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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Man's Life is Explored, September 14, 2002
This review is from: Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Paperback)
Benjamin Rush was a remarkable man. It is encouraging to think that this Founding Father will be studied by today's generation. The book is a bit dry, still, David Barton has done us a great service by reacquainting us with one of the outstanding figures in our Country's origin. This should be suggested or even required reading for any American History class.
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33 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strong Values Make for Secure Liberty!, November 22, 2002
This review is from: Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Paperback)
It's no wonder our modern education system ignores Dr. Benjamin Rush. Not only was he a highly principled man of integrity, but he was also a devote Christian who lived his life according to the dictates of scripture. In every endeavor of his life he remained strongly entrenched in his Christian values and defended the Bible as only source of true virtue for a free society. Loyal to his beliefs he abhorred the institution of slavery and did everything within his power to have it abolished in his lifetime. Unlike many of his contemporaries who opposed the slave trade for political reasons, Rush believed that the slaves themselves deserved equal rights with rest of mankind! He proved his sincerity by using a section of his own land to erect the very first community in the American colonies for `Free' men of color. Including building them homes and a church and supplying a black clergyman for their spiritual needs. Why isn't this taught in our public schools? We live in a day when the foundations of our history have been twisted and distorted almost beyond recognition. The average high school student today could no more tell you why the American Revolution was fought or WHO it was fought against! As for the framers of our Constitution and Declaration of Independence, the only frame of reference our young people have is what comes out of the movie studios of Hollywood. The result is a darkened understanding of the legacy these men left behind and a `warped' view of their outstanding accomplishments in a time when Liberty was unknown in the earth. Men like Benjamin Rush are avoided like the pledge because they fail to meet the `criteria' of the modern education system. Rather teach the students that our founding fathers were all bigots, slave-owners and rich white plantation holders. Condemn them all for the faults of a few. Don't focus on the accomplishments of men like Rush, Adams, Franklin and others, who dedicated their lives to struggle for human liberty. Instill into our youth the 'humanistic' spirit that destroys a respect for the dignity of mankind and discards Liberty as morally repugnant. Those of a mind study the life of this man and see for yourself the heights from which we have fallen. If you have children trapped in our deteriorating public school system, consider the difference godly values would make in their continuing education. May this book then serve as a framework to rebuild the family unit and motivate our young parents to `train up a child in the way he should go, so when he is old he won't depart from God!'
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Unknown Founder, August 20, 2011
This review is from: Benjamin Rush: Signer of the Declaration of Independence (Paperback)
Once again David Barton delivers a great biography of one of the most important founding fathers. We here about Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, but what about the rest of them? How about Benjamin Rush?
The main focus of the book is how strong a Christian Benjamin Rush was. He was a strong believer and the book documents his writings as well as other founder writings. How anyone can see differently is beyond me!
Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and attended the Continental Congress. Later in life, he became a professor of medical theory and clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Despite having a wide influence on the development of American government, he is not as widely known as many of his American contemporaries. But he should be!
And that is why we must applaud Barton! Our children and adults need to know about these men who founded this country. Rush was also an early opponent of slavery and capital punishment. How often do you hear of that?
Despite his great contributions to early American society, Rush may be more famous today as the man who, in 1812, helped reconcile the friendship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams by encouraging the two former Presidents to resume writing to each other. Again how many people know this?
The list of his achievements goes on and on!
The book is well research and documented. This is highly recommended!
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