Newspaper Page Text
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 6,2022, Page 5A
What was America’s Foundation - In the Womb?
Special to the Ledger
by Gail Drake
“God has made of one
blood every nation of
men to dwell on earth,
and determined their
appointed season and
the boundaries of their
habitation, so that they
should seek God. ” Acts
19
What was the seedbed
of the United States, its
prenatal formation?
It was summer 1781 in
Virginia. After Jeffer
son’s fiery Declaration of
Independence, English
colonists had braced for
war. Now 37-year-old
Jefferson was governor
of Virginia, his younger
daughter Lucy suddenly
died, and Jefferson re
ceived news that British
General Cornwallis had
dispatched troops to
capture him. He es
caped to Poplar Woods
in southern Virginia,
fell from his horse, and
retreated to recuperate.
While convalescing, he
penned portions of his
only book, Notes on the
State of Virginia, a com
pilation about his state’s
resources, economy, and
his views on the good
society.
When discussing the
germ for Virginia’s
constitution, Jefferson
reached back—not to Ma
son’s Virginia Declara
tion of Rights, but back
to a royal charter from
1584. He cited several
ancient documents as the
first voices of constitu
tional thought
in the Ameri
can colonies.
Our con
temporary
American
free-spirited
culture poorly
comprehends
the feudal
mindset
of earlier
centuries
with strict
authority structures.
When European coun
tries engaged in form
ing settlements in the
15th century, the ruling
monarch would issue a
charter that authorized
a person or group to es
tablish a settlement and
detailed their privileges
and duties. It was inter
esting to surf the on
line law library at Yale
Law School, read those
documents and herewith
present the evidence:
EXHIBIT 1: The first
known royal charter—
that we all learned about
in primary school—was
issued by King Ferdi
nand and Elizabeth of
Spain in 1492 when
Christopher Columbus
“sailed the ocean blue.”
EXHIBIT 2: Not to
be left behind, in 1498,
King Henry VII of
England, France and Ire
land issued
a charter to
John Cabot
and his
three sons
to “sail to
all parts,
countries
and seas of
the East,
West and
North.. .to
seek, dis
cover and
find whatever islands,
regions or provinces.”
EXHIBIT 3: The first
charter specifically for
lands on U.S. soil was
issued by Queen Eliza
beth I of England to Sir
Walter Raleigh in 1584.
She granted him “free
libertie and license at
all times to discover...
and view remote lands,
territories not actually
possessed of any Chris
tian prince” and gave
him the right to engage
in all kinds of trades and
to self-govern. With this
charter Raleigh formed
the first English colony,
Roanoke in Virginia in
1585. Sadly, two years
later the people inex
plicably disappeared
without a trace.
EXHIBIT 4: The
next royal charter for
American land was the
First Charter of Vir
ginia, issued April 10,
1606, by King James
I of England. In 1606
he granted a group of
men the right to make a
new habitation, between
specified latitudes, grant
ing them the right to
self-govern, to “buy and
sell”, and to “propagate
the Christian religion.”
EXHBIT 5: The Sec
ond Charter of Virginia
issued in 1609 added
numerous people and
confirmed the same lan
guage of the first charter.
EXHIBIT 6: The more
familiar Mayflower
Compact. English Sep
aratist had been perse
cuted by the Church of
England for following
their Bible based be
liefs. They set off for
Virginia in 1620— and
landed miles off course
in Massachusetts. As
they were outside the
Charter of Virginia, they
formulated their own
compact as follows, “We,
the loyal subject of our
dread Sovereign Lord
King James .. .having
undertaken for the glory
Gail Drake
Dean’s, President’s Lists Students
Named for UA Spring 2022 Term
Special to the Ledger
A total of 11,224
students enrolled during
Spring Semester 2022
at The University of
Alabama were named
to the dean’s list with
Special to the Ledger
More than 4,000
students graduated from
Georgia State at the
associate’s, bachelor’s,
master’s, specialist, and
doctoral levels during
the spring semester.
Georgia State gradu
ates from your coverage
area include:
Ikenine Ochie of
Albany, who earned a
Bachelor of Business
Administration degree
in Managerial Sciences.
Javonte Whigham of
Albany, who earned
a Bachelor of Science
degree in Computer
an academic record of
3.5 (or above) or the
president’s list with an
academic record of 4.0
(all A’s).
The UA dean’s and
president’s lists rec-
Science.
Joshua Williams of
Albany, who earned
an Associate of Arts
degree, with studies in
American Sign Lan
guage.
Kiedon Bryant of
Albany, who earned a
Bachelor of Interdisci
plinary Studies degree
in Environmental
Science, with a minor in
Biological Science.
Laura Gosa of Lees
burg, who earned a Doc
tor of Nursing Practice
degree.
Solomon Edmondson
of Albany, who earned a
ognize full-time un
dergraduate students.
The lists do not apply
to graduate students or
undergraduate students
who take less than a full
course load.
Bachelor of Science de
gree in Music Industry/
Management.
Georgia State Uni
versity, an enterprising
urban public research
university, is a national
leader in graduating
students from widely
diverse backgrounds.
The student body of
nearly 52,000 demon
strates that students
from all backgrounds
can achieve at high
rates with unsurpassed
connections to the city’s
business, government,
nonprofit and cultural
organizations.
Local students listed:
Britney Bailey of
Albany
Anne Sternenberg of
Albany
For more information
visit news.ua.edu.
The University of
Alabama, part of The
University of Alabama
System, is the state’s
flagship university. UA
shapes a better world
through its teaching,
research and service.
With a global reputa
tion for excellence, UA
provides an inclusive,
forward-thinking envi
ronment and nearly 200
degree programs on a
beautiful, student-cen
tered campus. A leader
in cutting-edge research,
UA advances discovery,
creative inquiry and
knowledge through more
than 30 research centers.
As the state’s largest
higher education institu
tion, UA drives econom
ic growth in Alabama
and beyond.
More than 4,000 Students Graduate
from Georgia State University
During the Spring 2022 Semester
of God and advancement
of the Christian faith,
and honor of our king
and county, do .. .cove
nant ourselves together
into a civil body politic,
for our better ordering
and preservation.” Gov
ernor William Bradford
hand-copied the text into
his journal on page 54.
A distinct feature of
all the original charters
for the United States,
the formulating gesta
tion documents for our
great nation beginning
in 1584, is the written
declared desire to pro
mote the Christian faith,
engage in business and
self-govern. Few other
countries can claim this
rich heritage.
Let us celebrate our
unique history, our
heritage, our freedoms
and rights that remain
unknown in so many
sections of the globe.
Gail Drake practices
probate, mediation,
adoption and children’s
law in Albany, GA.
cutct licty
Barbara Jackson
229-869-1530
bjackson31701@gmail.com
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Community Calendar
• Lee County - Leesburg - Smithville Planning
Commission will meet Thursday, July 7 at 6:00
p.m. The meeting will be held at the T. Page
Tharp Governmental Building. Opal Cannon
Auditorium, 102 Starksville Avenue North,
Leesburg.
• Lee County Board of Education will meet
Monday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will
be held at the board of education office, 126
Starksville Ave., N, Leesburg.
• Lee County Commissioners will meet Tuesday,
July 12 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held
at the T. Page Tharp Governmental Building,
Opal Cannon Auditorium, 102 Starksville Ave
nue North, Leesburg.
• Summer Food Distribution 10:00 a.m. on
Thursday, July 7 & July 21 at Lee County
Parks & Recreation Office 141 Park Street.
• Community Back to School Bash Sunday, July
31 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. between Leesburg United
Methodist Church & First Baptist Church for
school age children & families.
• Veterans join the camaraderie of fellow veter
ans at the Leesburg American Legion Post 182.
Leesburg American Legion Post 182 meets
the first Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at
J&E Restaurant on Walnut Ave. in Leesburg.
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