What if everything you've been taught about America's relationship with slavery was incomplete? In this eye-opening episode of Biblical Citizenship in Modern America, Tim Barton challenges prevailing narratives by unveiling forgotten heroes and overlooked facts that paint a more nuanced picture of American history.

Barton introduces us to James Armistead, a Black patriot whose crucial intelligence work led to the decisive American victory at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. He draws a powerful connection: the American Revolution began with the death of Black patriot Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre and was won largely through the intelligence provided by another Black patriot. "You can't even fully tell the story of the American Revolution without including the contributions of Black heroes and Black patriots in American history," Barton emphasizes.

The episode traces how these vital contributions were systematically erased from our historical consciousness, particularly through the racist scholarship of Woodrow Wilson, who removed every Black person from his influential history books while promoting white supremacist ideology. This deliberate omission has distorted Americans' understanding of their own history for generations.

Perhaps most challenging to contemporary narratives, Barton presents compelling evidence of America's leadership in opposing slavery. America was the first nation to legally ban the slave trade (1807), the fourth nation globally to abolish slavery entirely (1865), and currently ranks second worldwide in fighting modern slavery. While acknowledging America's participation in "something that was very, very evil," Barton contextualizes this within the universal presence of slavery throughout human history while highlighting America's exceptional record in working to end it.

"If you look at any atrocity in American history and ask 'how did it end in America?', what you will always find is the reason those atrocities ended is because Christians stood up and said 'we can't do this anymore,'" Barton explains. This moral foundation, rooted in biblical principles and constitutional values, has enabled America to correct its course faster than virtually any other nation.

Ready to discover the complete story of America's founding and development? Explore the full Biblical Citizenship course at biblicalcitizens.com and equip yourself to become part of preserving and extending America's legacy of freedom.

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Dive deep into the untold story of America's founding as we challenge the popular but incomplete narratives being taught today. The heart of America's origin isn't found in 1619 with the arrival of enslaved Africans, but in the competing legacies of two foundational colonies: Jamestown and Plymouth. While both settlements influenced American development, their contrasting approaches to slavery and liberty have shaped our nation in profoundly different ways.

Did you know Plymouth Colony outlawed the transatlantic slave trade in 1641, decades before our nation's founding? When enslaved Africans arrived in Plymouth in 1646, authorities imprisoned the ship's crew and freed all the captives - a remarkable stand against slavery rarely mentioned in modern historical discussions.

Even more compelling are the stories of Black American heroes who helped forge our nation from its earliest days. You'll meet Reverend Harry Hoosier, whose powerful evangelism during the Second Great Awakening led to so many conversions that Indiana eventually became known as the "Hoosier State." You'll discover patriots like Wentworth Cheswell, elected to multiple offices by predominantly white communities; Prince Estabrook, who fought at Lexington Green; and James Armistead Lafayette, whose spy work provided the critical intelligence that led to American victory at Yorktown. These extraordinary individuals embodied America's founding ideals long before they were fully realized for all citizens.

By examining our history through a more complete lens, we gain a deeper appreciation for America's founding vision—not as a nation built on oppression, but as one founded on revolutionary principles of liberty that generations of Americans of all backgrounds have worked to fulfill. Join us as we rediscover the full richness of our shared heritage and the ongoing pursuit of America's founding promise.

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What happens at the intersection of faith and culture? In this captivating exploration of Biblical Citizenship in Modern America, we uncover the profound biblical foundations that shaped America's founding documents and continue to guide our nation today.

At the heart of this episode lies a powerful revelation: the Castle Doctrine—the principle that "a man's house is his castle"—stems directly from biblical teaching and natural law. Through fascinating historical insights, we trace how this concept went from Scripture to the courtrooms of colonial America, where attorney James Otis's passionate defense against British "writs of assistance" in 1761 sparked what John Adams later called the moment when "American independence was born."

Discover how this biblical understanding of property rights and individual sovereignty influenced multiple Constitutional amendments. The Second Amendment protects our right to defend our homes, the Third Amendment prevents government quartering of troops in private homes, and the Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches—all reflecting the biblical principle that God establishes distinct jurisdictions for different institutions.

As we examine the dramatic shift between colonial American values and today's prevailing worldview, we confront challenging questions about historical revisionism and the true nature of America's founding principles. Were America's founding ideals "false when they were written" as some modern narratives suggest? Or do they represent timeless truths about God-given rights that transcend our nation's imperfect implementation of them?

This episode offers more than just historical insights—it provides practical wisdom for how Christians can speak biblical truth into cultural issues and reclaim the heritage that made America exceptional. By understanding these foundational principles and their biblical roots, we're better equipped to preserve the freedoms purchased at such great cost by previous generations.

Ready to deepen your understanding of biblical citizenship? Visit biblicalcitizens.com to access our free eight-week course and discover how to host it in your home or church.

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