Despite the divisive anti-Israel remarks from Faculty Senate Chair Derek Peterson, as alum myself, I was thrilled to attend my son’s recent commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan’s Big House. But the commemoration was jarring for another reason that has been totally overlooked by parents and pundits. This controversy was passed over not because it was less insidious, but because it was an act of omission — the absolute refusal to acknowledge America’s 250th anniversary.
In stark contrast to several speakers who dutifully acknowledged that the campus sits on land ceded by the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations by the 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs (or Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids), not a single speaker dared to acknowledge the birthday of our own nation.
This reveals the absolute bankruptcy of the ivory tower today. In 1976, while celebrating America’s bicentennial, UM’s keynote speaker, attorney Albert E. Jenner, Jr., delivered a speech titled “Welcome to the Revolution.” It was a 16-page homage to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and what Jenner termed “Revolutionary Values — the Values that our forefathers had in mind in conducting the Revolution against Great Britain and preparing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
Today? But for a stirring ROTC ceremony, the commencement could have occurred in any country without missing a beat. This appalling situation is simply a symptom of the well-documented anti-West, anti-American sentiments that have much of the collegiate faculty and staff in its thrall. Increasingly, institutions are spewing distortions and anti-American propaganda in lieu of the truth and solid scholarship.
We must do better. The reality is that despite all of our faults, America is a miracle. Unique in world history, the Declaration of Independence not only establishes a new nation, it announces a revolutionary governing philosophy. In nearly magical words, the Declaration declares as self-evident truths 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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ― that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…”
The Declaration forever transforms our understanding of equality, liberty and the proper role of government. Its revolutionary philosophical framework is the bedrock foundation of the Constitution and our system of self-government. America was born on the founding First Principles of the rule of law, unalienable rights, limited government, the Social Compact, equality and revolution (the right to alter or abolish an oppressive government).
Before the Declaration, governments were based on the exact opposite realities. There was no rule of law, just the raw power of nobility, theocrats or aristocracy. No one possessed unalienable rights endowed by the Creator, just privileges sparingly doled out by the ruling class. Governments were absolute or, at the very least, oppressive. The Social Compact — when the people give up some of their natural rights to the government to protect the rest of their rights, and the government governs with the consent of the people — was a laughable proposition. Individuals were not considered equals with a celestial spark, but state perpetuated inequality reigned the day. Governments were unequivocally opposed to recognizing that the people had the right to reform or start government anew.
Despite its importance, there is little question that the Declaration is only superficially taught and understood. Much of this lies at the feet of higher education. This is especially true of the Declaration’s 28 grievances against the King and Parliament. Contrary to fashionable trends, the American Revolution was not fought for lower taxes or to protect slavery. In fact, the tea tax, which provoked the Boston Tea Party, lowered the price of tea, and many of the Founding Fathers were opposed to slavery. All 28 grievances are vitally important. Americans are rebelling against a bloody tyranny, and the grievances explain why. Many of the issues that confronted the founders in 1776 echo throughout the ages — including today.
The Declaration of Independence upended the prevailing orthodoxy about government and has led to momentous changes across time and the world. Certainly, we have fallen short of its ideals, over and over again. But without the First Principles of the Declaration, we would live in the total darkness of oppression as mankind had for millennia before. It’s time for UM and other higher education establishments to teach the truth.
Hon. Michael Warren has served on the Oakland County Circuit Court for over 23 years, is co-founder of Patriot Week and author of “The Revolutionary Words that Forged America: The Definitive Guide to the Declaration of Independence (Republic Books, 2026).”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: University of Michigan missed a chance to honor America 250 | Opinion
Reporting by Michael Warren / The Detroit News
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