As America approaches its 250th anniversary, historian David Barton joins Jenny Beth Martin for a special July 4 conversation on the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence — and the extraordinary price they paid. Barton is the founder of WallBuilders and one of the nation's foremost collectors of original founding-era documents. His new book with his son Tim Barton, "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor: The Signers of the Declaration," tells the story of all 56 signers, most of whom Americans can no longer name.
In this episode:
• Why July 2, not July 4, is the true Independence Day
• What the pledge of "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" actually cost — seven signers did not live to see independence, and more than half lost their fortunes
• Why capture by the British was three times deadlier than the battlefield
• How a divided Congress, an 80-mile ride, and a two-hour speech nearly failed to produce a Declaration at all
• Where the founders truly got their ideas
• The case for classical education, thinking over memorizing, and the civics-test gap between new citizens and our own students
• Barton's favorite story of the Revolution: Paul Revere's real mission and the Battle of Lexington
Get David Barton's book, "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor: The Signers of the Declaration," and explore more of his work at wallbuilders.com. Watch more episodes at jennybethshow.com, and learn more about Tea Party Patriots Action at teapartypatriots.org.
00:00 — Cold Open
01:47 — Why July 2 Is the Real Independence Day
02:36 — Why Reaching 250 Years Is a Miracle
07:36 — The Signers America Forgot
10:16 — Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor: What the Pledge Cost
12:40 — God-Given Rights vs. Government Permission
19:18 — Inside WallBuilders: All 56 Signers on Display
23:20 — Why Capture Was Deadlier Than Combat
30:31 — Caesar Rodney's Ride and a Divided Congress
34:14 — How 1920 Replaced Thinking With Memorizing
40:30 — The Founders' Most-Quoted Source Was the Bible
48:09 — Thinking in the Age of AI
52:43 — 91% of Immigrants Pass the Civics Test; Only 4% of Students Do
57:18 — What Every American Should Do Now
59:46 — Paul Revere's Real Mission
01:03:05 — Closing and the Constitution Series
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