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Associated Press
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Honoring Monroe's Birthday: New Study Highlights His Drafting of America's First Organic Territorial Law
COLONIAL BEACH, Va., April 28, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The James Monroe Memorial Foundation proudly announces the publication of 'United States in Congress Assembled Delegate James Monroe: Architect of America's First Organic Territorial Law,' a new paper by historian Stanley Y. Klos. The study highlights James Monroe's pivotal role not only in supporting Jefferson's 1784 Ordinance but, more critically, in drafting the original framework for the Northwest Ordinance, presented to Congress in Spring 1786. Monroe's draft created America's first federal Organic Law governing U.S. territory—setting the constitutional foundation for orderly expansion, equal statehood, and protection of republican principles. As Chairman of the Committee on the Western Lands, Monroe shaped both the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the territorial governance structure that evolved into the Northwest Ordinance of 1787—the only Organic Law enacted under both the Articles of Confederation and later reaffirmed under the U.S. Constitution. 'James Monroe's legal vision defined how America would grow,' said Stan Klos. 'He ensured that new territories would not be treated as colonies, but as future states, preserving the Revolution's ideals.' James Monroe's contributions as a delegate to the United States in Congress Assembled (USCA) under the Articles of Confederation have had a profound and lasting impact on the United States, despite often being overlooked. His key accomplishments include: The full paper will be published on the James Monroe Memorial Foundation website beginning April 28, 2025 – About The James Monroe Memorial Foundation: The James Monroe Memorial Foundation is committed to honoring and promoting the life, achievements, and enduring legacy of America's fifth president. Learn more: MEDIA ONLY CONTACT: Stanley Y. Klos [email protected] (202) 239-1774 NEWS SOURCE: The James Monroe Memorial Foundation Keywords: Government, James Monroe, Northwest Ordinance, United States in Congress Assembled, Land Ordinance 1785, Ordinance 1784, Organic law, Founding Fathers, Territorial governance, Articles of Confederation, Early American Republic, historian Stanley Y. Klos., COLONIAL BEACH, Va. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (The James Monroe Memorial Foundation) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P125804 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Republican proposes unconstitutional push for public schools to display the Ten Commandments
State Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, during an Ohio Senate session in the Senate Chamber at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.) Ohio's lawmakers might decide whether to join Louisiana and Kentucky in passing laws that push public school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. Such laws have repeatedly been struck down as unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment's prohibition of governments' 'establishment of religion.' Republican state Sen. Terry Johnson of McDermott thinks he can maneuver around these court precedents by claiming his bill is simply one requiring schools to post 'historical displays.' Given our current federal court leanings, he may well succeed. But in doing so his SB 34, the Historical Educational Displays Act, will institutionalize the very sort of indoctrination the GOP claims to oppose. Johnson's clever solution to get around a chain of Supreme Court decisions striking down such displays is to have every school board choose from a state list of 'historical documents,' one of which just happens to be the Ten Commandments. Others on this list include perennial favorites, many already gracing many classroom walls, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. A few less popular charters, such as the Magna Carta, and Northwest Ordinance, and the Articles of Confederation, round out the list. While few citizens will pack into their school auditoriums to argue over whether the Magna Carta or the Northwest Ordinance should be posted in their little one's classroom, many will fight over the Ten Commandments. Some, of course, will fight because they believe with Thomas Jefferson that there should be a wall between the state and the church. Others will fight over whose Ten Commandments should have the privilege and stamp of authority that posting in a public space by the government provides. It is often forgotten in the course of these debates that every Abrahamic religious tradition has a different version of the Decalogue that is found in two places in most, but not all, Bibles, the twentieth chapter of Exodus or the fifth of Deuteronomy. Just to illustrate how even small differences of translations can produce large differences in meaning, let me look at what is often described as the Fourth Commandment, which as legally required by Louisiana reads 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Of course, these are not the words that Moses told the people on Mount Horeb that God told him. According to the King James version, what Moses actually related was 'But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.' Nothing about being 'holy' here. While the King James version is widely seen by many Christians as authoritative, the Contemporary Torah, a closer English translation of the original Hebrew, chooses not the softer terms 'manservant' and 'maidservant' but uses 'slave' instead. The New Catholic Bible hews closer to the Hebrew as well using the phrase 'nor your male slave, nor your female slave.' Likewise the bible generally used by those of the Orthodox faith also uses the word slave. There seemed to be some desire on the part of some faiths to disguise the language of slavery with euphemism. Like the King James Version, the English Standard Version popular with American Evangelicals avoids the word 'slave' and uses the word 'servant' in place of the more antique 'manservant.' So, when complying with SB 34, which wording should a school board choose? Should schools teach their children to be kind to their slaves by giving them Sunday off or not? Or should we just unleash this bill on Ohio and reopen the Bible wars of the 19th Century that violently raged over the question of whether the Catholic or King James Bibles should be used in school? In some ways, Johnson's end run around the Constitution is actually more threatening to the separation of church and state than Louisiana's law that simply required the display of the Commandments. Louisiana made no excuses for their imposition of a religious doctrine upon the schools, and such pure religious indoctrination can be readily seen for what is, the establishment of religion in violation of the First Amendment. But SB 34 justifies the placement of the Ten Commandments as a 'historical document' essential to understanding the nature of American government, falsely implying that the United States republic was founded on a particular understanding of Christianity. In fact, of course, the Founders were well aware of how mixing church and state can spark religious fights that fracture both. If SB 34 passes, the truth of the Founders' wisdom will be on display as will be evident by the shouting matches and worse coming to a school board meeting near you. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio schools risk federal funding if they teach ‘unpatriotically' under Trump order
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — President Donald Trump will halt federal funding for K-12 schools that teach gender ideology and 'discriminatory equity ideology.' Under a new executive order to stop 'radical indoctrination' in public schools, the secretary of education is mandated to present a strategy to eliminate ideologies that treat individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups and radical gender ideology in school lessons within 90 days. Preferred or disfavored groups include teachings about a race, sex, nationality or other identity making someone privileged or oppressed. How Ohio lawmakers are trying to change marijuana rules Schools will also be asked to ensure education is patriotic, which Trump defines as a history of America grounded in celebrating the nation. Education should present American history under this executive order as inspiring, admirable and in pursuit of its founding goals. Under the executive order, the Attorney General is also asked to coordinate with state attorneys general to pursue legal action against any K-12 staff who help a minor student adopt a new gender identity. This includes offering counseling to students, changing a students name or pronouns, calling a child nonbinary and allowing students to participate in sports or use facilities that do not align with their sex at birth. 'Parents trust America's schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand,' the executive order reads. 'In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight.' Ohio's educational curriculum is codified. Districts are required to learn about the Declaration of Independence, the Northwest Ordinance, the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions and the documents' 'original context.' Each district is invited to created its own curriculum so long as it satisfies state requirements. Nine-year-old Powell girl battles rare cancer, inspires others Central Ohio school districts do teach about race, but most say they do not teach critical race theory, including New Albany-Plain, Hilliard and South-Western schools. 'What we have seen this week and last is the Trump administration's strategy at work: push out a slew of confusing and vague executive orders to exhaust Americans by inducing panic and distracting from real issues, such as the economy,' Honesty for Ohio Education Executive Director Christina Collins said. 'If Trump resurrects his arguments around the fictional boogeyman of CRT from 2020 through an executive order, we will be interested in how he attempts to define CRT considering his previous attempts were unclear.' However, the executive order does not list critical race theory as a banned topic. Many local school districts do prioritize understanding race. Bexley, for instance, said it teaches its students to be aware of race and to learn about racial inequality. Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools teach that race is a social construct and that racism unfairly disadvantages some students. When Ohio lawmakers considered banning critical race theory in 2021, many local districts spoke out against the bill despite not teaching CRT. 'To be clear, Critical Race Theory is not taught in Worthington Schools or anywhere in Ohio's K-12 education system,' Worthington Schools said at the time. 'As a public school district, it is our responsibility to provide a comprehensive and honest depiction of our history in an open, supportive, culturally responsive, and psychologically safe environment for ALL students to learn and grow.' Pickerington teachers speak out about voyeurism incident Public schools in Ohio have three main sources of funding: state funding, federal funding and local tax revenue, usually through property taxes. The federal government allocates funding to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, which then distributes this funding to Ohio's public schools. Federal funding is the smallest contributor to public school budgets; Olentangy Schools said it receives less than 5% of its funding federally. If federal funding was pulled from any local schools, it would largely affect programs for special education, economically disadvantaged students and English Learners. Typically these funds cannot be used for day-to-day operations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
