THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Founding Fathers on Easter

Christians celebrate Easter around the world as one of our most significant holy days — a time when we pause to remember the great sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as well as the ultimate triumph of His resurrection. America’s Founding Fathers also revered the Easter celebration.

Noah Webster, author of America’s first English-language dictionary, defined Easter: “A festival of the Christian church observed in commemoration of our Savior’s resurrection.”

Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence, viewed Easter as the power for salvation, explaining:

The approaching festival of Easter, and the merits and mercies of our Redeemer copiosa assudeum redemptio [with the Lord there is plentiful redemption] have lead me into this chain of meditation and reasoning, and have inspired me with the hope of finding mercy before my Judge, and of being happy in the life to come—a happiness I wish you to participate with me by infusing into your heart a similar hope.

Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration, pointed out how Jesus’ resurrection not only redeemed man to God but also to each other. He noted:

He forgave the crime of murder on His cross; and after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to preach the gospel of forgiveness, first at Jerusalem, where He well knew His murderers still resided. These striking facts are recorded for our imitation and seem intended to show that the Son of God died, not only to reconcile God to man but to reconcile men to each other.

Easter is indeed a special day, not only from an historical viewpoint but also from a spiritual one. So, from all of us at WallBuilders, Happy Easter!

(As you celebrate this day, you may want to take a little time to read this

historical Easter sermon from WallBuilders’ collection.)

Presenting America’s forgotten history and heroes

with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.