Growing the Good in America
- Jared Carman
- Sep 22, 2025
- 3 min read
by Jared Carman
Head of School
In 1787 we were a new country, tapping in to old ideas, like democracy and a republican form of government. We had a common goal: to preserve our newly-won freedom. Delegates from the thirteen states met, the summer of 1787, in Philadelphia, to hammer out the details and create a way to “secure the blessings of freedom for ourselves and our posterity.”
What delegates did not agree on was how it should be done. After weeks in hot, humid Philadelphia, they had made very little progress on the actual text of the Constitution. Much like creating rules for a new club, these delegates had trouble creating the order they each so earnestly sought.
The oldest man in the room, Benjamin Franklin decided it was time for him to make his voice heard. He rose to his feet and reminded the delegates how God had blessed them in the past, and that He would surely help them again, if they would ask. Franklin said:
“In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened…that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understanding?
"In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered…
…
"Have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth–-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
Following Franklin’s suggestion, the delegates went to a nearby church. Reverend William Rogers prayed for them, asking God to: “Favor them, from day to day, with thy immediate presence; be Thou their wisdom and their strength!
Just ten weeks later, the delegates did what had before been impossible: they began to listen to each other; they solved difficult problems, one by one. They finished writing, and on September 17, 1787, they succeeded signing the Constitution of the United States of America. George Washington, Benjamin Rush, and many others called it a miracle. We remember it as Constitution Day.
To this day, every session of the US Congress opens with prayer to God.
When political differences divide us, as it seems they sometimes so easily do, let us remember our common goals. Let us listen to each other with generosity of heart,1 and let us remember how God blesses us when we come to Him.
May we continue to joyfully grow the good—for ourselves and our posterity!
***
1 Belmont Code of Conduct #3: "We cultivate generosity of heart."
This historical thought was delivered by Mr. Carman at devotional on 09/17/2025. Each week one class leads the student body in prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, scripture recitation, a meditation, and an historical thought.
Following this historical thought, Primary School Students sang "Big Moon, Bright Moon" by Janeen Brady.
The Upper School Students also delivered a recitation of the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
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