Happy Constitution Day! On Being George Washington
- Kathryn van der Pol
- Sep 17
- 6 min read
By Kathryn van der Pol
September 17, 2025
“The Propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the ETERNAL RULES OF ORDER and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” ~George Washington’s Inaugural Address
I am dedicating this column to the memory of Charlie Kirk.
Charlie was not just a great debater; he was a missionary for God, for our country, for our Constitution, and most especially, the First Amendment. One of my friends told me she believes that one day Charlie will be named a saint.
He led an incredible life journey which began by being inspired by Glenn Beck. Charlie says that he used to race home from school to catch Glenn’s show, and later, after he could drive, he would keep driving around town to listen to Glenn on the car radio.
Fifteen years ago, Glenn Beck held an event at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. called Restoring Honor. Sybren, our daughter, and I were there, along with 500,000 other people. I learned this week that Charlie said he listened to it on simulcast. In part of his speech, Glenn talked about searching for the next George Washington.
Beck said, "Somewhere in this crowd, I know it, I have been looking for the next George Washington. I can't find him. I know he is in this crowd. He may be eight years old, but this is the moment. This is the moment that he dedicates his life. That he sees giants around him. And 25 years from now, he will come not to this stair, but to those stairs and he can proclaim, 'I have a new dream.'
Charlie was 16 years old at the time of this speech. Sybren and I believe when Charlie heard Glenn say, “The is the moment that he dedicates his life,” Charlie said to himself, “I can do that.” Sadly, he didn’t get the 25 years to climb the stairs of the Capitol.
But Charlie would launch his youth movement, Turning Point USA, two years later at the incredibly young age of 18.
In 2011, Beck wrote Being George Washington. We have an autographed copy. I still remember Sybren and I driving to Beaumont, Texas, standing in a line that went out the door of the bookstore also a grocery store to meet Glenn and have our book autographed.
So what was so special about George Washington?
During his "Restoring Honor" rally on August 28, 2010, Glenn Beck spoke about George Washington in reverent and symbolic terms, portraying him as a foundational moral and spiritual leader of the United States.
Here are five key points.
1. Washington as a Unifying Symbol: Beck considered Washington the central figure in American history whose leadership and virtue established the nation.
Reference to the Washington Monument: Beck used the Washington Monument as a central metaphor in his speech. He pointed out the visible line where the bricks don’t match in the monument’s stonework, a result of halting construction during the Civil War.
Despite this "scar," he emphasized that Americans still honor the monument — not for its flaws, but for what it represents: leadership, unity, and faith. He explicitly tied the monument to Washington’s enduring legacy, stating it was built to honor a man who led a revolution not for personal power, but to establish a republic grounded in liberty.
Washington and Divine Purpose: Beck suggested that Washington’s leadership was guided by his faith and a sense of divine mission. He referenced the Latin inscription at the top of the Washington Monument — “Laus Deo” (“Praise be to God”) — as symbolic of the nation’s original spiritual foundation, which he attributed in part to Washington’s leadership and humility. Beck implied that Washington’s willingness to relinquish power after the Revolutionary War and again after two presidential terms reflected a man who trusted in God and in the people, rather than in authoritarian control.
Washington as a Model of Character: Beck framed Washington as a man of personal honor, self-restraint, and civic virtue. It is those virtues that our survival depends, not on politics, he said.
Connection to the “American Experiment”: Beck described the United States as an ongoing “experiment” in self-government — a phrase often associated with Washington’s vision. He argued that Washington believed in a nation where people could govern themselves through virtue and faith, and that this experiment is only preserved when each generation renews its commitment to those principles.
Charlie emulated these points.
He engaged constantly with people who disagreed with him in order to sharpen their thinking and his own, always searching for common ground. He respected people who held different views, but he wasn’t afraid to question their opinions, but in the end, he wanted to bring people together, if he could.
Charlie was a great leader who was grounded in his faith. Just a week before his murder, he said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.” What an honorable man, loving husband, and father! He certainly upheld the ideal of the word “civic virtue.”
He also loved this country, loved our founding documents, and vigorously defended the principles that this country was founded upon.
Today, 238 years ago, our Constitution was signed by 39 founders from 12 states (Rhode Island did not sign until later). The Constitution is what I like to call “the Rule Book” of how our country is supposed to be governed. The Declaration of Independence which the Constitution is connected with is the birth certificate of our nation and our statement of philosophy. Next July 4th, we will be celebrating the “the Semiquincentennial.” I prefer to call it the “Super centennial.” It’s easier.
Our Constitution is written like a trust. It establishes our government as a legal entity. Back then, there were no LLCs, only partnerships. Only the King could grant corporations or charters. We didn’t have a king, so we couldn’t have that. Plus, our Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the states were thirteen sovereign countries who pledged mutual defense and friendship. It was an agreement; it wasn’t even a treaty. It had no head of government and no tax-making authority. The Confederation agreed on postal roads, currency, free ingress and egress for citizens of each state, free trade, weights, and measures. It agreed on little else.
We the people as the “grantor” set up the Constitution as a legal entity whereby the states surrendered some of their sovereignty to recognize the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land. Article I, Section 8 grants Congress, the “Trustees” limited powers for the “beneficiaries” who are us and our posterity.
While other countries may be Christian countries, there are three principles that make us distinct and account for our liberty and prosperity.
1. Our government is duty bound to protect God-given rights, as expressed in our Bill of Rights. These are not civil rights. These are protected by government because these rights come from God. Civil rights come from legislation. Civil rights can be taken away by legislation or court decisions. Remember that.
2. We are governed by laws, not by men. Good laws conform to moral principles, such as the prohibitions of the Lord’s Commandments five through ten. Thou shalt not (6) murder, (7) commit adultery, (8) steal, (9) bear false witness, or (10) covet.
3. We protect individual property rights on the biblical principle of private property. Taking other people’s stuff is stealing which presumes the principle of ownership. Calculating how to take other people’s stuff and keep it or give it to someone else is coveting.
So, our founders, set up the Constitution for We the People as a trust in perpetuity. Let’s “Be the People” our founders and Charlie hoped and restore these principles.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
