It isn’t every day you get a chance to interview a 14-year-old
and introduce her first published work! A rising 9th grade student, Juliette was a
delight to talk with! She is a young
lady whose heart is to serve the Lord with her whole heart. She hopes that God will use her to reach
others of her generation and teach them the importance of our country’s
founding documents and why our freedom hinges on our understanding and use of
this phenomenal work.
I am going to use a combination of paraphrasing and direct
quotes for this post, because, well…14-year-old girls talk quicker than my 40+-year-old
ears can listen! J She is a delightful young lady that wants to
be used by God! What an exciting thing to be able to share with you!
Juliette’s mom, founder of
Consituting America.org, believes
strongly that future generations were ignorant of their founding
documents. Juliette became the national
youth director for her mom’s organization, and when they drove across the
nation to film the winners of the 9-17 We the People Contest (6200 ,miles with
a lot of people piled in a very small RV with the refrigerator door falling
off!) they discovered that indeed the kids of Juliette’s generation were woefully
ignorant of the constitution and our nation’s founding documents.
Juliette saw the need to create a tool that kids could
relate to and understand to help them gain the knowledge that they were lacking. She makes the analogy between America and a
car…”America’s fuel is its knowledge of the constitution and its sense of
patriotism. If the people don’t know about their constitution and lose their sense
of patriotism, they can’t move forward.”
It is her heart’s desire to help others refuel their sense
of patriotism, regain the power of knowledge and prevent the further loss of
freedom. “If people are ignorant of the
constitution, they won’t recognize when their freedom is being taken away!”
Please join me in my discussion with Juliette!
Why are so many
people ignorant about the constitution and what it contains? Where did the
informational breakdown occur? Schools
are so busy trying to teach so many subjects that it is impossible for them to
cover the full length and breadth of the Constitution. So it falls to the parents and family to
teach the children. One step in that
direction would be to read my book together as a family and discuss what is
contains.
What is your favorite
article on the Constitution? Why?
The Amendment process is so important, because it gives the people a
voice in their own founding document.
Our government is founded on that freedom.
Why is important to
understand our British roots? It is
important to understand that our founding fathers wanted to prevent the same
lack of freedom under a monarchy in our new United States. For example, if a
British citizen invented something, the king could and would take credit for
the invention. Our founding fathers
wanted to preserve freedom and understanding their British roots helps us
understand what they didn’t want to happen in America.
How do you feel God
can use your book to bring revival our nation? I always pray that God will use my words and
actions to serve Him, and I want to serve God with this book. He has been very
present in the creation of the Constitution and I think His desire is to not
only preserve our constitution but to preserve our country. America is a great nation because it brings
hope to other nations. I think God wants
to preserve that in our country.
Okay, I have to ask,
how did you get an endorsement from Laura Bush for the cover of your book? I have met President and First Lady Bush when
my mom served on the President’s Counsel of Service and Civic Participation
under the Bush administration. Her endorsement was a huge blessing!
Who designed the
layout of the book? While I was working on the essays for my mom’s
foundation, I noticed a lot of unique facts that I thought would engage my
generation. So I divided each section into clear, concise statements in words
that my generation could relate to and engage with. I think the ultimate
question that my generation need to have answered is, “Why should I care?” I want them to understand and care about the
constitution and understand that it is a non-partisan document. I want them to
understand that they need a growing knowledge of the constitution.
What gave you the
idea to seek publication for this book?
I’ve always loved writing and I watched the process my mom went through
to have her book published (Holding Her Head High: 12 Single Mothers Who
Championed Their Children and Changed History).
I learned a lot about the process from her, and knew what I had to do to
submit my work.
Any closing words of
encouragement you’d like to share? The Constitution is a non-partisan
document. Again, I make the analogy with
a car: You wouldn’t drive unless you had gained knowledge from a car’s handbook
and learned how to operate it. So the constitution is our handbook that makes
it possible to drive our car – America.
Go HERE to learn more about this fabulous book!!
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