Teaching American History and Protecting the Legacy of Liberty

On this Independence Day week broadcast, Kim Monson welcomes author Tara Ross to discuss her children’s book on the American Revolution, and farmer-rancher Trent Loos to explore property rights and the duties of citizenship. Both conversations center on preserving and passing down the American idea of liberty to future generations. The American Revolution for Young Readers Start listening at 3:00 – Hour 1 Tara Ross, whose Prager University video on the Electoral College has garnered 66 million views, explains why she wrote “We Fought for Freedom: The Story of Our American Revolution” as a children’s book. Ross designed the book with double-page spreads covering key moments from the Stamp Act to Yorktown, allowing parents to read it chapter by chapter with their children while providing deeper historical context in “Fun Fact Corners” for older readers. Ross emphasizes that the Founders were students of history who created a unique blend of democracy, republicanism, and federalism to protect individual liberty. She discusses how bureaucracies have accumulated power through legislative delegation, creating what amounts to a fourth branch of government unaccountable to voters. During COVID, Ross notes, executives at all levels claimed powers never delegated to them, highlighting the urgent need for civic education. “Every generation of Americans has done one more thing to kind of take the baton, pass it to the next generation. I ran my leg of the race. You run yours.” Tara Ross, Author George Washington’s Struggle and Legacy Start listening at 34:00 – Hour 1 Ross reveals that George Washington, often portrayed as stoic and unemotional, actually struggled with a terrible temper throughout his life. His success in controlling his passions through discipline made him appear composed, but the struggle was real. Washington relinquished power three times, an extraordinary departure from human nature that set America on its unique path. The conversation touches on lesser-known Revolutionary War events including Henry Knox’s remarkable transport of captured cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, and the fog that providentially covered Washington’s retreat across the East River from Long Island. Ross and Monson discuss how many Americans at the time, including Washington himself, attributed such events to divine providence protecting the new nation. “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the Republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finely, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” George Washington Property Rights and the Duties of Citizenship Start listening at 59:00 – Hour 2 Trent Loos, a sixth-generation farmer and rancher who has traveled to four continents discussing agriculture, warns that property rights are under attack through escalating property taxes. He shares that his own property tax has increased 240% since 2008, threatening the viability of family farms and ranches. Loos recounts his work with the All-American Beef Battalion, which has fed 500,000 troops including 5,000 in a single day at Fort Carson. Loos introduces the story of President Martin Van Buren, who grew up working in his father’s tavern frequented by Founding Fathers. Van Buren eventually left the Democratic Party he helped create when it became focused on taxation, and later helped found the Republican Party. The conversation explores how the shift from land patents to warranty deeds after World Wa...