STB-AP99
Music by Brother J. L. F. Mendelssohn.
Where freedom Speaks
Educates Youth About Capitol,
Congress and Citizenship
United States Capitol Historical Society
January 1999
This STB was prepared under the direction of Clarence J (Bud) Brown, President
of the United States Capitol Historical Society and a member of Blanchester Lodge
#191, Blanchester, Ohio.
Editor
The New York Times recently reported a survey showing that more American
teenagers could name the Three Stooges than the three branches of the U.S.
Government. This startling statistic reveals that many young Americans fail to
grasp even the basic elements of citizenship.
The United States Capitol Historical Society's flagship educational program,
Where Freedom Speaks, seeks to combat this troubling social trend. The Where
Freedom Speaks pageant, the laying of the original Capitol cornerstone by
President George Washington and other Freemasons, enhances elementary
school-age children's knowledge of government through participation in creative
activities. It is the Society's hope that two major historical milestones the 200th
anniversary of Washington's passing in 1799 and the bicentennial of Congress
moving into the Capitol in 1800-will raise awareness about the importance of the
very history lessons emphasized by Where Freedom Speaks.
The United States Capitol Historical Society, a non-profit, non-partisan
educational organization founded in 1962, was chartered by Congress to educate
the public on the history and heritage of the Capitol and Congress. It developed
Where Freedom Speaks in 1993, the bicentennial of the laying of the Capitol
cornerstone, in conjunction with educational consultants and Society board
member, Carmella LaSpada, director of the "No Greater Love" Foundation.
Through production and performance of the pageant, students learn three vital
concepts of citizenship: the symbolic and institutional importance of the Capitol
building; the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship as guaranteed in
the Bill of Rights; and, the importance of working together across different
cultures and backgrounds. They are given a better appreciation of representative
democracy, their responsibility to participate in the governing process and their
connection to the nation's history. The pageant not only teaches students about
history, it helps them relive it. As one young actor remarks in the instructional tape
that tells how to produce the program, Where Freedom Speaks shows us that
"history is in ourselves."
President George Washington and capital city planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant
had selected the site for the Capitol building in June 1791. Washington supported
Dr. William Thornton's winning entry for the Capitol design, recommending it to
the District Commissioners for its "Grandeur, Simplicity and Convenience' " On
September 18, 1793, President Washington led the comer stone laying ceremony.
He marched at the head of a parade from the Potomac River to
the Capitol site followed by members of his lodge, the Maryland Grand Lodge, the
Alexandria, VA, Volunteer Artillery and Masonic lodges from all over Maryland,
Virginia and the District. With a ceremonial marble-headed gavel and a silver
trowel Washington set the cornerstone on a silver plate marking the date as the
thirteenth year of American independence. The Alexandria
Gazette reported that the ceremony "ended in prayer, Masonic chanting Honours,
and a fifteen volley from the Artillery."
Since its debut in September 1994 at St. Francis de Sales, a Catholic parochial
school in Philadelphia, PA, the pageant has received wide support from educators
and politicians concerned with teaching children about the unique heritage of their
democratic republic. "One of my most important-and enjoyable-responsibilities is
helping our young people learn how government works . . . I spend as much time
as possible visiting schools and trying to help students understand the importance
of playing an active role in a democracy," Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl said.
"Where Freedom Speaks is a magnificent opportunity for schools to combine a
variety of teaching tools in a fun and exciting presentation."
An advisory board of educators consulted with the Society during the development
of the pageant. The resulting Where Freedom Speaks production kit merges the
insights of their classroom experience with the play's conceptual framework. The
boxed kit, available from the Society to your lodge for distribution in local schools,
costs $50 (or less in larger quantities). It is an invaluable resource for elementary
school teachers or community leaders who wish to produce the pageant in their
communities.
The kit includes an instructional video for teachers, an audiotape of the music used
in the original production, a 27-page lesson guide (with related additional reading
materials, tests and learning projects), a 23-page production guide and a copy of
the script and the sheet music. The kit also includes a copy of the Society's Capitol
Guidebook, We, the People. Groups that perform the play will receive 20
complimentary copies of the book which, in numerous editions published in six
languages, has sold more than 5 million copies in the past 30 years.
The 15-minute video shows how the students of St. Francis de Sales performed the
first Where Freedom Speaks pageant. The school's staff also discusses the play's
impact on the students, the modest production costs and the teachers' own insights
into staging the play, including how the Catholic nuns made the Masonic uniforms
for the participants.
Part of the value of Where Freedom Speaks is that it integrates valuable lessons of
individual citizenship with practical classroom activities. Through the learning
process outlined in the lesson guide, students hone skills in such fundamental areas
as history and research, mathematics and design, singing and public speaking,
acting and socialization. The pageant format is flexible, allowing teachers to
include as few as 25 to as many as 100 students from various grade levels.
Teachers also may add their own ideas, other patriotic songs or historical
references to legislation or issues.
The production guide offers teachers a good resource for the mechanics of play
production and promotion. Among other items it includes information on the
performance of copyrighted music; diagrams on how to assemble some of the
props and costumes; and a sample letter to local Members of Congress and other
elected officials, inviting them to the pageant.
In June 1998, the national capital debut of Where Freedom Speaks at Watkins
Elementary School drew local politicians and school board officials. The
Alexandria, VA, and Georgetown, D.C., Masonic lodges supported the event by
displaying to the Watkins School students and their audience the actual gavel and
trowel Washington used in the 1793 cornerstone ceremony. Later that fall The
Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation underwrote the distribution costs of the
Where Freedom Speaks kits to every Washington, D.C., elementary school and
numerous other public and private schools in the metropolitan area.
Since the program's inception, more than 900 kits have been made available to
schools nationwide through the generous support of other sponsors like General
Dynamics Corporation, Kemper Insurance Companies and GTE Corporation.
Twentyfive Members of Congress have supported these distributions by reviewing
the program and writing letters of introduction to educators receiving the kit.
Congressman Jim Moran (VA) strongly endorsed the Where Freedom Speaks kit
before it was distributed to more than 20 schools in his Northern Virginia district.
"As a symbol of our democracy, the U.S. Capitol Building demonstrates the
importance of responsible citizenship and the values of the U.S. Constitution to our
future leaders-our young people," Congressman Moran said. "Where Freedom
Speaks will provide a valuable educational opportunity for students to learn about,
appreciate and embody the values of democracy as they fulfill their leadership
potential and carry on our American purpose."
Once the schools receive the kits, the Society encourages them to keep in contact
with its Educational Outreach Department. The Society is eager to provide
promotional assistance for groups that plan to produce the play, for instance, by
sending "press releases" about the play's performance to local newspapers and
media outlets. The Society also is available to offer production advice and to
answer teachers' questions about the kit. Most importantly, the Society wants to
hear educators' reactions and suggestions concerning the play. To that end,
educators may expect a follow-up letter and questionnaire after they have had time
to review the materials.
Since 1962, the Society has created and presented educational programs and
publications to foster, through the story of the Capitol and the U.S. Congress, an
understanding of the richness and inspiration of representative democracy. The
Society sponsors scholarly conferences, research programs and educational
fellowships that contribute fresh and important studies about our nation's
democratic republic. Through the generosity of foundation support, the Society has
developed several programs-such as Where Freedom Speaks-to inform elementary,
high school and college students about the history of the Capitol and those who
serve in it. The Society also provides special tours of the Capitol, lectures and
symposia for its thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of history
enthusiasts, scholars, students and the general public.
If you are interested in distributing Where Freedom Speaks through your lodge to
local elementary schools or through other community venues or to learn more
about the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, contact the Manager of Educational
Outreach at (202) 5438919, ext. 28, or write: Where Freedom Speaks Program,
U.S. Capitol Historical Society, 200 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington D.C., 20002.
You also may visit the Society's website at www.uschs.org, or call 1-800-887-
9318.
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