America’s Founders Were Not Isolationists by Gregory Hilton

Lafayette Square is directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and contains four statues honoring foreigners who had key roles in the American Revolution.

Many isolationists use quotes from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to claim they represent the Founders’ viewpoint. This was also the tactic of the America First organization in its campaign to keep the nation neutral in World War II. At every large rally they displayed Washington’s portrait, and even though the Nazi’s controlled all of Europe, they claimed America would never be attacked by the “Axis of Steel.” They went out of business the day after Pearl Harbor.

Philadelphia 1776: The Decisive Day Had Come by Gregory Hilton

On June 11th, 1776, five people were appointed to the committee which drafted the Declaration of Independence. Three of them are shown in this painting, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The resolution adopted on July 2, 1776 said: "Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

On the afternoon of July 2, 1776 in Philadelphia’s State House, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to approve a “resolution of independence”. The nation would no longer be British North America, and the United Colonies were transformed into the United States of America.

The Separation of Church and State and the U.S. Constitution by Gregory Hilton

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says government shall make no establishment of religion. The actual words prohibit the making of any law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” That is not an ambiguous phrase. They did not want a state sponsored religion similar to Great Britain. Some of them fled Britain to avoid the Church of England.