But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. – Amos 5:24
It is part of Maul family tradition (established by Rebekah and Derek), that vacations should not only be fun family times but also – as much as possible – learning opportunities.
To that end, we scheduled “Day One” of this summer’s travels with David and Beks to focus on important North Carolina History. The Battle of Guildford Courthouse (War of Independence) in the morning, and Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Center and Museum in the afternoon.
The grands are rising 6th and 7th grade students, so this day could not have been more timely.
The March 1781 engagement – between generals Greene and Cornwallis – is probably the era’s most underrated battle both in terms of its cost and its influence on the outcome of the war.
I won’t rehash all the details, but it is enough to say that Cornwallis’s assessment that This is a victory we could ill afford to see repeated – was spot on. The cost to the British effort was monumental, as Guildford Courthouse demonstrated conclusively the futility of resisting the inevitable end of Colonial rule.
On a personal note, Rebekah’s 5th great-grandfather (on her mother’s side), Archibald Perkins, served with a Virginia regiment. He survived a day that turned out to be one of the bloodiest of the campaign, even though he participated in all the major actions of the encounter.
Woolworth’s Lunch Counter:
After lunch we took the children to see Greensboro’s important Civil Rights Center, located in the historic downtown Woolworth’s building where the 1960 lunch counter sit-in sparked a nation-wide protest movement.
We took the guided tour, and found ourselves looking at exhibits that illustrated two centuries of injustice with powerful and disturbing clarity.
If any of us think for a moment that the initiatives advanced in the Civil Rights era no longer need to be front and center in our consciousness, I urge you to think again.
In fact, the heart of today’s lessons is best revealed in the following statement made by our guide, Angela. “This is not just Black History, it is our history…” The story of the slavery, the abuses, the KKK, the Jim Crow era, the Civil Rights Movement, and more, all this is not a Black story it is an American Story; it is our story, one we have to understand.
The through line between the War of Independence and the Civil Rights movement is the compelling human story of freedom, of liberty, of what Jefferson called rights that are inalienable.
This is what Rebekah and I want our grandchildren to understand. This is why we are American… this is why we believe in initiatives that are designed to promote the civil rights of all people… this is why we believe in The Constitution…. this is why we urge you to vote not for your own power, but on behalf of the powerless.
God bless America. God bless those we are called to protect. God bless us all.
Peace, in every way – DEREK
Hope you can visit the Kings Mountain National Military Park just over the South Carolina line. As a native of Kings Mountain, I took part in the outdoor drama held in the Park in the 1950s. The battle that took place on that mountain on October 7, 1780 has been called “the turning point of the American Revolution in the south.” The battle is now depicted in the indoor presentation, “Liberty Mountain,” in the town of Kings Mountain.
We have been to Kings Mountain before. It’s a great site. My wife’s Alexander ancestors fought there as Patriots. So many great stories out of this state!
David and Beks are looking like teenagers now and not like children anymore!
[…] for this vacation is to spread out the travel days. So having done the history tour of Greensboro (Battle of Guildford Courthouse and the Woolworth’s sit in), Saturday we drove the scenic route to West Virginia and the New River […]