One hundred years ago this summer, Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States gave a landmark address on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He said, “The Declaration of Independence is a great spiritual document. It is a declaration not of material but of spiritual conceptions…[which] have their source and their roots in the religious convictions” of the American people. In this course we will explore those roots by studying President Coolidge’s speech and the writings of several prominent leaders he mentions, including Thomas Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, and George Whitefield, who Coolidge believes set the spiritual foundation for our nation.
By examining the writings of these men, we will understand three important spiritual principles that have important political implications: 1) the importance of individual sovereignty, 2) the doctrine of equality and 3) the proper definition and use of liberty. President Coolidge argues that belief in these spiritual principles is necessary if we want to continue to enjoy our political freedom and economic prosperity and warns that “[w]e cannot continue to enjoy the result if we neglect and abandon the cause.” Join us in celebrating our nation’s 250th anniversary and discover how we can maintain our nation for another 250 years!
This course consists of a series of readings along with regularly scheduled seminars held on Zoom. All materials and important links can be found on this course homepage. While Brightspace is the hub where all course materials can be found, learners will also receive an Outlook invitation to the live Zoom seminars. The seminars can be accessed via the Outlook invitation or by clicking the corresponding link in Brightspace.
Texts: All required texts are provided on the course website; they are listed below for your information.
- “The Inspiration of the Declaration” by Calvin Coolidge
- “Thomas Hooker and his May 1638 Sermon” by Michael Besso
- Vindication of the Government of the New England Churches by John Wise
- “On Christian Liberty” by Jonathan Edwards
- “The Great Duty of Family Religion” by George Wise
- “The Declaration of Independence” and First Draft
Schedule: 6/15/26, 6/17/26, 6/19/26, 6/22/26, 6/24/26, and 6/26/26 from 9:30-11:00 AM MDT
Facilitator: Ross Garner
GH Employees: use voucher code ghemployee (case sensitive) and your school email address at checkout.
GH Partner Schools: use voucher code ghpartner (case sensitive) and the email address associated with your Brightspace account at checkout.
