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Cincinnatus Foundation

J. Phillip London Acceptance Speech
The Washington Club - November 3, 2009

Thank you. Good evening everyone. First, let me thank our hosts for putting together this lovely event. Second, I would like to thank everyone who has joined us tonight for this special occasion. In particular, I would like to thank my family for being here. My children, Phillip and Laura. And my wife, Dr. Jennifer Burkhart London. Your love and support are what keep me going.

It is very exciting to be the first recipient of the "Cornerstone of Freedom" award. As many of you know, the cornerstone has a special meaning in masonry. So this award has extra meaning for me as well. I also want to extend my gratitude to my brothers and colleagues at the Cincinnatus Foundation who chose to give me this fine honor.

In turn, I would like to congratulate the Cincinnatus Foundation and the Bill of Rights Institute on their new partnership. I have been a long time founding member of Cincinnatus Lodge No. 76, where our mission includes the practical application of the patriotic ideas of the founding fathers through education and intellectual enrichment.

As part of our mission, we have supported a number of worthy causes. But I can think of no other cause that is more important, or more necessary, than the history of America's government and civics education in our schools.

I've always thought of myself as a "4th of July" kind of guy. I love this country and have a profound appreciation of the freedoms and opportunities that it gives us. And for me, understanding how our government works has not just been an occupational requirement. It has been an important foundation for how we live.

Unfortunately, it seems that this is not the case with many of our fellow Americans. Did you know in 1991, on the 200^th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, a study reported in the New York Times found that only one-third of adult Americans could correctly identify the Bill of Rights? And in 2006 only one in four Americans could name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. But more than half could name at least two members of the Simpson's television cartoon family. And last year 71% of Americans surveyed failed a basic American civics test.

These statistics are very disappointing. In fact... alarming! As the late Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter once said, "We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that we are perhaps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights."

And what the Bill of Rights established is the blue print for our freedoms. Just look at the First Amendment - the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petitioning the government. This means, as Americans we have the right to have our own opinions, express them as we wish and even tell our government what we think.

Maybe Americans take these rights for granted because we have enjoyed them for 220 years. Others in our world are not so lucky. Just look at Iran. Elections are rigged and protests are met with deadly force. Minority religions are persecuted. And any press deemed critical of the regime is oppressed and punished. I was in Iran in the mid-1970s before the Shah's secular government fell. We saw how vulnerable governments can be and how quickly their Islamic revolution took its place.

In our world today, democracy is not easy to establish or guarantee... let alone basic individual freedoms!

In many developing countries, citizens endure intimidation and threats, and then hours of waiting under armed protection just to vote. In the U.S., just over half of registered voters turn up for presidential elections and only one-third in other years. Let me ask this - how many of you voted today?

The fine men and women of our armed forces have worked tirelessly - and with great sacrifice - in Iraq and Afghanistan towards the creation of democratic institutions and civil society. Meanwhile, in 2006 - three years after the start of the war - two-thirds of young Americans could not find Iraq on a map.

Ladies and gentlemen, Americans can no longer afford to take our liberties for granted. Nor can it be assumed that our freedoms are automatic. We must ensure that the next generations of Americans will be prepared to move our values, our institution, and our country forward. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt's words remind us, "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education."

It is imperative that American history and civics education in our schools be revitalized. The fundamentals of American democracy are civics knowledge that all young Americans should possess. How will they be able to create America's future if they don't know how America and all the rights they enjoy came to be?

And it's not only knowing how America works, but understanding why it works. Because America is a work in progress. Our American rights and values may be long established, but American democracy evolves as we face new challenges and new opportunities. But that evolution takes effort, commitment, and preparation. Preparation that must start early in America's education.

And as the United States moves forward, young Americans must also understand that our democracy is an example for the rest of the world. And that the future of American democracy is only aided by being the standard which other nations seek to emulate.

Friends and colleagues, we have a great opportunity in front of us. By supporting American history and civics education, we support our future as a country.

I have long supported American civics education because I felt the rights that I have enjoyed as an American came with responsibility. A responsibility to never forget the sacrifices of those who have given and protected these rights. A responsibility to use these rights in an honorable and meaningful way. And responsibility to ensure that the appreciation and understanding of these rights are passed on to our generation.

As Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers and a champion of the Bill of Rights, advised, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

Friends, colleagues and brethren, I am humbled to receive this fine award tonight for simply doing what I thought was my responsibility to others and to my country. It encourages me to keep going and I hope, together, we can keep American history and civics education… our Cornerstone of Freedom… going forward.

Thank you again. Good night!