Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Christian nationalist pseudo-historian father-son duo David and Tim Barton published a book entitled "Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor" featuring short biographies of the 56 men who signed the Declaration in 1776.
The Bartons have been making the rounds of conservative Christian media promoting the book and, predictably, David Barton has not been letting historical accuracy get in the way of the right-wing narrative that he wants to promote.
Last week, Barton appeared on "The Jenny Beth Show," hosted by Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin, where he misrepresented why Robert Morris eventually wound up bankrupt and in debtors' prison so that he could create the impression that all the Founding Fathers were willing to selflessly sacrifice everything they had on behalf of the American Revolution.
"When they gave their word, they kept their word," Barton said. "Back then we had debtors' jails. Now, this doesn't make any sense, but it was the way the world did it. If you were in debt and couldn't pay, they put you in prison until you paid your debt. Well, if you're in prison, you can't work. You don't have a job. There's no way you can make income. How are you gonna pay the debt off if you're in prison? But they had debtors' prisons."
"And so you'll find the people like Robert Morris and other Founding Fathers," Barton continued. "Nobody would give America a loan in those early years. I mean, who would? If 56 guys say, 'I'm gonna take on Russia and overthrow Russia,' we'd say, 'You're crazy and we're not gonna back your revolution.' Nobody was giving loans to the Founding Fathers, so they took it out of their own pockets. And in doing so, the American government was unable to pay them back. We didn't have money to operate. There were times where no soldier got paid for months on end. We just didn't have the money. And so what happened, these guys, the Founding Fathers were in debt when the war ended, and they get thrown in debtors' prison because they can't pay their debts. Well, they voluntarily gave it all for America, but they still go to debtors' prison like Robert Morris and others."
"So that tells me that they were willing to do that," Barton added. "They didn't complain about being there. They understood what was going on, that's the way the law is written, and it just tells me a whole lot about their commitment and their willingness. They counted the cost before they got there, and there's not a single instance of even one of them even slightly backing up on having given their word. Nobody regretted it."
Contrary to Barton's assertion, America was able to secure loans from France, Spain, and private bankers in the Netherlands to help finance the Revolution.
As for Morris, while he did play an absolutely vital role in financing the Revolution, that did not figure into his eventual bankruptcy, which did not occur until 15 years after the war had ended.
Following the war, Morris resumed his merchant trading and investment businesses and even served in Congress. His financial downfall was ultimately caused by rampant land speculation and the construction of an enormous and opulent home in Philadelphia, as historian Ryan K. Smith, author of "Robert Morris's Folly: The Architectural and Financial Failures of an American Founder" explained in 2017:
As Right Wing Watch has explained countless times, Barton's disregard for the truth and indifference about presenting accurate history is obvious in the countless false claims that he makes regarding the supposedly Christian foundation of our country. And this matters because the pseudo-history Barton presents has been highly influential to powerful figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Congress. Furthermore, Barton has been responsible for shaping Trump administration actions, especially surrounding the celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary, which has been steeped in precisely the Christian nationalist pseudo-history that Barton ceaselessly promotes.
