpoint, it is hard to believe that Hale would have been so well remembered had he not distinguished himself in some outstanding way at his execution. He was a junior officer of no significance and even his brief spy mission had failed.

Another credible statement purporting to be from Nathan Hale's execution is found in the diary of Lt. Robert MacKensie, a British officer in New York at the time. The diary entry was made on the very day of Hale's execution, September 22, 1776:
He behaved with great composure and resolution, saying he thought it the duty of every good Officer, to obey any orders given him by his Commander-in-Chief; and desired the Spectators to be at all times prepared to meet death in whatever shape it might appear.This indicates that it Hale wanted to be remembered as a "soldier under orders" and not a spy. Other Nathan Hale "last words" from contemporary sources are as follows:
You are shedding the blood of the innocent; if I had ten thousand lives, I would lay them all down, if called to it, in defence of my injured, bleeding country. (Essex Journal, February 2, 1777)

I am so satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged, that my only regret is that I have not more lives than one to offer in its service. (Independent Chronicle, May 17, 1781, Hull may have been the source.)

There is no death which would not be rendered noble in such a glorious cause. (Memoirs, 1837, Marquis de LaFayette. Note: LaFayette was not in America at the time and is probably reporting stories he heard at headquarters)In conclusion, an insignificant schoolteacher who never wrote anything important, never owned any property, never had a permanent job, never married or had children, never fought in a battle and who failed in his final mission — made history in the last few seconds of this life. He is to be admired because of his courage in accepting a difficult mission (both dishonorable and dangerous) that he did not have to do. Then he had the cool and presence of mind to set the British straight about American patriotism, literally in the shadow of the gallows. We don't know what exactly he said, but it must have been impressive and Hale deserves to be remembered for his genuine dedication, his courage, and his willingness to pay the price with honor and dignity.

Nathan Hale's body was left hanging for several days near the site of his execution and later was buried in an unmarked grave. He was 21 years old.
EpilogueProvost Marshall Cunningham, perhaps for some sadistic pleasure, showed Nathan's last two letters and his Yale diploma to Major John P. Wyllys, Hale's friend and fellow Yale classmate. Wyllys was then a POW in New York, having been captured during the British invasion of Manhattan. He later told Nathan's brother, Enoch Hale, about them, but Enoch never saw his brother's last letter.

Nathan and Enoch exchanged many letters while Nathan was in the army and were apparently very close. Enoch's diary (wherein he refers to Nathan as Brother Captain) records the first horrible rumor of his brother's fate, which reached him on September 30, 1776. It continues with contradictory reports and finally a letter from the front, after which his family had only a gloomy, dejected hope.

Enoch finally rode from Coventry, CT to the army's new encampment at White Plains, NY to learn the truth and to talk some of my brother with his fellow officers. One can only imagine what that three-day trip was like for Enoch, especially when he rode through New Haven, where many of their mutual friends still resided. The diary later tells how Enoch first sorted through Nathan's recently returned belongings on June 6, 1777 (which would have been Nathan's 22nd birthday).

After more than two hundred years, those few sad diary entries cannot fail to evoke emotion over a very real human tragedy. It is also a poignant ending to the story that Enoch never received his brother's last letter, written minutes before his death. After the war, Enoch Hale became a well respected minister and teacher in Westhampton, MA. In 1784, Enoch's first son was born, whom he christened, Nathan Hale.


END NOTES1. Adrienne Koch and William Peden, editors, The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (New York, 1944), p. 52. 2. On Jefferson's student life at William and Mary, see Dumas Malone, Jefferson the Virginian, (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948), pp. 49-61; and, Herbert L. Ganter, "William Small, Jefferson's Beloved Teacher," William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Volume IV, (1947), pp. 505-511. 3. Gordon Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution, (New York: Knopf, 1992). 4. Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, October 28, 1813 in Lester J. Cappon, editor, The Complete Adams-Jefferson Letters, (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987), pp. 387-392. Background on this central idea of Jefferson can be found in Jenings L. Wagoner, "That Knowledge Most Useful to Us: Thomas Jefferson's Concept of Utility in the Education of Republican Citizens," in James Gilreath, editor, Thomas Jefferson and the Education of a Citizen, (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 1999), pp. 115-133; Ralph Lerner, The Thinking Revolutionary: Principles and Practice in the New Republic, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1987), pp. 60-90; and, Thomas Jewett, "Jefferson, Education and the Franchise," The Early America Review, (Winter 1996-97), http://www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/review/winter96/jefferson.html. 5. Thomas Jefferson, Query XIV in Notes on the State of Virginia (1781) printed in Merrill D. Peterson, editor, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (New York: The Library of America, 1984), p.272. 6. On the organizational conflicts concerning colonial William and Mary college, see especially Robert Polk Thomson, "The Reform of the College of William and Mary, 1763-1780," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 115, No. 3, (June 1971), pp. 187-213. 7. On this, see Rhys Issac, The Transformation of Virginia 1740-1790, (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1982), pp. 209-240. The papers of Robert Carter Nicholas are included in the papers of Wilson Cary Nicholas, his son, and are available at the Special Collections Department of the Library of the University of Virginia. 8. Virginia Gazette (Dixon), 4 April 1777. 9. Complete texts are found in Julian Boyd, editor, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, II: 1777-1779, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950), pp. 526-545. 10. Thomas Jefferson, Query XV, Notes on the State of Virginia (1781) in Merrill Peterson, editor, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (New York: The Library of America, 1984), p. 277. 11. On Jefferson and science, see I. Bernard Cohen, Science and the Founding Fathers, (New York: Norton and Company, 1995), pp. 61-132; and, Brooke Hindle, The Pursuit of Science in Revolutionary America 1735-1789, (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1956). 12. Thomas Jefferson to William Jarvis, September 18, 1820, in Ford edition, Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. X, pp. 160-161. On Jefferson and history, see Jennings Wagoner, Ibid.; and, Trevor Colbourn, The Lamp of Experience: Whig History and the Intellectual Origins of the American Revolution, (Indianapolis, Indiana: The Liberty Press, 1998), pp. 193-205. 13. Herbert Jones, "Thomas Jefferson and Legal Education in Revolutionary America, " in James Gilreath, editor, Thomas Jefferson and the Education of A Citizen, (Washington: Library of Congress, 1999), pp. 103-114; and, Frank L. Dewey, Thomas Jefferson: Lawyer, (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1987). 14. Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Joseph Priestly, January 27, 1800, in Merrill Peterson, editor, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (New York: The Library of America, 1984), pp. 1072-1074. 15. Howard Miller, The Revolutionary College: American Presbyterian Higher Education, 1707-1837, (New York: New York University Press, 1976). 16. Sadie Bell, The Church, The State and Education in Virginia, (New York: Arno Press, 1969), pp. 188-202; and Thomas E. Buckley, S.J., Church and State in Revolutionary Virginia 1776-1789, (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1977). 17. Charles Crowe, "Bishop James Madison and the Republic of Virtue," in Journal of Southern History, Vol. 30, (1964), pp. 58-70