In most of the world, throughout most of history, individuals have served governments. Here, our Constitution says the reverse. In declaring independence 250 years ago, our Founders broke with monarchy and empire to affirm a startling truth: our rights do not come from rulers, parties, or even popular opinion. They are ours by nature. The role of government is to secure them\u2014not dispense them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we approach America\u2019s semiquincentennial, we must remember this isn\u2019t merely a birthday. It\u2019s a call to rediscover the source of our liberty, and the responsibility it demands of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We recently spoke with Shane Krauser\u2014constitutional expert, former prosecutor, and educator\u2014about the deeper meaning of the Declaration of Independence. One word frames his entire perspective: agency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agency means the power to choose and act. It is the essence of self-government, both personally and politically. In a free society, citizens are left alone\u2014provided they do not harm the life, liberty, or property of others. This idea, rooted in natural law, is not only moral but profoundly productive. It unleashes initiative, creativity, and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Krauser reminds us that the Founders didn\u2019t abolish government. They constrained it. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, \u201cto secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.\u201d The goal was never anarchy. The goal was ordered liberty: laws that protect freedom, not control it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet today, many young Americans associate freedom with chaos and government with comfort. That\u2019s no accident. It\u2019s the result of a civic education that trains students to see government as the answer to every social challenge. As Krauser puts it, they learn to ask, \u201cWhat will government do?\u201d\u2014instead of asking, \u201cWho is best equipped to solve this?\u201d Often the answer isn\u2019t government at all. It\u2019s family, faith, business, or community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The American classroom is not just a venue for facts. It\u2019s the furnace where young minds are shaped. And the dominant mold is changing. Far too often, students graduate high school with warped ideas of freedom and go on to higher education that radicalizes, rather than reforms, those errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his college courses, Krauser asked his students three simple questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly every hand went up. And yet many of those same students supported policies that violated each principle. Why? Because they had never been shown how these issues connect. Once the lens of liberty came into focus\u2014once they understood the rules government is bound by\u2014everything changed. Some wept. Some felt betrayed. Many felt awakened. And most were grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the power of civic education rooted in natural rights and moral clarity. It doesn\u2019t require slogans or indoctrination. It requires structure, history, and truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world our students inherit is not the one we grew up in. It is what scholars and military leaders call a VUCA<\/strong> world\u2014volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Markets swing wildly. Information is infinite, but trust is scarce. Institutions wobble. Clarity is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In such an environment, young people crave something solid. They want to know where they stand, what matters, and why they should bother. The 250th anniversary of our nation is not just a ceremonial moment\u2014it\u2019s a timely opportunity to anchor our students in enduring truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Declaration of Independence offers more than historical inspiration. It offers direction. Its 55 central words remain the most powerful political statement in the English language: that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that governments exist to secure those rights. That one paragraph can cut through an entire semester of confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a volatile world, it grounds us in natural rights. The Declaration is not dated. It is diagnostic. And it is desperately needed\u2014not just in government classes, but at the kitchen table, in staff meetings, and among community leaders who sense that something precious is slipping away. The answer is not to chase novelty. It is to reassert the foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For parents, teachers, and school leaders, the path forward is clear. We cannot outsource the defense of liberty. It starts at home, continues in the classroom, and lives in the example we set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can teach agency by honoring it. We can model responsibility by practicing it. And we can preserve freedom by defending it\u2014politely, firmly, and always with gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we do not teach these principles, our children will not inherit them. And if we do, the fire of liberty will burn brighter for another 250 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agency<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own choices. In most of the world, throughout most of history, individuals have served governments. Here, our Constitution says the reverse. In declaring independence 250 years ago, our Founders broke with monarchy and empire to affirm a startling truth: our rights do not come from rulers, parties, or even popular opinion. They are ours by nature. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n In most of the world, throughout most of history, individuals have served governments. Here, our Constitution says the reverse. In declaring independence 250 years ago, our Founders broke with monarchy and empire to affirm a startling truth: our rights do not come from rulers, parties, or even popular opinion. They are ours by nature. The role of government is to secure them\u2014not dispense them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we approach America\u2019s semiquincentennial, we must remember this isn\u2019t merely a birthday. It\u2019s a call to rediscover the source of our liberty, and the responsibility it demands of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recently spoke with Shane Krauser\u2014constitutional expert, former prosecutor, and educator\u2014about the deeper meaning of the Declaration of Independence. One word frames his entire perspective: agency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agency means the power to choose and act. It is the essence of self-government, both personally and politically. In a free society, citizens are left alone\u2014provided they do not harm the life, liberty, or property of others. This idea, rooted in natural law, is not only moral but profoundly productive. It unleashes initiative, creativity, and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Krauser reminds us that the Founders didn\u2019t abolish government. They constrained it. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, \u201cto secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.\u201d The goal was never anarchy. The goal was ordered liberty: laws that protect freedom, not control it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet today, many young Americans associate freedom with chaos and government with comfort. That\u2019s no accident. It\u2019s the result of a civic education that trains students to see government as the answer to every social challenge. As Krauser puts it, they learn to ask, \u201cWhat will government do?\u201d\u2014instead of asking, \u201cWho is best equipped to solve this?\u201d Often the answer isn\u2019t government at all. It\u2019s family, faith, business, or community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The American classroom is not just a venue for facts. It\u2019s the furnace where young minds are shaped. And the dominant mold is changing. Far too often, students graduate high school with warped ideas of freedom and go on to higher education that radicalizes, rather than reforms, those errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his college courses, Krauser asked his students three simple questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly every hand went up. And yet many of those same students supported policies that violated each principle. Why? Because they had never been shown how these issues connect. Once the lens of liberty came into focus\u2014once they understood the rules government is bound by\u2014everything changed. Some wept. Some felt betrayed. Many felt awakened. And most were grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the power of civic education rooted in natural rights and moral clarity. It doesn\u2019t require slogans or indoctrination. It requires structure, history, and truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world our students inherit is not the one we grew up in. It is what scholars and military leaders call a VUCA<\/strong> world\u2014volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Markets swing wildly. Information is infinite, but trust is scarce. Institutions wobble. Clarity is rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In such an environment, young people crave something solid. They want to know where they stand, what matters, and why they should bother. The 250th anniversary of our nation is not just a ceremonial moment\u2014it\u2019s a timely opportunity to anchor our students in enduring truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Declaration of Independence offers more than historical inspiration. It offers direction. Its 55 central words remain the most powerful political statement in the English language: that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that governments exist to secure those rights. That one paragraph can cut through an entire semester of confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a volatile world, it grounds us in natural rights. The Declaration is not dated. It is diagnostic. And it is desperately needed\u2014not just in government classes, but at the kitchen table, in staff meetings, and among community leaders who sense that something precious is slipping away. The answer is not to chase novelty. It is to reassert the foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For parents, teachers, and school leaders, the path forward is clear. We cannot outsource the defense of liberty. It starts at home, continues in the classroom, and lives in the example we set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can teach agency by honoring it. We can model responsibility by practicing it. And we can preserve freedom by defending it\u2014politely, firmly, and always with gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we do not teach these principles, our children will not inherit them. And if we do, the fire of liberty will burn brighter for another 250 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agency<\/strong> \u2013 The capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own choices.
\n\n\n\nFreedom Requires Formation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\nLiberty in a VUCA World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In uncertainty, it affirms a moral order.
In complexity, it clarifies the role of government.
In ambiguity, it reminds us who we are and what we\u2019re here to protect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTeaching Freedom by Living It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nKey terms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Natural rights<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Rights that all people hold by virtue of being human, not granted by government.
Ordered liberty<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A balance of freedom and law where government protects, not controls, individual rights.
Semiquincentennial<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 The 250th anniversary of a major event, in this case, American independence.
VUCA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 An acronym describing environments that are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Further reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\nAgency: The Soul of Freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFreedom Requires Formation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\nLiberty in a VUCA World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In uncertainty, it affirms a moral order.
In complexity, it clarifies the role of government.
In ambiguity, it reminds us who we are and what we\u2019re here to protect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTeaching Freedom by Living It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nKey terms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Natural rights<\/strong> \u2013 Rights that all people hold by virtue of being human, not granted by government.
Ordered liberty<\/strong> \u2013 A balance of freedom and law where government protects, not controls, individual rights.
Semiquincentennial<\/strong> \u2013 The 250th anniversary of a major event, in this case, American independence.
VUCA<\/strong> \u2013 An acronym describing environments that are Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFurther reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n