The Founding Fathers agreed that education was the most important way to teach virtue, shape character, and mold citizens. The “best means of forming manly, virtuous, happy people, will be found in the right education of youth.” And as George Washington wrote: “Without this foundation, every other means, in my opinion must fail.”
Moral education should begin when the first habits and manners were established. That’s why they supported public education. “Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom. The education here intended is not merely that of the children of the rich and noble, but of every rank and class of people, down to the lowest and poorest. It is not too much to say that schools for the education of all should be placed at convenient distances, and maintained at the public expense.” (John Adams, “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America”, a two volume work which was next to the Bible the most often quoted work at the Constitutional Convention.)
I flipped through some notes and here’s what I found:
In his “Project for Moral Perfection” one of the character traits Benjamin Franklin wanted to become morally perfect in the application of was Sincerity. He described this trait as: “Use no harmful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.”
Of course Franklin knew these words were directly in the Declaration of Independence, which was upheld by the United States Constitution. He helped draft both of them. But the meaning of the direct words is vouchsafed by our Constitution.
One of the virtues our Founding Fathers are known for, is Kindness. Thomas Jefferson was known to receive visitors to the President’s Mansion without prior announcement or request. He was always polite and gracious to his visitors.
Benjamin Franklin told some of his closest associates that his favorite Book in the Bible, was the Book of Proverbs. That book is deemed by scholars to have been written by King Solomon. And Ben loved Solomon. You can tell by reading that Proverbs was even the source for some of Franklin’s adages and quotes in his “Poor Richard’s Almanac.”
After their marriage, Tom and Martha began their trek to the as yet only minimally completed Monticello. They had to travel more than 100 miles without plane, or boat, or automobile. In the cold and on not quite decent roads. (She must have really loved Tom!)
“Music is a part of our history. It is an expression of who we are and the times we’ve known, our highs, our lows, and so much that we love. Take away American music from the American story and you take away a good part of the soul of the story.