Why the Battle of Moores Creek Matters More Today
The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge does not have the same mythic resonance in most American history books as the “Shot heard ‘round the World” or the Battle of Bunker Hill. Yet this minor skirmish on February 27, 1776, was a turning point in the American Revolution.
Arguably the first victory by the colonists over the King’s forces in the Colonial America, it functionally ended England’s authority in the colony and set the stage for North Carolina to be the first colony to vote for independence.
While the specifics of the battle (and the many battles that have unfolded in the 250 years since) may not at the forefront of the American conscience, they are critical to who we are as a nation. It was that thirst for liberty and willingness to sacrifice all for freedom that propelled the “American Experiment” to the forefront of the world’s imagination.
On the 250th anniversary of that battle, it was exciting to see North Carolinians’ pride and enthusiasm over the legacy their forebears forged. In some small way, it was a foreshadowing of the semiquincentennial celebration coming this July.
Understanding the sacrifices that those Carolinians made, and that literally millions of Americans have made to advance the American freedom and exceptionalism are essential to keeping the republic alive and vibrant.
These stories set the stage for the sacrifices—large and small—each of us will be asked to make to keep it going.
Yet the evidence shows we are failing to pass these stories on. Only 23 percent of America’s 8th graders are at least “proficient” in their knowledge of American civics and only 13 percent in U.S. history, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Our children are not learning how American system works or the stories of how we got here. It is not surprising then, that they do not feel committed to American traditions and values, or understand their role in preserving it.
This failure has real consequences to our republic. In a survey of 18-24 year-olds, only 61 percent were proud to be American, only half felt their votes mattered, and only 27 percent planned to vote in the next election. In short, they have lost their connection to their country.
In another survey of adults, 74 percent are confident they could explain how our government works, but only more than 40 percent could not answer four basic questions about how it works, like naming the branches of government and the number of Supreme Court justices.
For the American republic to remain strong as a beacon of freedom to the world, we must do better. The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is an ideal time for all states to double down on teaching the next generation what America aspires to be and what it is.
Missing from our civics classrooms today are the positive stories of what America is. True, we have not always been perfect or lived up to our ideals, but we have always tried to be the people and nation our founders dreamt of when they drafted the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.
We must reconnect with the heroes of our past and present and reaffirm the principles that made America different in the first place: ideas like serving our fellow Americans, preserving personal freedom and liberty, and assuming personal responsibility for making our communities, states, and nation better through our hard work and sacrifice.
Every American and North Carolinian bears a responsibility to remind our children, our neighbors, and our communities that it was the American people working together that helped forge the freedoms and liberties we now enjoy.
It is on us to model that unity by working together to forge a future for our next generation by telling them the stories of our history, sharing our hopes for the future, and teaching them what they need to do to make it happen. We have 250 years of amazing stories to tell.