669 likes, 7 comments - americanexperiencepbs on June 12, 2026: "Mary Katharine Goddard: Publisher. Postmaster. Revolutionary. #America250 #DeclarationofIndependence #HiddenHistory #History #RevolutionaryWar".

What if the story you were taught about America’s founding is only half true? Today, the record gets a fair hearing. In Episode 4 of The Battle Is On series, Tom Sears asks one of the biggest questions in the culture war: was America built on faith, or is that just a story Christians tell? One side says we were a Christian nation, period. The other says the founders were skeptics and the country was secular from day one. Tom walks through the actual record, and he is honest where it gets complicated. You will hear about: A morning in New York, April 30, 1789. George Washington’s first act as President was a public prayer, and the new government walked to St. Paul’s Chapel to worship. The version you were probably taught. Jefferson, Paine, and Franklin’s doubts are real, but so are Witherspoon, Samuel Adams, Roger Sherman, and Charles Carroll. Washington’s own words. His Thanksgiving proclamation and his Farewell Address, plus an honest look at the Valley Forge prayer story. Franklin and the failing Convention. His 1787 call for prayer, Psalm 127:1, and what happened to his motion. The Black Robe Regiment. The patriot preachers who helped shape a revolution.What the documents actually say about God. The Declaration, the Constitution, the First Amendment, and early state constitutions. A city upon a hill. Winthrop, Lincoln’s 1863 day of prayer, and 2 Chronicles 7:14. Why this history matters right now. The battle is first a battle for the story, and the people who tell it shape the next generation. This series is built chapter by chapter around Tom’s new book, The Battle Is On: America’s New Civil War. Get the book, Tom’s other books, and the interactive workbooks at https://legacylivingmedia.com. Share this episode with one person this week. Subscribe, follow, and leave a review so more people can hear it.

668 likes, 7 comments - americanexperiencepbs on June 12, 2026: "Mary Katharine Goddard: Publisher. Postmaster. Revolutionary. #America250 #DeclarationofIndependence #HiddenHistory #History #RevolutionaryWar".

Witness history through feline eyes as I judge the chaos of the Declaration of Independence. Humans bicker, I nap. #History #DeclarationOfIndependence #Philadelphia #CatPerspective #FoundingFelines

Witness history through feline eyes as I judge the chaos of the Declaration of Independence. Humans bicker, I nap. #History #DeclarationOfIndependence #Philadelphia #CatPerspective #FoundingFelines

YouTube video by Darante' LaMar

Join Mary Beth Norton for an exploration and reflection of the Declaration of Independence as American Scripture.