One of the greatest privileges of homeschooling is the freedom to teach history the way we believe it should be taught. We can present the full story of America’s founding, including the faith that shaped our nation’s principles and documents. We can help our children understand that history isn’t just a collection of dates and events, but the unfolding of God’s providence in the lives of nations and people.
Teaching American history through a biblical worldview doesn’t mean whitewashing the past or ignoring difficult truths. It means helping our children see history through the lens of Scripture, understanding that all people are made in God’s image, that sin affects individuals and nations, and that God is sovereign over the rise and fall of civilizations.
The challenge is doing this well. How do we present the Founding Fathers honestly while highlighting their faith? What resources can we trust? How do we discuss current events without overwhelming our children or imposing our political views inappropriately? Let’s explore how to teach American history in a way that honors truth, builds discernment, and points our children to God’s hand in our nation’s story.
Understanding the Faith of the Founding Fathers
The Founding Fathers were not all Christians in the evangelical sense we might use today, but the influence of Christianity and biblical principles on their thinking is undeniable. Many of them were deeply familiar with Scripture, attended church regularly, and understood that a republic required a moral people to survive.
When teaching about the founders, help your children understand the context. The 18th century was a time when virtually everyone in America had some exposure to Christian teaching and biblical language. Even those founders who held more deistic views still operated within a Christian cultural framework and recognized the importance of faith in public life.
Take George Washington, for example. While scholars debate the specifics of his personal faith, his public statements and actions consistently acknowledged God’s providence. In his first inaugural address, Washington spoke of “the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men” and the importance of divine blessing on the new nation. His Farewell Address warned that morality could not be maintained without religion. These aren’t the words of a man who believed faith should be private and irrelevant to public life.
John Adams wrote that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” He understood that self-government requires self-control, and that self-control flows from a moral foundation, which he believed came from Christian faith.
Benjamin Franklin, despite his complicated personal life and unorthodox theological views, still called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention, reminding his fellow delegates that “God governs in the affairs of men” and that they needed divine assistance in their work.
When you teach these men to your children, present them as real people with strengths and weaknesses, with genuine faith or sincere questions, but always operating in a context where biblical principles were assumed as foundational to society. Help your children see that imperfect people can still be used by God to accomplish His purposes.
Biblical Principles in the Constitution and Declaration
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are remarkable documents that reflect biblical principles, even if they don’t quote Scripture directly. The Declaration’s assertion that we are “endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights” is a profoundly Christian idea. Rights don’t come from government or from human consensus, they come from God. This means government cannot legitimately take them away.
The concept of separation of powers reflects a biblical understanding of human nature and sin. The founders knew that concentrating too much power in any person or institution was dangerous because all people are fallen and corruptible. By dividing power among three branches of government, they created a system of checks and balances that acknowledges human sinfulness while working to protect liberty.
The First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom wasn’t about removing religion from public life. It was about preventing the federal government from establishing a national church or interfering with the free exercise of religion. The founders wanted to protect religious practice and conscience, not eliminate religious influence from society.
When teaching the Constitution, help your children understand these principles. Read through the Preamble together and discuss what it means to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Talk about why the founders cared so much about limiting government power. Connect these ideas to biblical teachings about human nature, the proper role of authority, and the dignity of every person made in God’s image.
Resources for Teaching America’s Christian Heritage
Finding good resources for teaching America’s Christian heritage can be challenging because this topic has become controversial. Some secular curricula downplay or ignore the religious influences on American founding, while some Christian resources overclaim or present a simplistic picture that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
Look for resources that are well-researched and honest. Original source documents are your best friends. Read actual letters, speeches, and writings from the founders. Let your children encounter their words directly rather than only reading modern interpretations. Websites like the Library of Congress and the Avalon Project at Yale Law School provide free access to primary sources.
For curriculum, consider options like Beautiful Feet Books, which uses a literature-based approach with original documents and quality historical fiction. Notgrass History provides a Christian perspective while using solid scholarship. The America’s Providential History curriculum explicitly teaches from a Christian worldview perspective.
Books like “The Light and the Glory” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel explore America’s Christian heritage, though some historians critique certain claims, so use them as conversation starters rather than definitive sources. “A Patriot’s History of the United States” by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen presents American history from a perspective that appreciates the founders’ worldview.
Don’t neglect biographies. Read stories of individual founders, missionaries, abolitionists, and ordinary Christians who shaped American life. Books like the “Who Was?” series provide accessible introductions for younger students, while older students can read fuller biographies that explore both achievements and failures.
Visit historical sites when possible. Standing in Independence Hall or walking through colonial Williamsburg makes history tangible for children. Many historical sites offer homeschool days with special programming. Even local historical societies often have connections to your area’s role in American history.
Teaching Difficult Parts of American History
Teaching about slavery and the Civil War requires special care. Don’t minimize the evil of slavery or the ways that Christians failed to apply biblical principles consistently. The Bible teaches that all people are made in God’s image and have inherent dignity and worth. Slavery violated these principles, and Christians should have opposed it from the beginning.
At the same time, help your children see that Christians were at the forefront of the abolitionist movement. William Wilberforce in England and abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison in America were motivated by their Christian faith to fight slavery. The Underground Railroad was largely operated by Christians who believed they were obeying God’s command to help the oppressed.
For younger children, you can introduce these topics through age-appropriate stories. Books about the Underground Railroad or biographies of Harriet Tubman teach about bravery and doing what’s right even when it’s dangerous. As children mature, you can discuss the theological debates about slavery and help them understand how people can misuse Scripture to justify sin.
The westward expansion presents another opportunity for nuanced discussion. The pioneering spirit and growth of the nation involved both remarkable courage and serious injustices toward Native Americans. Again, don’t shy away from the difficult parts. Teach your children to think critically about how Christians should treat others, even when it’s culturally acceptable to do otherwise.
Teaching Current Events and Civics
Current events and civics education are where biblical worldview teaching becomes immediately practical. Your children are growing up in a polarized political environment, and they need to learn how to think biblically about government, citizenship, and cultural issues without simply adopting talking points from either political party.
Start with the principle that God establishes governing authorities for a purpose. Romans 13 teaches that government exists to punish evil and reward good. First Timothy 2 instructs us to pray for those in authority. This means we should respect government and those who serve in it, even when we disagree with specific policies or leaders.
At the same time, government is not God and has limited authority. When government commands something that contradicts God’s law, Christians must obey God rather than human authority, as the apostles did in Acts 5. This tension between respecting authority and maintaining ultimate allegiance to God is crucial for children to understand.
Age-Appropriate Approaches to Civics
For younger children, civics can be taught through simple concepts. Talk about the jobs of the president, Congress, and courts in age-appropriate ways. Discuss what it means to be a good citizen: obeying just laws, helping your community, voting when you’re old enough, and praying for leaders. You might create a simple chart showing the three branches of government and what each one does.
Elementary students can begin learning about how laws are made, why we have elections, and what different levels of government do. You might follow a local issue in your city or town, watching how decisions are made and implemented. This makes government concrete rather than abstract.
Middle school students are ready for more sophisticated discussions. They can read about political philosophy, understand different governmental systems, and begin thinking about what makes a just law versus an unjust law. This is a good time to introduce concepts like natural law, constitutional principles, and the difference between rights and privileges.
By high school, your students should be engaging with real current events and learning to analyze them biblically. This doesn’t mean telling them exactly what to think about every issue, but teaching them how to think through issues using Scripture as their foundation.
Discussing Current Events Biblically
When discussing current events, model biblical thinking for your children. If you’re talking about immigration policy, discuss what the Bible says about welcoming strangers and the dignity of all people, while also considering what Scripture teaches about borders and national sovereignty. If you’re discussing economic policy, talk about biblical principles of stewardship, caring for the poor, and the dignity of work.
Avoid the temptation to simply baptize one political party’s platform. Republicans and Democrats both hold some positions that align with biblical principles and some that don’t. Teach your children to evaluate every issue biblically rather than tribally. They should be able to explain why they hold a position based on Scripture and sound reasoning, not just because “our side” believes it.
Help your children distinguish between issues where the Bible is clear and issues where Christians can disagree in good faith. The sanctity of human life is a clear biblical principle that applies to issues like abortion and euthanasia. How to structure tax policy or what the appropriate level of defense spending should be are prudential questions where Christians can come to different conclusions.
Teach your children to consume news critically. Not everything they read or hear is true, even from sources you generally trust. Encourage them to seek multiple perspectives, check original sources when possible, and recognize bias in reporting. This is a crucial skill in our current information environment.
Most importantly, teach your children to pray for their country and its leaders. Pray for wisdom for those in authority. Pray for justice and righteousness to prevail. Pray that God would be merciful to our nation. Prayer reminds us that God is ultimately in control and that our hope is not in political solutions but in Him.
The Long-Term Goal
As you teach American history through a biblical worldview, remember that you’re not just imparting information. You’re shaping how your children understand their role as Christians in their country. You’re teaching them to love their nation while recognizing its flaws. You’re preparing them to be thoughtful citizens who engage in the public square with wisdom and grace.
The goal isn’t to raise children who are merely patriotic, though gratitude for the blessings of living in America is appropriate. The goal is to raise children who understand that they are Christians first, that their ultimate citizenship is in heaven, and that they are called to be salt and light wherever God has placed them, including in their nation.
Some days your history lessons will spark fascinating discussions about God’s providence, human nature, or how to apply biblical principles to complex situations. Other days you’ll just be trying to get through the chapter about the Missouri Compromise while your toddler dumps out the crayon box. Both are okay.
Teaching history takes time. You’re planting seeds that will take years to fully grow. Your middle schooler might not appreciate the nuances of constitutional interpretation right now, but you’re building a framework they’ll use for the rest of their lives. Your elementary student might remember the stories more than the dates, but stories shape how we see the world.
Keep pointing your children back to the biblical principles that transcend any particular historical period or political system. Justice, mercy, human dignity, the reality of sin, the hope of redemption – these truths apply whether you’re studying ancient Rome, colonial America, or current events. As your children learn to see all of history through the lens of God’s Word, they’ll develop wisdom that serves them far beyond their school years.
America’s story is part of God’s story. It’s a story of providence and judgment, of people striving imperfectly toward ideals, of light breaking through darkness. As you teach this story to your children, you’re helping them understand not just where they came from, but who they are and what they’re called to be.
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