In 1949, more than fifty years ago, the Sons of the American Revolution Society entered a petition into Congress, asking for an investigation into the interstate transportation of subversive textbooks. There were 53 pages of documentation to support the petition which was as follows:
"The Public School System of this country has been converted into a propaganda agency to support the projects, campaigns, crusades, ideas and personal philosophies of a self-appointed group of 'educators' who now assert the right to dominate and control that system.
"These men intend to nullify the Constitution with propaganda. Their purpose is to create a Social Welfare type of state under a Proletarian form of Government.
"A socialistic government is not a democracy. It can only function where there is absolute power to dominate the people. It is the first step toward dictatorship and oppression.
"American democracy is the democracy of Thomas Jefferson, made effective under a constitution securing individual liberty. It is a Republican Form of Government--the kind of government guaranteed to the people by the Constitution of the United States.
"The Constitution does not provide for a Proletarian Form of Government. It does not provide for National Socialism. The people alone have the right to determine any changes to be made in their form of government. They have the right to make that decision without being put under the influence of propaganda.
"We are entitled to a public school system in which these principles will be taught to the Youth of America.
"There is no place in that system for individuals desiring to use their position or authority to promote any New Deal, Ol Deal, Fair Deal, Square Deal, Re-deal or any other kind of Deal.
"It is wrongful to make those schools an agency of The Political Action Committee, or any other Action Committee or Pressure Group.
"We dare not use our schools to "Build a New Social Order." We deny the right of any individual or group to issue a 'Call to the Teachers of the Nation' to use those schools for such a purpose. These are the methods of Stalin and Hitler. They cannot be tolerated by the free people of America.
"It is a violation of our right and the right of our children to freedom of conscience to use those schools to disseminate slanted or intellectually dishonest propaganda.
"The parents and children of America have the right to a public school system where instruction is based upon truth.They have the right to oppose any and all school programs and activities where propaganda is substituted for the truth.
"Our people have the right to reject the experimentalism and unsound philosophies of the men who are followers of John Dewey. They have the right to instruct 'progressive' educators who are still carrying on dissertations and discussions, interpretations and reinterpretations, applications and reapplications of the obsolete and discredited Dewey School philosophy in training our children to become members of Communist fronts.
"The people have the absolute power and the sole right to control the public schools. To insure freedom, it is necessary for them to maintain that control at the local level.
"Educators do not have the right to dominate or control that system at any level.
"This is our Bill of Grievances. The following Constitutional Rights have been infringed: 1. The right to a nonpolitical public school system maintained and operated in a way that will secure freedom of conscience and prevent the introduction of all partisan, political, subversive and other intellectually dishonest propaganda. 2. The right to prevent the use of that system to support the programs of political action committees, political parties and other pressure groups. 3. The right to prevent abuse of the privilege of tax exemption on the part of individuals, trusts, foundations and other organizations engaged in contributing to the support of radical activities. 4. The right to have the schools accept and discharge their responsibility in educating our youth in the American tradition to equip them for the task of supporting and defending constitutional government in America.
THE RIGHT OF PETITION
This is a constitutional petition for Redress of Grievances. We are appealing to the Congress of the United States, and, through the Congress, we are making a direct appeal to the People themselves. Such a petition constitutes a solemn exercise of our right of self government. It is an historic remedy available at all times to resist oppression.
We invoke that jurisdiction now to support and defend Constitutional Government and provide for the National Security. The Congress, and the Congress alone, has power to afford relief in this emergency. We call for the exercise of all authority available under the circumstances.
Dated: April 19, 1949
AARON M. SARGENT
Attorney for Petitioner
======================================================================================" A people may prefer a free government; but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if, by momentary discouragement,temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet even of a great man, or trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions--in all these cases they are more or less unfit for liberty; and though it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it."
John Stuart Mill
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