Having a couple of days off in which to relax, I've been alternating between reading the 'Federalist Papers' and tagging along as about 400 people who all grew up in my home town traipse down Memory Lane!
The Federalist Papers (85 pieces) were written largely by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, with a few by John Jay, in 1787/88 addressed to the People of the State of New York. They explain the Constitution, which had not yet been adopted at the time.
As it isn't exactly easy reading, I'm taking my time about it this first time through. I'll read them all again when I've finished, and then maybe see how I feel about 'translating' them into some kind of language my girls can understand. I do believe that knowing and understanding our Constitution is important for all of us - I also recognize that there aren't many who are ready, willing, or able to read the Federalist Papers in their original form ... I'm going cross-eyed my own self with it ... !
While I have every confidence that my girls are most certainly able, and probably willing, and maybe ready - I don't necessarily want them to have to go through what I'm putting myself through in order to get the basic understanding of what it's all about. If I can make it more palatable for them, I will - because I DO want them to have the information. If/when they want to, they'll find and read the original versions.
Being as much of THAT reading is challenging to me (although it gets easier as I go along) I've been periodically leaving it in order to peek in on what my fellow home-towners are remembering.
A friend, on impulse I reckon, started a sort of Remember When site on Facebook a couple of days ago and it's taken off like a shot!
So when I've had my fill of the 1780s I head for the comic relief of The Good Old Days.
As I'm flip-flopping between the two, I can't help but think that Hamilton, Madison, and Jay - along with everyone else in America right about then - would be utterly pleased with what we Small Town USA people are doing with our Remember When site and happy that we're taking for granted the rights for which they fought so hard.
It crosses my mind also that they would be somewhat disappointed to find that some of the possibilities against which they warned have indeed come to pass, that somewhere along the way we as a nation failed to heed their warnings.
Well.
Back to The Good Old Home Town Days! I need to smile.
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