Library Resources
BLACK HISTORY
In education today, black history covers little more than the issue of slavery and Dr. Martin Luther King Jrās civil rights efforts. But there is much moreāa rich legacy of black heroes we no longer study: Wentworth Cheswellāthe first black elected to public office (1768); John Marrantāthe first black to evangelize Native Americans (1768); Lemuel Haynesāthe first black to have a sermon published and receive a post-graduate degree (1805); Harry Hoosierāa black preacher in the First Great Awakening responsible for the Indiana nickname āHoosierā; and thereās also Robert Smalls, Phillis Wheatley, Henry Highland Garnet, and many others. In this section, you can learn about such important historical figures and also see original documents and artifacts related to Americaās great black heroes and their contributions to our nation.Click Here For Resource
BLACK HISTORY
CHAPLAINS
Chaplains have been a staple of American history, with over 5,000 active duty chaplains serving today. But it was not always that way. Before the American War for Independence, a young Col. George Washington repeatedly asked the British for chaplains, but his requests were denied. When he became Commander-in-Chief of American forces, one of his first acts was to authorize chaplains, and he made them prominent in military life. Consequently, our military history is filled with courageous stories of chaplains who served our fighting men and women across the worldāfrom the American War for Independence to the Civil War to WWII on through today. This section gives you a glimpse into some of these heroes and their accomplishments, as well as original documents and artifacts related to American chaplains.Click Here For Resources
CHAPLAINS
FAQ
Because we focus on how lessons from Americaās religious, moral, and constitutional heritage can be applied in public policy today, we receive numerous inquiries. They range from general questions about who WallBuilders is and what we do to specific questions related to policy and history, including how to help defend and assert the principles that made America great. These questions cover everything from specific individuals in American history to queries about modern books and television shows and even the role that the church and Christians should play in politics. We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and in this section youāll not only find many answers but also links to helpful articles weāve written on these subjects as well as links related to original documents from the WallBuilders museum/library. Click Here For Resources
FAQ
HELPFUL LINKS
We strive to help citizens become more informed about Americaās religious and constitutional heritage while equipping them to defend and assert its principles today. Many folksāwhether students, parents, teachers, pastors, soldiers, judges, elected officials, or othersāare looking for assistance, information, or help on specific issues they are facing. Because we are involved in so many different arenas, and work with so many affiliated organizations, we often know someone with special expertise in certain areas, and to connect you to them, weāve compiled this list of Helpful Links. Some will take you to original searchable writings of Americaās Founding Fathers; others to educational resources, or premier legal groups who defend religious liberties when they come under attack, or helps for pastors, and much more. We want to help equip you with what you need to become effective in influencing the culture.Click Here For Resources
HELPFUL LINKS
Today there are many opinions about Americaās Founders and the American Founding, but many of those opinions are wrong. Truth is based on facts, not opinions; original writings and documents help establish facts, and thus truth. In this section you will find original letters, signed works, artifacts, and other primary source material from our Founding Fathers and other significant historical figures. They provide a glimpse into everything from family life to religious faith, and education to politics. Whether itās things from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, or Dwight Eisenhower, you can see originals for yourself.Click Here For Resources
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
HISTORICAL SERMONS
Throughout our long history, one of the greatest influences on America has been what was taught from the pulpit. Sermons shaped the way Americans thought, and helped established our worldview on everything from the Bible and Jesus to law and government, and from economics and taxes to science and foreign affairs. For example, every right set forth in the Declaration of Independence had been preached from the pulpit prior to 1763! And historians specifically point to sermons by the Rev. John Wise (a pastor in the late 1600s and early 1700s) as providing much of the specific language that found its way into the Declaration. No wonder John Adams cited ministers as some of the key leaders in helping secure American independence. Over the years, WallBuilders has collected hundreds of old sermons that cover scores of topics. We encourage you to read some of these interesting sermons that helped shape American thinking and culture.Click Here For Resources
HISTORICAL SERMONS
Americans in previous generations were prolific writers. This is why there are some 100 volumes of the writings of George Washington. And John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and others also have scores of volumes of writings. This includes their letters, official papers, speeches, correspondence, memoirs, and diaries. In fact, John Quincy Adams kept a diary for 68 years, and for over two decades never missed a dayās entry in his diary! These writings provide insight into so many aspects of life and thinking in early America, and still have application to life today. WallBuildersā vast collection includes hundreds of such original speeches, writings, and addresses from political leaders and historical figures. In this section you can see what they said about things like Christians running for office, the importance of morality in government, what should be taught in education, and much more.Click Here For Resources
HISTORICAL WRITINGS
HISTORICAL WRITINGS
WallBuilders has tens of thousands of documents and artifacts from American history, and we are acquiring new items on a regular basis. These holdings are a treasure trove that we want to share, so David Barton and Timothy Barton regularly pull out items from the library/museum and cover them in short videos. Want to see original items from the Pony Express? Or World War II? Or artifacts from Americaās first war against Islamic terrorists (1784-1816)? Famous Bibles? Or maybe what Christmas was like in the White House? Or perhaps what āgun controlā meant in public schools in the 1960s (and wow does it have a different meaning from today!)? Maybe MLKās Ten Commandments of the Civil Rights movement? We have them all ā and much more; and we share them in these short videos, with new videos frequently added.Click Here For Resources
HISTORY VIGNETTES
HISTORY VIGNETTES
Many today believe that because our technology is so advanced and changing so rapidly that we face issues unknown to previous generations. But thatās true only on technology issues. For example, we think of abortion as a modern issue, but it was also openly dealt with by our Founding Fathers ā and even long before that. In fact, over 3,500 years ago, the Bible addressed the issue of killing unborn children in the womb. So the abortion issue is not new, only the technology surrounding it is. This is true with many of the issues we debate today. Even our Founding Fathers addressed the issue of homosexuals in the military, the rights of religious conscience, the creation-evolution debate, and much else that we still deal with. This section is filled with articles addressing many modern issues from a moral, religious, and constitutional perspective.Click Here For Resources
ISSUES & ARTICLES
ISSUES & ARTICLES
For many years, WallBuilders provided printed newsletters that had articles providing profound information on important historical events, issues, heroes, and holidays. This section houses the articles and content from older newsletters. (We continue to address these types of subjects today through email articles and features, so if this type of information is of interest to you, be sure to sign up for our periodic emails.)Click Here For Resources
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
For centuries, the American people and leaders believed that God answered the prayers of His people, and so we prayedāand we watched expectantly to recognize the hand of God when He did intervene in our affairs. For generations, our governors and presidents called us to pray, often with a call to prayer and fasting issued in the spring of each year, and a call to thanksgiving and praise in the fall. By 1815, there had been over 1,400 official government-issued calls to prayer in America, and there have been thousands more since 1815. We own hundreds of these original prayer proclamations (including from noted leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other Founding Fathers, presidents, and governors). In this section, youāll find historic proclamations, including the complete text of each proclamation as well as scans of many originals.Click Here For Resources
PROCLAMATIONS
PROCLAMATIONS
A study by Christian pollster George Barna showed that 79% of church members said that they wanted their pastor to preach sermons on "Christian heritageāthe role of faith in American history" and its "modern-day relevance." Thanksgiving presents one of the many wonderful opportunities throughout the year not only to teach the Bible and show its influence in American history but also that the lessons of our history still have relevance today. Did you know that our early colonists, such as the Pilgrims to whom we point to as the originators of our Thanksgiving holiday, relied on specific Bible teachings to establish civil elections, shape the judicial system, devise the free-market economic system, originate the first public schools, formulate the origins of the civil rights movement, and much else? This section provides resources to aid in creating a Thanksgiving lesson or sermon. You will also find historic Thanksgiving proclamations, sermons, articles, and much more.Click Here For Resources
THANKSGIVING
THANKSGIVING
Many aspects of Americaās religious and constitutional heritage are unknown today, sometimes from a lack of knowledge and other times because they have been the victims of historical revisionism. But this forgotten (or eliminated) information is important to each of us, especially to those who want to know the truth of our history and Constitution and how to apply its positive principles today. We periodically send out emails covering such topics, including the origins of various holidays, commemorations of important days (often from military history), famous forgotten women, chaplains, African Americans, political figures, educators, and others from our history as well as a look at current events from an historical perspective. We also have articles rebutting false historical claims made by professors, political leaders, and in news articles. This section houses these previous emails and is a rich source of information. (You can sign up to receive these periodic emails.)Click Here For Resources
UPDATES
UPDATES
An indispensable (but often neglected) aspect of a Christian citizenās duty in America is civic engagement, including voting. Excuses for not voting (or not addressing the importance of voting) range from citizens claiming that they donāt know enough about the candidates to vote intelligently, to pastors asserting that it is wrong for churches to be involved in political activities or that to be involved opens the church to legal action. This section addresses all of that. It provides links to voters guides as well as information from premier legal organizations providing guidance on what pastors and churches can and cannot do. Also included are numerous voting resourcesāshort videos that can be played in churches and groups or posted on your own social media as well as widgets for use in identifying your non-voting friends, and much more. This section equips you to become an effective and active steward of the political affairs of your government and your country.Click Here For Resources
VOTER RESOURCES
VOTER RESOURCES
WallBuilders’ Collection Tours
Because this is a working research library, WallBuilders offers tours of our collection by appointment only. Tours should be scheduled 2-4 weeks in advance. Availability is generally Monday-Friday between 10-3 CST. Please contact us for more information: [email protected] or 817.441.6044.
We have limited availability, so please have options for dates & times when contacting our office. Also, WallBuilders cannot accommodate tour groups larger than 25 people.
WallBuilders reserves the right to refuse to schedule tours for any reason.
Cost:
Adults — $5.50 each
Children: 7-13 — $3.50 each (must be accompanied by an adult)
Seniors (65+) — $3.50 each
Children: 6 & Under – Free (must be accompanied by an adult)
Active military members, veterans, or first responders, please ask about our special pricing.
Click Here For More Information