American Revolution

1787 The Constitution of the United States is signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention (September).

1. United States & Texas Revolutions: Infographic ~ Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!

Timeline of the Revolution

DATE        EVENT

1763 The French and Indian War ends. The British defeat France and acquire the                   French empire in North America.

1765 Britain passes the Stamp Act to directly tax the colonists. The act requires that revenue stamps be put on all legal documents, deeds, newspapers, pamphlets, dice, and playing cards.

1766 The Stamp Act is repealed. However, a Declaratory Act reiterates Britain’s right to pass laws for and levy taxes on the colonies.

1773 During the Boston Tea Party, colonists disguised as Native Americans throw tea from British ships into the ocean to protest the Tea Act (December). The act was passed to allow the British East India Company to sell tea to the colonists, but the tea included a British tax.

1774 Intolerable Acts are passed. They close the port of Boston, curtail the powers of the Massachusetts assembly and town meetings, provide for compulsory quartering of troops by colonists, and exempt imperial officials from trial in Massachusetts.

1775 American militias defeat British troops in the battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the war (April).

1775 American troops capture Fort Ticonderoga, beginning the war in New York (May).

1775 The British defeat the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Continental                   Congresscommissions George Washington to lead the Continental Army (June).

1776 The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence (July).

1776 The British defeat American troops at the Battle of Long Island, seizing the city of                   New York(August).

1776 Washington and his troops cross the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack; they defeat the British at the battles of Trenton and Princeton (December).

1777 British troops capture Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the Continental Congress (September).

1777 British troops are defeated at Saratoga, New York, failing to cut New England off from the rest of the colonies (October).

1778 The Continental Congress enters a formal alliance with France, which provides money, weapons, and soldiers (February).

1778 The British capture Savannah, Georgia, in an effort to implement their Southern strategy, an attempt to capture Southern colonies with support of Southern Loyalists (December).

1779 Colonial troops seize a British fort at Vincennes, taking control of the war in the west (February).

1779 The colonial vessel, Bonhomme Richard, forces the surrender of the British warship, Serapis (September).

1780 British forces capture Charleston, South Carolina, as part of the Southern strategy (May).

1781 The British are defeated at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina and realize that their Southern strategy is unlikely to succeed (March).

1781 The British surrender at Yorktown, ending most of the fighting in North America (October).

1783 The Treaty of Paris is signed, recognizing the independence of the United States (September).

1787 The Constitution of the United States is signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention (September).

1789 The Constitution becomes effective.

The American Revolution

THE REPUBLIC

Freedom From Government

The whole point of government is that the few (the trillionaires) can control the many (all the rest of us). Government is fictional; contracted into out of ignorance. No government is pro-freedom. Freedom is always and only from government.

With the knowledge that international bankruptcies last 70 years, ten times as long as personal bankruptcies, one can understand the following:

Simplified Timeline of the U.S. Government:

1789, Republic: The Constitution secured the debt created by the Revolutionary War that the new government owed the King of England; the States were pledged as the sureties for the debt and the new American government lost its sovereignty after only seven years. The 1st Bankruptcy.

1859, Democracy: The States lost their sovereigny. The 14th Amendment didn’t really free the slaves; it created corporate citizenship (slavehood) for everybody, securing, once again, the debt. The 2nd Bankruptcy.

1929, Socialism: The people lost their sovereignty; and thenceforth could no longer hold legal title (only equitable title) to their property. The 3rd Bankruptcy.

State’s Constitutional Militias: Sovereign Militias Buy More Firearms In 3 Months, Than What It Takes To Outfit The Entire Chinese And Indian Armies Combined!

1999, Corporate Fascism: The STATE now has the legal ability [NOTE: not necessarily lawful ability.] to control almost every aspect of a person’s life. The New World Order; the 4th and Last Bankruptcy.

State militias have defended the United States since the Revolutionary War. At present, 23 states and territories have SDFs, and their estimated force strength totaled 14,000 members as of 2005.

[21] Authorized under federal statute Title 32 of the U.S. Code, SDFs are entirely under state control—unlike the National Guard— both in peace and otherwise.

[22] Hence, while the National Guard is a dual-apportioned force that can be called to federal service under Title 10 or remain a state force under Title 32, State Defense Forces serve solely as Title 32 forces.

This status gives SDFs two important advantages. First, SDFs are continually stationed within their respective states and can be called up quickly and easily in times of need. Such a capability is particularly important when catastrophic disasters overwhelm local first responders and federal forces can take up to 72 hours to respond.[23]

Second, SDFs are exempt from the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits federal military forces from engaging in domestic law enforcement activities within the United States.

[24]

While the Posse Comitatus Act has never proven a major obstacle to deploying federal forces for domestic emergency response, SDFs permit a state military response uninhibited by legal obstacles.

[25]

Each SDF is under the control of its respective governor through the state’s military department.

[26] The Adjutant General, the state’s senior military commander and a member of the governor’s cabinet, commands the SDF on behalf of the governor. As SDF commander, TAG is responsible for all training, equipment allocation, and decisions regarding the SDF’s strength, activity, and mission. The Adjutant General is also the commander of the state’s National Guard units and often directs state emergency response.

[27] Through TAGs, SDFs can easily coordinate with other key components of the state emergency response.

Despite its recognition in federal statute, creation of a State Defense Force remains at the discretion of each state governor, and 28 states have chosen not to create such forces. Creation of SDFs has met resistance from TAGs and the National Guard Bureau due to concerns over turf, costs, and even arming SDF members.

[28] However, such objections make little sense given that SDFs are entirely volunteer organizations and offer the states a vital, low-cost force multiplier. Members are not paid for training, only some states compensate them for active duty, and SDFs generally have little equipment.

[29] For example, in 2002 alone, the Georgia State Guard reportedly saved the state of Georgia $1.5 million by providing 1,797 days of operational service to the state.

[30] In all, the state-apportioned status, organizational structure, and low-cost burden of SDFs make them a vital and practical resource for the states.

Heritage

On September 17, 1787 George Washington was the first to sign and accept the Constitution even though it had no Bill of Rights. It was Patrick Henry with his great speeches and lectures who in 1788 forced an agreement which promised that continued ratifications of the document depended upon a Bill of Rights to be forthcoming. In 1789 Washington took office and was faced with the arduous task of pioneering the first presidency including the structuring of the militia system. By January 1790 the influence Patrick Henry had over him became quite apparent. When Washington chaired the 1787 Constitutional Convention, provisions had been made for the defense of the country against invasion and for stifling rebellions, but there was an insufficiency of safeguards to be applied against tyranny brought on by public officials.

By 1790 Washington began work on his “Plan No. 2 for the Organization of the Militia.” By now he was more able to see the weaknesses in the Constitution. He openly discussed the threat of tyranny emanating from within the government. By then, Patrick Henry’s wisdom was spread throughout the 13 original states, and it was inculcated as the basis for the policies and functions of the militia. Henry perpetuated the people’s liberty. He sustained the ultimate authority of the people. Washington well understood the need to safeguard the nation from its foreign enemies. In his “Plan No. 2 for the Organization of the Militia” he undertook to warn about the dangers of domestic enemies: tyranny in government.

Washington himself took the farmers out for practice, and he utilized the knowledge and experiences of his generals and other valuable officers in the War for Independence by having them instruct and train the citizens (the whole people) in the techniques of soldiering, and the maintenance of an ‘energetic national militia’.

His “Plan No. 2 for the Organization of the Militia” was communicated to the Senate, on the 21st of January 1790. This lengthy Plan was permeated with the proposition that it is the direct duty and responsibility of the people themselves to guard against tyranny from within government.

Washington declared that the purpose of the militia was “to oppose the introduction of tyranny.” He had come a long way from the days when he accepted the Constitution without a Bill of Rights.

To view Washington’s statement in the context in which it was delivered, please look over the following excerpt taken from Pages 7-8 of an old document published by Gales and Seaton in 1832 entitled “American State Papers – Documents, Legislative and Executive, of the Congress of the United States, from the First Session of the First to the Second Session of the Fifteenth Congress, inclusive: commencing March 3, 1789, and ending March 3, 1819”.

This excerpt is a part of Wash- ington’s lengthy Plan No. 2 of 1790. While he also made re- ference to the prevention of invasion and rebellion, Washing- ton said that “the well informed members of the community (the people) were meant to be the real defence of the country”; and “the virtues and knowledge of the people would effectually oppose the introduction of tyranny.”

He warned that “the government would be invaded or overturned, and trampled upon by the bold and ambitious” — meaning people in our own country who operated without adherence to vital principles. The absoluteness of the right of the people to keep and bear arms is a basic principle. Unless the right to arms is absolute, the people cannot remain the ultimate power. The Bill of Rights confirmed that we possess many other rights beside the absolute right to arms. All of the other rights for the preservation of their own existence, depend entirely upon the absoluteness, the force, and the reasoning that have shaped the Second Amend- ment. Washington agreed with Patrick Henry on the purpose of the militia: It was to “oppose the introduction of tyranny.” Make no mistake about it: The prime reason for the Second Amend- ment is prevention of tyranny in government.

EXCERPT FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON’S 1790 PLAN FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MILITIA

“An energetic national militia is to be regarded as the capital security of a free republic, and not a standing army, forming a distinct class in the community.

It is the introduction and diffusion of vice, and corruption of manners, into the mass of the people, that renders a standing army necessary. It is when public spirit is despised, and avarice, indolence, and effeminacy of manners predominate, and prevent the establishment of institutions which would elevate the minds of the youth in the paths of virtue and honor, that a standing army is formed and riveted forever.

While the human character remains unchanged, and societies and governments of considerable extent are formed, a principle ever ready to execute the laws, and defend the state, must constantly exist. Without this vital principle, the government would be invaded or overturned, and trampled upon by the bold and ambitious. No community can be long held together, unless its arrangements are adequate to its probable exigencies.

If it should be decided to reject a standing army for the military branch of the government of the United States, as possessing too fierce an aspect, and being hostile to the principles of liberty, it will follow that a well constituted militia ought to be established.

A consideration of the subject will show the impracticability of disciplining at once the mass of the people. All discussions on the subject of a powerful militia will result in one or other of the following principles:

First, Either efficient institutions must be established for the military education of the youth, and that the knowledge acquired therein shall be diffused throughout the community, by the mean of rotation; or,

Secondly, That the militia must be formed of substitutes, after the manner of the militia of Great Britain.

If the United States possess the vigor of mind to establish the first institution, it may reasonably be expected to produce the most unequivocal advantages. A glorious national spirit will be introduced, with its extensive train of political consequences. The youth will imbibe a love of their country; reverence and obedience to its laws; courage and elevation of mind; openness and liberality of character; accompanied by a just spirit of honor: in addition to which their bodies will acquire a robustness, greatly conducive to their personal happiness, as well as the defence of their country; while habit, with its silent but efficacious operations, will durably cement the system.

Habit, that powerful and universal law, incessantly acting on the human race, well deserves the attention of legislators—formed at first in individuals, by separate and almost imperceptible impulses, until at length it acquires a force which controls with irresistible sway. The effects of salutary or pernicious habits, operating on a whole nation, are immense, and decide its rank and character in the world.

-2-Hence the science of legislation teaches to scrutinize every national institution, as it may introduce proper or improper habits; to adopt with religious zeal the former, and reject with horror the latter.

A republic, constructed on the principles herein stated, would be uninjured by events, sufficient to overturn a government supported solely by the uncertain power of a standing army.

The well informed members of the community, actuated by the highest motives of self-love, would form the real defence of the country. Rebellions would be prevented or suppressed with ease; invasions of such a government would be undertaken only by mad men; and the virtues and knowledge of the people would effectually oppose the introduction of tyranny.

But the second principle, a militia of substitutes, is pregnant, in a degree, with the mischiefs of a standing army; as it is highly probable the substitutes from time to time will be nearly the same men, and the most idle and worthless part of the community. Wealthy families, proud of distinctions which riches may confer, will prevent their sons from serving in the militia of substitutes; the plan will degenerate into habitual contempt; a standing army will be introduced, and the liberties of the people subjected to all the contingencies of events.

The expense attending an energetic establishment of militia may be strongly urged as an objection to the institution. But it is to be remembered, that this objection is leveled at both systems, whether by rotation or by substitutes: for, if the numbers are equal, the expense will also be equal. The estimate of the expense will show its unimportance, when compared with the magnitude and beneficial effects of the institution.

But the people of the United States will cheerfully consent to the expenses of a measure calculated to serve as a perpetual barrier to their liberties; especially as they well know that the disbursements will be made among the members of the same community, and therefore cannot be injurious.

Every intelligent mind would rejoice in the establishment of an institution, under whose auspices the youth and vigor of the constitution would be renewed with each successive generation, and which would appear to secure the great principles of freedom and happiness against the injuries of time and events.

The following plan is formed on these general principles:

First, That it is the indispensable duty of every nation to establish all necessary institutions for its own perfection and defence.

Secondly, That it is a capital security to a free state, for the great body of the people to possess a competent knowledge of the military art.

Thirdly, That this knowledge cannot be attained, in the present state of society, but by establishing adequate institutions for the military education of youth; and that the knowledge acquired therein should be diffused throughout the community by the principles of rotation.

Fourthly, That every man of the proper age, and ability of body, is firmly bound, by the social compact, to perform, personally, his proportion of military duty for the defence of the state.

Fifthly, That all men, of the legal military age, should be armed, enrolled, and held responsible for different degrees of military service.

And Sixthly, That agreeably to the constitution, the United States are to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such a part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States; reserving to the States, respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia, according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.”

End of excerpt from the 1790 Plan for Organization of the Militia

GEORGE WASHINGTON

George Washington is listed as No. 1 in the Hall of Fame. In addition to his many other remarkable achievements, his Farewell Address also has gone down in history as one of the greatest writings of all time. In it he warned against engaging in foreign influence and entanglements, weakening the fabric of the constitutional government, loss of respect for national morality and religious principles, growth of party spirit, and against the devastation brought on by pretended patriotism.

It was a disgraceful effort which caused February 22nd, Washington’s birthday, to be renamed as President’s Day, thus reducing the respect due to a man who had contributed so much of himself. In his Farewell Address he left us this immortal advice:

“Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor and caprice?

It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world….”

Yet, we allow our public officials to “police the world”. Further still he said:

“One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown…..”

Yet, we allow our public officials to effect grievous alterations in the operation of the Constitutional system, swear by the oath of office under pretended allegiance, and destroy our inherent right as the ultimate power in the republic by denying us the use of firearms.

Liberty Gun Rights

Diagramming! The Opening Sentence of the Declaration of Independence: Flow Chart

The Destroyer Of The New World Order Scheme!

CRITICAL THINKING

CRITICAL thinking is a rich concept that has been developing throughout the past 2500 years.  The term “CRITICAL thinking” has its roots in the mid-late 20th century.  We offer here overlapping definitions, together which form a substantive, transdisciplinary conception of CRITICAL thinking.

CRITICAL Thinking as Defined by the National Council for Excellence in CRITICAL Thinking, 1987
A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the
{presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on CRITICAL Thinking and Education Reform, Summer 1987}.

CRITICAL thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
–Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4,1777

It entails the examination of those structures or elements of thought implicit in all reasoning: purpose, problem, or question-at-issue; assumptions; concepts; empirical grounding; reasoning leading to conclusions; implications and consequences; objections from alternative viewpoints; and frame of reference. CRITICAL thinking — in being responsive to variable subject matter, issues, and purposes — is incorporated in a family of interwoven modes of thinking, among them: scientific thinking, mathematical thinking, historical thinking, anthropological thinking, economic thinking, moral thinking, and philosophical thinking.

CRITICAL thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. It is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and retention of information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and 3) the mere use of those skills (“as an exercise”) without acceptance of their results.

CRITICAL thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful manipulation of ideas in service of one’’s own, or one’s groups’’, vested interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness and intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually, though subject to the charge of “idealism” by those habituated to its selfish use.

CRITICAL thinking of any kind is never universal in any individual; everyone is subject to episodes of undisciplined or irrational thought. Its quality is therefore typically a matter of degree and dependent on , among other things, the quality and depth of experience in a given domain of thinking or with respect to a particular class of questions. No one is a CRITICAL thinker through-and-through, but only to such-and-such a degree, with such-and-such insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. For this reason, the development of CRITICAL thinking skills and dispositions is a life-long endeavor.

CRITICAL thinking is self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way.  People who think CRITICALly consistently attempt to live rationally, reasonably, empathically.  They are keenly aware of the inherently flawed nature of human thinking when left unchecked.  They strive to diminish the power of their egocentric and sociocentric tendencies.  They use the intellectual tools that CRITICAL thinking offers – concepts and principles that enable them to analyze, assess, and improve thinking.  They work diligently to develop the intellectual virtues of intellectual integrity, intellectual humility, intellectual civility, intellectual empathy, intellectual sense of justice and confidence in reason.

They realize that no matter how skilled they are as thinkers, they can always improve their reasoning abilities and they will at times fall prey to mistakes in reasoning, human irrationality, prejudices, biases, distortions, unCRITICALly accepted social rules and taboos, self-interest, and vested interest.  They strive to improve the world in whatever ways they can and contribute to a more rational, civilized society.   At the same time, they recognize the complexities often inherent in doing so.  They avoid thinking simplistically about complicated issues and strive to appropriately consider the rights and needs of relevant others.  They recognize the complexities in developing as thinkers, and commit themselves to life-long practice toward self-improvement.  They embody the Socratic principle:  The unexamined life is not worth living, because they realize that many unexamined lives together result in an unCRITICAL, unjust, dangerous world.

~ Linda Elder, September, 2007

Why CRITICAL Thinking?

Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated.

A Definition
CRITICAL thinking is that mode of thinking – about any subject, content, or
problem – in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking
by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and
imposing intellectual standards upon them.

A well cultivated CRITICAL thinker:

• Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and
• precisely gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to
• interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;
• thinks open mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and
• communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

CRITICAL thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.

(Taken from Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to CRITICAL Thinking Concepts and Tools, Foundation for CRITICAL Thinking Press, 2008).

CRITICAL Thinking Defined by Edward Glaser:
In a seminal study on CRITICAL thinking and education in 1941, Edward Glaser defines CRITICAL thinking as follows “The ability to think CRITICALly, as conceived in this volume, involves three things:

( 1 ) an attitude of being disposed to consider in a thoughtful way the problems and subjects that come within the range of one’s experiences,

(2) knowledge of the methods of logical inquiry and reasoning, and

(3) some skill in applying those methods.

CRITICAL thinking calls for a persistent effort to examine any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the evidence that supports it and the further conclusions to which it tends. It also generally requires ability to recognize problems, to find workable means for meeting those problems, to gather and marshal pertinent information, to recognize unstated assumptions and values, to comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and discrimination, to interpret data, to appraise evidence and evaluate arguments, to recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical relationships between propositions, to draw warranted conclusions and generalizations, to put to test the conclusions and generalizations at which one arrives, to reconstruct one’s patterns of beliefs on the basis of wider experience, and to render accurate judgments about specific things and qualities in everyday life.

An Experiment in the Development of CRITICAL Thinking, Teacher’s College, Columbia University, 1941).

TCTC

THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED

• He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
• He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty.
• Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
• He never wrote a book.
• He never held an office.
• He never had a family or a home.
• He didn’t go to college.
• He never visited a big city.
• He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.
• He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.
• He had no credentials but Himself.
• He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him.
• His friends ran away.
• One of them denied Him.
• He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
• He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
• While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth.
• When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
• Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race.
• All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not effected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.