The Lessons of History
By Governor Kristi Noem
April 8, 2022
I love learning about history. When I see the granite faces on Mount Rushmore, I always want to learn more about the men enshrined there. When I walk through downtown Rapid City and see the bronze statues of our presidents, I want to learn more about each of their successes and failures. I love the stories — and we can learn powerful lessons from those stories.
At times, history can be a refreshing reminder that the difficulties that we face are not wholly unique. There are often corollaries in the past, lessons to be learned from situations that mirror the present challenges that we face.
America’s history is unique when compared to every other nation on the planet. To this day, we are the only nation founded on an idea — and a transformational idea at that. It’s an idea that has inspired nations the world over, one that even inspires the people of Ukraine today: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
Unfortunately, our nation’s appreciation for that founding idea has slipped over time. This isn’t a new phenomenon; President Reagan warned us of it in his farewell address: “We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise — and freedom is special and rare.” We need to remind our children about those freedoms and why they were instituted in the first place.
In particular, our children should learn the struggles our nation faced to implement those freedoms and the triumphs that were made in advancing them to folks who had not enjoyed them previously. Sometimes that history is tough, but it must be told for future generations to understand why this country is worth fighting for.
In the process of teaching that history, we should not compel our children to adhere to the false narrative that they are responsible for those previous shortcomings — not on the basis of their race, color, or sex. Such a philosophy is not in keeping with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful dream, “that (his) four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” That is the America that I was raised in, and that is the America that I am proud to pass on to my children and to my granddaughter.
This week, I signed an executive order to restrict the teaching of divisive ideologies like Critical Race Theory in our K-12 classrooms. These ideologies reject America’s founding idea and instead teach that America was founded on racism — and that is not true.
At various times in our history, America fell short of the founding belief that all men are created equal. And together, our nation overcame those shortcomings. It is on us as a society — and on each elected leader — to commit to defending American liberty for every person in this country. That is my commitment to you as Governor.
Our children should learn America’s true and honest history. I hope that it will inspire them to accomplish incredible things with their lives and to always recognize that all of their peers are just as valuable as they are — no better and no worse. We all have incredible opportunities in this Land of the Free. The lessons from our past should inspire us to reach for those opportunities and teach us the mistakes to avoid along the way.
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I’m curious how this governor would have history taught. How would she describe slaughter of indigenous peoples? How would she describe slavery? Seems to me she’s just whitewashing it all with this gag order approach.
“At various times in our history, America fell short of the founding belief that all men are created equal.” Gov. Kristi Noem
I agree. We need to recognize the truth.
But – why the executive order? Why purposefully irritate minorities and others in this manner when we have no problems with Critical Race Theory (CRT) in South Dakota?
Let me correct that a bit. “At various times” doesn’t quite say it all.
Yesterday, after 230 YEARS, we had the first black female confirmed to the Supreme Court. Maybe we “fell short” more consistently than… “at various times”.
And she was appointed exclusively due to her skin color. So we really haven’t made much progress at all, have we Elk.
As a general rule, I think the most qualified person should be appointed. But… after two centuries of white male appointments, don’t you think it was a bit overdue?
And she is highly qualified. Even if you or I might prefer a more conservative justice.
The first 200 years of appointments were made by skin color. You should be complaining about that.
A president chooses from a pool of qualified people. She is among them.
That the point, Elk. 200 years later and we’re still in the same spot.
We now have a black male and a black female on the court. There is an Hispanic female and two other white females on our highest court. (Oh… and six catholics which also used to be a rare occurrence.) All are qualified but with a wide range of philosophies.
And you think that is the “same spot” as 200 years ago?
I believe that sometimes the most qualified person is the one that brings a new perspective.
There may be a black female on the Supreme court now but she certainly was not the first black female nominated. George W. Bush nominated Janice Rogers Brown for the position in 2003. Biden and the other senate democrats fillibustered this nomination for almost 2 years.
That’s false. She was never nominated to the SC.
Telling her believers that she’s banned something, even when she hasn’t, or can’t, is wrong at best. When it’s something most of her believers don’t even understand, she’s just flat out exploiting them. It does play well of FoxNews for her, though.
What a joke. America is freedom for those with the most wealth, and meanwhile limited freedom for everybody else. The founders put pretty language on their documents while at the same time limiting voting rights to only landed gentry. Our country is far from the only one that provides citizens freedom of speech, religion, enterprise, etc. Gutzon Borglum was a racist, and shaping a mountain into human faces for symbolic purposes is perhaps the pinnacle of human hubris, arrogance, and self-aggrandizement. Noem seems not to truly believe our children should learn “America’s true and honest history”.
How does she not get tired towing that party line all the time? I suspect donors, other sycophants, and column writers below her are the answer.
*toeing
And here ladies and gentlemen, a comment from one of the DFP faithful followers.
The very fact that you are allowed to post the above without fearing arrest is testament. The heart of the matter is that you and the rest of the type of people that believe the same as those imbeciles at the DFP led by herr shortyberger will not recognize that the constitution establishes equal opportunity NOT equal result….big, big, difference.
Yeah, moving things with toes. Thanks for not correcting me, friend. Thanks for saying nothing of substance in response to my words. You might be surprised that I’m not your enemy.
*toeing
https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/pardon-the-expression/toe-the-line-vs-tow-the-line/
Our Creator endows us all with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Insofar as you blanket bash America’s Founding Fathers, you are in fact my enemy.
Inalienable
*unalienable
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
I was very deliberate in saying “towing”, as I was implying Noem carries other people’s messaging on their behalf, even if for her own selfish reasons. Point out the historic phrase all you want, but I was implying something slightly different.
Also, I’m well aware a difference exists between equal opportunity and equal result. However, you apparently didn’t note what I said about voting rights. The Founders did not establish equal voting rights to all citizens. That’s not equal opportunity. Call this bashing our Founders if you will, but I’m just pointing out a fact.
Yesterday, it was CRT.
This morning, in the news, the governor tackles “ballot drop boxes”. Yet another solution to a non-existent problem. It’s what she does.
The headline addict strikes again.
The leader of her party hates drop boxes, so she’s gotta keep on his good side.
Executive order? Could somebody point out where in the stats constitution this is authorized? Is there a statute that allows her to makes laws in the absence of legislative authority? Looking for answers.