©2005 Solid Ground Christian Books, 323 pages in paperback.

Anniversaries provide opportunities to look back and to look ahead. In these lectures, delivered to audiences in Europe, Congregational pastor, Joseph Thompson does both. These lectures were given in 1876 as a prelude to America’s centennial celebration.

The first three lectures look back to America’s founding. The author views the War for Independence as an action thrust upon the colonies rather than a revolution by the future states.  He explores the heritage of religious liberty and its importance in the struggle for freedom in North America.

In the following two lectures he provides the reasons for independence as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and then the reasons for the writing of the Constitution against the backdrop of the failure of the Articles of Confederation to provide needed unity within the new nation.  He then turns his readers’ attention to some of the many struggles the young nation successfully endured in its initial century.  He examines the divisions of party spirit in politics, as well as wars, immigration, and assassination of the president.

In his fourth lecture he answers the critique of those who have not given the young nation its due respect. He explores the nation’s ability to conquer the vast continent by establishing settlements from shore to shore. He then explores some contributions of American citizens in literature and inventiveness.

Finally he looks ahead in the midst of problems and possible problems then confronting the nation. He addresses political corruption as well as the danger of the misuse of luxury and the failure for the races to live together in harmony.

Writing shortly after the War between the North and South, he interweaves many references to it throughout his remarks. He writes from the perspective that the colonial Declaration of Independence from England was proper and far different from the southern states wrongful separation from the Union less than a century later.  He provides insight why the authors of the Constitution allowed slavery to remain as an institution even though the word is not mentioned in the text.

He recognizes the importance of religion to a society. He firmly believed that Christianity must be taught from generation to generation to provide a continued solid national footing.

This book is interesting reading for several reasons.  It provides much history and reasoning regarding our nation’s founding and its founding documents that is not generally taught today. It is also interesting to read items he discusses that have changed so much since he lived.  For example, he supports the national observance of the Lord’s Day as a day of worship and rest. It is also interesting to ponder the problems he feared would develop in the coming years and to see whether or not his fears were accurate.

This book will be of particular interest to readers who are interested in American history. It can also be read by anyone with a desire to learn about America’s political founding.  I wish he had further explored the thinking of Americans regarding slavery in light of references in the Declaration to individual freedom.

Now, we live in a present-oriented era. This book reminds us of the wisdom of noting possible problems so that oncoming generations might live more astutely and work toward solutions. The very fact of our present orientation is evidence of how we have changed from the future-oriented thinking that marked the author in this volume.

Finally this is a good book to read as we approach the two hundred fiftieth birthday of our nation, less than a decade away. Reading this volume and pondering how speeches at the upcoming celebration will be far different in style and depth will provide much opportunity for discussion among family and friends as to reasons for such difference in only a century and a half.

 Review ©2007 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia