American Culture Archives

How Colonial Trades Shaped the American Revolution

[Guest Author: Rachel Rodewald returns to Writing for the Public Square with a newly contributed post about colonial trades for the Countdown America 250 series. Rachel holds a Master’s Degree in History from George Mason University.]

The story of America’s founding is the story of ordinary citizens engaged in a wide variety of colonial trades—silversmiths, blacksmiths, printers, coopers, ropemakers, carpenters, tailors—who came together in pursuit of a free and independent nation. Most remain nameless, lost to the ages. But a few, like Paul Revere, are the stuff of legend.

Colonial Tradesman Paul Revere

When we think about Paul Revere, he’s usually atop a galloping horse. Signaled in the middle of the night by fellow Sons of Liberty member Robert Newman and a lantern hung in the Old North Church, Revere rides to alert nearby residents that “the British are coming!” This indelible image of the celebrated patriot, immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, has been held by generations of schoolchildren and adults.

Reel Revolution: How Film and Documentaries Capture the Story of America’s Founding

Capturing the story of America’s Founding has long captivated the public imagination. For nearly 250 years, our origin story has inspired both national pride and ongoing debate. From classrooms to pop culture, this formative era has been the subject of bestsellers, biographies, and scholarly research. But it is on the screen–in film and documentaries–where the ideals, contradictions and bold personalities of the Founding Fathers are most vividly brought to life.

More than words on a page, films and documentaries allow viewers to experience the past and watch history unfold. They transport audiences to the corner of a candlelit tavern where they hear the whispers of revolution. Or moviegoers might witness the heated discourse of delegates debating first principles in an equally heated Philadelphia state house. They might even encounter the heart-stopping moments of combat between American patriots and British Red Coats.

The storytelling power of film and documentaries makes the Founding feel more immediate, tangible, and relatable. Of course, good film and good documentaries must strike a balance between entertainment and truth. When done well, the result is compelling drama and an entry point for deeper understanding and exploration. When off-kilter, the outcome feels more like sentimental kitsch, tired tropes, or perilous revisionism.

America’s Countdown to 250!

It’s true. America’s countdown to 250 has begun. With the arrival of July 4th festivities this week, America steps into an important year of celebration and reflection. In 12 short months, we will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of our bold, beautiful, and often boisterous nation.

In the current climate, the lead-up to our semiquincentennial feels equal parts momentous and fractious. How do we prepare ourselves for this historic milestone? A short answer…crack open a book!

The Eye-Rolling Isn’t Working

I dusted off and updated this post from four years ago – sadly, it’s still relevant and even more important today.)

Have you noticed people are really crabby these days? Living in the suburbs of Northern Virginia, I am used to drivers cutting me off on the freeway. And it is not too remarkable to find myself standing in line behind a real grumbler at the post office or grocery store. We all let our irritable natures get the better of us some days. What is alarming, however, is the degree of anger and outrage that seems to be bubbling up in every corner of society.

The vitriol that passes for national discourse in this era of divisive politics, angry social media, and 24/7 news cycles seems to have stripped us of a sense of civility. The constructive sharing of opposing ideas has been preempted not simply by anger, as one might surmise watching cable news or observing Sunday dinner with the relatives. Healthy debate has been usurped by what social scientist Arthur Brooks calls a “culture of contempt.”

A Few F-words for 4th of July

Patriotism has taken a hit in recent years. Especially during the 4th of July. In some circles it’s fashionable to slam the U. S. of A. — to punctuate its flaws and denigrate its virtues. Other camps seem to have confused love of country with an exaggerated sense of purpose. Either way, decorating the porch with red, white and blue bunting feels a little off kilter this year.

I’m old enough to remember the national exuberance during the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. That summer, tall ships filled New York and Boston harbors. Johnny Cash served as Grand Marshall at the U.S. Bicentennial parade in our nation’s capital on the 4th of July. There was an official Bicentennial logo and commemorative postage stamps, coins, license plates and other merchandise.

Disneyland and Disney World hosted America on Parade. Local communities painted benches, fire hydrants, mailboxes and phone booths in patriotic colors. The popular Schoolhouse Rock! series created America Rock to teach youngsters about American history and government. (Throughout the year, I proudly wore the shirt my mom hand embroidered using the Betsy Ross animated character from the series – seen here.)

That summer, the wave of patriotism drenched America from coast to coast. We loved it. It felt refreshing to celebrate our nation on the 4th of July. To acknowledge our history with a sense of accomplishment even as we emerged from some difficult moments including the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

By many accounts, America is having a difficult moment right now, in 2023. We are polarized. We are mean-spirited. We are worried.

Which is precisely why the 4th of July is a good time to pause and ponder the fundamental and enduring values we continue to hold dear. It’s okay to do that even as we acknowledge our shortcomings. And it’s possible to respectfully observe nearly 250 years of achievement from a posture of humility.

Here’s a start. A carefully curated selection of F-words worthy of celebration this 4th of July, from the pages of our own history:

What’s in Your Holiday Mailbox?

Cards, Letters There’s a lot about Christmas that gets me excited but the daily trip to the mailbox during the holiday season is especially fun. At least it used to be. Time was when my mailbox would be stuffed full of Christmas cards and holiday letters. But lately I’ve noticed fewer and fewer merry greetings arriving via the post. What kind of bah humbug is this?!

My latest piece, Bah Humbug: Cards, Letters and Things Remembered, appears this week in the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture.

Here’s a short excerpt:

I‘d like to report a bit of bah humbug that has me particularly troubled. In recent years, I’ve noticed fewer and fewer Christmas cards landing in my mailbox. At first, I convinced myself the reason was because we moved across the country, changing addresses after 20 years at the same location. Probably the forwarding orders expired, I told myself that first year. But the next year our annual stash of merry greetings continued to shrink. So, I did a little research.

It turns out that Christmas is the largest card-sending holiday in the United States — an estimated 1.3 billion cards sent annually by Hallmark’s calculation. Even so, fewer Americans are sending the one-time holiday staple, and analysts predict the market for traditional holiday greetings will continue to dwindle over the next several years.

According to one report by Research and Markets, “the advent of digitalization, social media platforms and messaging apps such as WhatsApp” are to blame. It seems that electronic holiday greetings have become a popular alternative to the old-fashioned glitter and foil variety. Then, there’s the cost of postage. The price of a first-class Forever stamp increased from 58 cents to 60 cents in 2022 and will tick-up another 3 cents in January. Surely the Postmaster General’s price adjustment is another incremental factor impacting my card count.

So, it’s them, not me. That’s a relief. It’s market forces at work. But maybe this Scroogey trend is the sign of an even bigger cultural shift. More research.

In fact, it’s not just the once-ubiquitous Christmas card that has taken a hit. Apparently, people in the 21st century write fewer letters overall. According to data from the U.S. Postal Service, the volume of first-class mail processed in the U.S. peaked around the year 2000, with more than 103.5 billion pieces delivered. The first-class rate is intended for personal and business correspondence, the most common way to send envelopes or lightweight packages fast and for a low-cost. USPS statistics show a steep decline in the volume of first-class mail, with a mere 50.7 billion pieces delivered in 2021. That’s half the volume from just two decades ago.

Not too surprising, mailbags started getting lighter about the same time email usage became popular among the general population. Though commonly used within business, academic, and government circles in the late 1980s, email became part of the broader pop-culture lexicon by the late-1990s. Remember the box office hit, You’ve Got Mail? The much-loved romcom starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan hit theaters in 1998, just as America’s letter writing habits began to dip.

So, the dearth of Christmas cards in my mailbox does in fact portend a more worrisome trend: the art of correspondence is being lost, victim to the immediacy of email, instant messaging, and texts. What a shame.

Don’t get me wrong. I am fully entrenched in the digital age like us all. I have a Bitmoji avatar. My monthly texting messages surpass those of my children and husband combined. And when I’m done writing this article, I will send it in an email to my editor, whom I see more often in my inbox than in person. The suggestion here is not to turn up our noses at technology. Rather, it is to pause and consider what is lost when we make the choice to tap out a few 160-character messages instead of crafting a thoughtful, hand-written note.

Putting pen to paper is more than a quaint habit of a bygone era. The value of letter writing includes historical collection, personal connection and individual reflection.

Continue reading the full article here

The Chosen: An Old Story with a New Appeal

The Chosen: An Old Story with a New Appeal When was the last time you climbed into your favorite chair and lost yourself for a few hours in the pages of a good book? The 21st century version of that reverie looks more like a Saturday afternoon curled up on the couch binge-watching the latest drama series. Either way, it’s the stories that draw us in. You may have noticed a new story getting a lot of attention lately. It’s called The Chosen, only it’s not new and you won’t find it in bookstores or streaming on Netflix. Instead, like most things in 2022, you’ll need an app!

In 2019, writer and producer Dallas Jenkins set out to create a multi-season series about Jesus that is realistic, relatable, reliable and relevant to a modern audience. He broke form with traditional film distribution methods and brought the series to market via an app developed by Angel Studios. He also opted to fund this endeavor not with Hollywood dollars but through small donations from a large number of like-mined individuals eager to develop quality faith-based programming. Today, the show’s popularity has skyrocketed. It is the #1 crowdfunded media project of all time and existing episodes have been viewed upwards of 395 million times. What makes this show so special?

I spent some time talking about The Chosen phenomenon with a few folks, including one of the biblical consultants for the show, a few fans and a seasoned media/entertainment professional. I invite you to find a favorite corner where you can spend a few minutes reading my story at The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture about The Greatest Story Ever [Re]Told. Then, like any good story, I encourage you to pass it on!

Read full article here

Finding Dignity in Our Life’s Work

Historically in America, our understanding of dignity in the workplace has been closely aligned with a work ethic steeped in diligence, discipline, thriftiness and personal accountability. Generations have been raised to believe that the formula for success depends on a can-do attitude, hard work, and a little gumption. But like so much else in the current moment, the pandemic has upset our understanding of work and what counts for dignity.

Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor and behavioral social scientist, writes, “Social science, ancient philosophy, and common sense all testify that meaningful work and the means of earned success are vital drivers of happiness, human flourishing, and our sense of basic dignity.” Brooks has traveled the world exploring ways to bring dignity to people, particularly those at the margins of society. He concludes, “Nothing destroys dignity more than idleness and a sense of superfluousness—the feeling that one is simply not needed.”

Even as we scramble to understand the full shape and scope of current shifts within the American workplace, it is clear that our basic “need to be needed” axiom is in jeopardy. A recent Pew Research study estimated close to 10 million U.S. workers lost their jobs in the first year of the pandemic alone. This, while the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that, in November 2021 alone, a record 4.5 million workers quit their jobs. What is happening in the American workplace and how can we find the dignity of work we desire?

Of course, in God’s economy, work and dignity are inseparable. Work is one of the most tangible ways we live out our relationship with God and practice discipleship with those around us. The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture has published my long-form article about the impact of COVID on the workplace and our common quest to find dignity in our life’s work.

Read the full article here.

How to Pray for our Nation’s Leaders

How to Pray for our Nation's Leaders People of faith are called to pray for those in civil authority, whatever their political persuasion. But how do we best pray for our nation’s leaders? What if we don’t agree with them? What if our prayers feel pointless?

1 Timothy 2:1-2 encourages each of us to offer petition, prayer, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people — “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Prayer is not a partisan endeavor; it transcends politics. It does not endorse a particular party or candidate. Rather, prayer exalts the one true God. And prayer is one way we can stand united, even in moments where unity seems out of reach.

As we approach the 4th of July holiday, I invite you join me in praying for our nation’s leaders. I’ve created a convenient one-page guide based on scripture that offers 8 ways we can lift our leaders in prayer each day. Download it for free today!

Category: American Culture