What Kept America Free for 250 Years?

THE REAL AMERICA MINUTE: Month Three

What Kept America Free for 250 Years? By Rick Porterfield

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV): "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

The Question Few Think to Ask

In the our first month, I talked about where liberty comes from—that freedom is God's idea, not government's invention.

Last month, we looked at whether America was really founded as a Christian nation. The historical evidence gives a clear yes.

But here's the question few people think to ask: How did that Christian foundation get passed down? How did one generation preserve liberty for the next?

You can have the most brilliant founding documents ever written—but if the next generation doesn't understand them, doesn't believe the worldview behind them, doesn't live by the principles that make them work, those documents become just old paper.

So how did America stay free for so long? The answer is simple.

They placed understanding and belief and worldview in their children through education.

Every nation teaches its children something. There is no such thing as neutral education.

Whether it's ancient Rome or modern China, every society passes on a worldview. They teach children what's right and wrong, where authority comes from, what rights and freedoms they have or don't have, and what life is all about based on their convictions and morality.

Early Americans understood this—and they were intentional about passing Christian thinking on.

Noah Webster, the father of American education, wrote in 1788: "The education of youth in America should be directed to the formation of moral character… The Bible is the principal source of all moral truth."

They believed children shouldn't just be taught literacy or job skills, but moral character—with the source being the Bible.

That wasn't unusual—it was the norm for society as a whole.

What Children Actually Learned

Let me show you what early American education looked like—what kids actually learned.

The New England Primer was the most widely used schoolbook in America for over a century—think of it as the elementary textbook for generations of American children. This is how it taught kids to read:

A - "In Adam's fall, we sinned all."B - "Heaven to find, the Bible mind."

Later, the McGuffey Reader became the dominant textbook series. Over 120 million students used them between the 1830s and early 1900s. They taught reading, writing, science and arithmetic—and they were filled with Scripture and moral lessons.

Picture a typical day in a one-room schoolhouse. Children of all ages sit on wooden benches. The teacher—often trained by local clergy—stands at the front. The day begins with Scripture. The lessons integrate honesty, responsibility, and self-control.

From the very first lesson, children learned the alphabet—and something else at the same time: that humans are made in God's image, that choices have consequences, and that there is a Savior relevant now and in eternity.

Education wasn't value-neutral. It shaped values—intentionally instilling a Christian worldview.

This kind of education doesn't require a massive government to enforce order. It produces order. It produces people who govern themselves—not because big brother is watching, but because they understand truth and responsibility.

Henry Peter Brougham (British statesman, 1828): "Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave."

The Connection to Liberty

Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said: "The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion." Rush believed that children being instructed in Christianity was essential for a free republic.

Why? Because the Bible teaches two truths that explain how freedom works:

First, humans are made in God's image—so every person has dignity and worth. No one has the right to rule another like a tyrant.

Second, humans are fallen—so power must be restrained. Even good people need accountability. That's why you get limited government, checks and balances, separation of powers, and a constitution and bill of rights that is the supreme law of the land.

Hold both truths together, and the American system makes sense. Lose them and it ceases to work.

Thomas Jefferson warned in 1816: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

Jefferson understood something fundamental: freedom and ignorance are incompatible—they can't coexist. When people no longer understand truth or responsibility, freedom gets replaced by control.

What Happens When You Change the Foundation

When biblical worldview is removed from education—when truth becomes subjective and accountability disappears—something predictable happens.

Cultural morality erodes. Self-restraint declines. People no longer govern themselves and government expands to fill the gap.

This isn't theory. It's history repeating itself in what we are seeing today. If we can't govern ourselves, we are not qualified to govern others. Many in authority today lack self-control and thus are not qualified to govern others.

Why This Matters Right Now

This matters because these principles still apply and always will. Every generation must be taught truth. The knowledge of it and the need to walk in it.

Jesus said it plainly: "If you abide in my Word, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Freedom follows truth—not the other way around.

That's why what happens in our churches and homes matters. What we teach our children and grandchildren about God, truth, character, and responsibility matters—not just for their personal lives, but for the future of liberty itself.

We're not just raising kids. We're shaping the next generation's capacity to be free.

The One Thing to Remember

America didn't remain free simply because it had brilliant founders who wrote incredible documents.

America remained free because, for generations, it intentionally educated children in a biblical worldview that taught them how to govern themselves.

That's why education mattered so much then. And why it matters so much now.

Ronald Reagan said freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. The Christian concepts that allow freedom are passed on by education—in the home and the classroom.

God didn't start America for it to fail. John 15:16 says, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain."

God's will is for America to remain Christian and free. But when God called Saul as the first king of Israel, it was God's will that Saul's kingdom be established forever (1 Samuel 13:13). Saul failed and God raised up David. Saul's house disappeared. If America fails—will God raise up another nation? I don't know and I don't want to find out.

One of the reasons Abraham prospered so greatly (Genesis 18 tells us) is because he commanded his children after him to keep the way of the Lord. We did this as a nation and prospered too.

If liberty is going to remain, we must pass on the worldview that makes liberty possible—in our homes, in our churches, and in our influence wherever God has placed us.

We are not just raising children. We are shaping the next generation's capacity to be free. And history—and Scripture—tell us this: When a people stop teaching truth, freedom does not survive long.

What Now?

You have children and grandchildren. You have influence.

What are you teaching them about God, truth, and freedom? What books are you giving them? What conversations are you having?

Exhort your kids—ask them to listen to this. Pray specifically. Be as intentional as the founders were.

Somebody's shaping the next generation's worldview. Make sure it's not just the culture.

— Pastor Rick

© 2025 Rick Porterfield