After returning from a trip to New England last fall, which included seeing Boston and Plymouth Rock, I became more interested in how the constitution came to be and how it relates to my own English history. I decided to start the Hillsdale College Constitution 101 course shortly after Thanksgiving and earlier this week I completed the course after studying all 10 lessons and taking the final quiz.
One of the things I learned in the class was how effective America’s constitution is and how England doesn’t have one. Britain does not have a codified constitution. It is considered a living constitution that can be updated with the times. This may sound good but it isn’t. The progressives once sought a living constitution when England was at its height of empire. However the living constitution and rise of socialism led to its undoing. Today England is experiencing Orwellian crackdowns on free speech and its citizens are unable to defend themselves. The American founding fathers made sure checks and balances were set in stone with the constitution. It is not a living document.
While there may be many issues in America today, the reasons why we are still able to have free speech and defend ourselves can be found in the writings from the founding fathers and how republican American government was set up to protect individual liberty.
The Hillsdale College Constitution 101 course teaches us about why the constitution is important and why the founders set up the American system as a large Republic. They also explain the three crises in American government; the revolution and inception of the constitution. Slavery and civil war. And the ongoing battle against progressivism, which we are still fighting today.
I would highly recommend the course for all Americans.
Becoming American 