Over the long Independence Day weekend, my friends and I attended the Blueprints of Liberty exhibition in St. George, Utah. Blueprints was a one-of-a-kind traveling museum of original American and other artifacts from the private collection of conservative media host and CEO of Mercury One Glenn Beck.
For the first time, Beck brought out of storage a portion of his massive collection; docents told us the Blueprints artifacts were estimated to be only one percent of Beck’s entire collection from Irving, Texas, so hopefully, that also means there will be more exhibitions of these valuable pieces of American history in the near future. Each piece made real the founding of America, the U.S. Constitution, and how the founders intentionally incubated and nurtured freedom while risking their very lives, fortunes, and freedoms.
As someone who has lived in Washington, D.C., and traveled our great country to visit many museums and historic sites, I found Blueprints to be refreshing. Like most American history museums, Blueprints took us on a journey of America’s founding and evolution from Plymouth Rock and the Salem Witch Trials to the Revolutionary War to the drafting of the Constitution. Unlike most American history museums, however, Blueprints displayed the actual — priceless — documents and artifacts from those historic times. There were very few reproductions in the collection, and the docents were very knowledgeable.
One of my personal favorites in the collection was an early draft of the U.S. Constitution. The draft was found in the papers of Thomas Jefferson’s estate upon his death. What’s fascinating about this document is that it includes an entire paragraph devoted to condemning the slave trade that was being perpetrated on Africans by the King of England. Never before had we seen this condemnation of slavery in such clear terms. Sadly, the paragraph was removed in the final draft in order to appease the slave states of Georgia and South Carolina, an issue that would be revisited in the Civil War with bloody consequences.
This draft certainly put the lie to the Left’s claim that the founding fathers were all racist and pro-slavery. In fact, it was extremely brave of them to even have this paragraph in the draft at all given that they were accusing the king of participating in and perpetuating the horror that was the slave trade.
Have you ever wondered how and when America was named America? According to the first written reference in a book written in 1515, the continent was referred to as “America,” and eventually the name came to be used to refer to the new nation that grew on that continent — kinda blows that erroneous 1619 claim out of the water.
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In the spring of 1860 just before he ran for president, Abraham Lincoln sat for a plaster mold of his face. As good as all the paintings of him are, The Living Mask, as it became known, is the true representation of what this great man actually looked like at the time. Soon his face would become drawn and haggard with the weight of the Civil War on his shoulders. The history was palpable with this one.
Beck’s collection included more than early American history; it was Americana, too, everything from Edith and Archie Bunker’s original set chairs to Star Wars movie props to Dorothy’s ruby slippers, and much more.
Proceeds from the temporary Blueprints exhibit go toward the building of the permanent Liberty Village in Hurricane, Utah. Liberty Village will be a nearly 40-acre recreation of some of America’s historic events and sites such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence within a life-size replication of Independence Hall. Through education and inspiration, visitors will be encouraged to not only learn about America’s founding but to be good stewards of our nation’s liberty.
Sponsored by United We Pledge, the first phase of Liberty Village is expected to be completed by July 4, 2024, and if it’s anything like Blueprints for Liberty, it will be a must-see on every American’s list.
