President Obama spoke to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on September 15th. In the speech, he misquoted The Declaration of Independence. Context and purpose of the speech aside, the omission is what is generating the controversy. Here is a reply that I wrote on Facebook to someone who posted about this issue.
Please note: As I have not figured out an easy way at this time to quote a post and it’s related comments from another person’s Facebook account to share with friends on my Facebook account, I am duplicating the conversation here.
“J” posted (9/20):
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their *Creator* with certain unalienable Rights…..
“D” commented (9/20):
Mr politician here lol
“J” commented (9/21):
While quoting the Declaration of Independence, it seems that our President’s bff, (the teleprompter) conveniently forgot the “endowed by their Creator” line.May not be important to him, but it was to the founding fathers and the American people.
I commented (9/22):
I gotta give you some on this one. Though I do not think it’s sinister or proof of negativity against God or country, I do think that he should offer an explanation to say as much. If he was ad-libbing and screwed up, then say so, at least…. With the amount of spoken words from any politician, left, middle, or right, gaffs are going to happen.So far as arguments about “he should know the Declaration of Independence”, Newt Gingrich (picking someone politically opposite) misquoted the same passage in a written column just this last June. He did not leave out “the Creator” but come on, all he had to do was cut and paste. So, on the logic that politicians should be able to accurately quote this passage, both are fouls. I think the President’s gaffe was worse in that it touches on religious beliefs in a time where the topic is particularly sensitive.
However, I do not think that Christians should be the only ones offended – which is the feeling I get when I read about this issue. If there is a reason to be offended, then Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and any Americans with a belief in a divine creator have the same reason to be disappointed. Being an American – or being the President – is not dependent on a Christian belief system. Consider the fact that Thomas Jefferson (author of The Declaration of Independence) is considered by many to be a Deist.
As to where you say that it “May not be important to him” (which is still supposition) “but it was to the founding fathers…” I think this is incorrect. My reasoning comes from the history of our founding fathers and the two documents of the land they are so famous for producing, which are oftentimes confused with one another so I will address both of them, The Constitution, and The Declaration of Independence.
The Constitution does not mention”God” and was intentionally drafted as a secular document. The Declaration of Independence, which is what he misquoted, came prior to The Constitution and was also intended as a secular document. The Declaration of Independence is seen as that document that established the new nation of the United States. It is not the law of the land. It is a statement of sentiments directed to King George III in reaction to unfair taxation. The Constitution was ratified thirteen years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence refers to “the Creator”.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence is not a legal document; it is not the U.S. Constitution. Foes of the principle of separation of church and state often refer to the word “Creator” in the Declaration of Independence as proof that the framers of the U.S. Constitution intended for the United States to be ruled by a sovereign being. However, The Constitution was written and ratified by elected officials representing a coalition of Enlightenment rationalists and evangelical Christians who were deeply concerned about entanglements between religion and government – thus the production of a secular document.
With all of this in mind, I really don’t think the founding fathers would be up at arms at the omission of “the Creator” in Obama’s speech since the gist of both documents on which they founded our country are the rights of the people from a secular standing. The sentiment and aim of Obama’s speech was the rights of the people. The complaints and outrage at the omission of “the Creator” from a religious standpoint are off-base with the essence of both The Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution. Honestly, public speakers, historians, and English teachers have much more reason to be outraged if you think about it.