Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence

I was so impressed with the life of Benjamin Rush! It would be wonderful if we had some people in government today who embraced his values. It's a must read for anyone who is concerned about the way our country is heading under the recent administrations.

It's no wonder our modern education system ignores Dr. Benjamin Rush. Not only was he a highly principled man of integrity, but he was also a devote Christian who lived his life according to the dictates of scripture. In every endeavor of his life he remained strongly entrenched in his Christian values and defended the Bible as only source of true virtue for a free society. Loyal to his beliefs he abhorred the institution of slavery and did everything within his power to have it abolished in his lifetime. Unlike many of his contemporaries who opposed the slave trade for political reasons, Rush believed that the slaves themselves deserved equal rights with rest of mankind! He proved his sincerity by using a section of his own land to erect the very first community in the American colonies for `Free' men of color. Including building them homes and a church and supplying a black clergyman for their spiritual needs. Why isn't this taught in our public schools? We live in a day when the foundations of our history have been twisted and distorted almost beyond recognition. The average high school student today could no more tell you why the American Revolution was fought or WHO it was fought against! As for the framers of our Constitution and Declaration of Independence, the only frame of reference our young people have is what comes out of the movie studios of Hollywood. The result is a darkened understanding of the legacy these men left behind and a `warped' view of their outstanding accomplishments in a time when Liberty was unknown in the earth. Men like Benjamin Rush are avoided like the pledge because they fail to meet the `criteria' of the modern education system. Rather teach the students that our founding fathers were all bigots, slave-owners and rich white plantation holders. Condemn them all for the faults of a few. Don't focus on the accomplishments of men like Rush, Adams, Franklin and others, who dedicated their lives to struggle for human liberty. Instill into our youth the 'humanistic' spirit that destroys a respect for the dignity of mankind and discards Liberty as morally repugnant. Those of a mind study the life of this man and see for yourself the heights from which we have fallen. If you have children trapped in our deteriorating public school system, consider the difference godly values would make in their continuing education. May this book then serve as a framework to rebuild the family unit and motivate our young parents to `train up a child in the way he should go, so when he is old he won't depart from God!'

Benjamin Rush was a remarkable man. It is encouraging to think that this Founding Father will be studied by today's generation. The book is a bit dry, still, David Barton has done us a great service by reacquainting us with one of the outstanding figures in our Country's origin. This should be suggested or even required reading for any American History class.