From the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education of the college to listeners across the country.

Here's your host, Scott Bertram.

Hello again, everybody, and welcome in to another edition of The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour.

On this episode, we'll talk with Matt Spalding from Hillsdale College,

about the Declaration of Independence and its importance today.

David Harsani from the Federalist on Warren Harding and the ranking of presidents.

Paul Ray from Hillsdale on

the American founding and General Robert Bean Nellar, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps at his 2019

commencement address at Hillsdale College. First, we're joined now by Dr. Matthew Spalding,

Associate Vice President and Dean of Educational Programs for the Alan P. Kirby Jr. Center for

Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. here at Hillsdale College. Thanks for

joining us. It's great to be with you, Scott. We are speaking on this Independence Day week,

celebrating just a couple of days ago, of course, on July 4th, lots of parades, lots of fireworks.

But what we're celebrating really is, of course, the birth of our country.

And I ask you, where does that really begin?

Well, that's a great question in itself.

And I would actually back up even slightly from that

and remind people how unusual it is that this country actually has a birthday.

You know, for, you know, think of Germany or France or many, for the area of the country in the world,

when we ask, when did that country begin,

it's actually hard from the pinpoint a specific date.

Germany began in the forest somewhere, the dark forest of Germany somewhere.

...