Experience the American dream with today’s Patriot of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s September 17, 1829. I’m in the living room with homemaker Elizabeth Braxton. She’s teaching her five children.
JG: “Mrs. Braxton, what are you using for textbooks in your homeschool classroom?”
EB: “Mr. Gillespie, I use the Holy Bible, Noah Webster’s Dictionary, his blueback speller, and the New England Primer. They are all full of Scripture and the Christian faith.”
The books listed by Mrs. Braxton were very commonly used in early American education throughout the colonies and the states.
Read more about early American education.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
