The National Center for Constitutional Studies (NCCS), formerly known as The Freemen Institute, is a conservative, religious-themed organization, founded by Latter-day Saint political writer W. Cleon Skousen.
According to the NCCS, the founding of the United States was a divine miracle. As such, the NCCS worldview and program are based on two major pillars: (1) understanding the divine guidance that has allowed the United States to thrive and (2) rejecting what it views as the sometimes tyrannical or sinful deviations of the modern U.S. federal government from that divine mold.[ citation needed ]
The center had its origins when in 1967 Skousen, a professor at Brigham Young University, organized an off-campus institute for constitutional studies. In 1971, this was formerly christened as The Freemen Institute. It was later given its current name and its headquarters moved to Washington, D.C. [1]
The center ran conferences in the 1980s and 1990s through a non-profit it controlled called "The Making of America Conferences, Inc." Board members of this non-profit included Skousen, William H. Doughty, Donald N. Sills, and Glenn Kimber. Impeached Arizona governor Evan Mecham was also a regular donor to the center. [2]
In the early 1990s, an effort to build a conservative community in Southern Utah to house the center collapsed amid the developer's unfulfilled promises.
The current CEO and chairman of the board is Zeldon Nelson [3] Previous chairmen were:
In 1987, controversy erupted in California over the NCCS-published textbook The Making of America by W. Cleon Skousen. The book quoted a 1934 essay on slavery by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Fred Albert Shannon that described black children as "pickaninnies"; another section stated that life for white Southerners was "a nightmare" due to "the constant fear of slave rebellion", and claimed that white slave owners were "the worst victims of slavery". [4] The state's bicentennial commission had approved the sale of the book as a fundraising device to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the United States Constitution.
Gary K. Hart and Willie Brown demanded that then-Governor George Deukmejian fire the three members of the Bicentennial Commission who had cast "yes" votes on the sale of the book. The controversy was resolved after the commission issued an apology, stating that it had made a "serious error in judgment" by approving the sale of the book. [4] [5]
A 2011 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center said that the NCCS had found a number of new organizational allies among "constitutionalist" groups such as the John Birch Society, the Eagle Forum, and the Oath Keepers. [6] Additionally, in the media, the NCCS "found a powerful voice in the form of Glenn Beck, who is a Mormon himself and used his Fox News platform to advocate for NCCS books and ideas. Through Beck's sustained and energetic advocacy, once-forgotten NCCS tracts... such as The 5,000 Year Leap have become unlikely bestsellers... Since the rise of the Tea Party Movement, the all-volunteer NCCS has experienced exploding interest from Tea Party-affiliated groups such as the 9.12 Project and the Tea Party Patriots. On any given Saturday, several of nearly twenty "Making of America" NCCS lecturers are giving seminars" across the United States. [6]
At a 2010 seminar presented by the NCCS, participants were told that the Constitution came directly from a governmental system adopted by Moses and much later by the legendary Anglo-Saxon brothers Hengist and Horsa and then copied by Thomas Jefferson. Among other things specific to the amendments of the Constitution they were told that by giving women the vote the 19th Amendment violated states' rights. [7]
Brigham Young was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as church president, Young led his followers, the Mormon pioneers, west from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley. He founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. Young also worked to establish the learning institutions that would later become the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. A polygamist, Young had at least 56 wives and 57 children. He formalized the prohibition of black men attaining priesthood, and led the church in the Utah War against the United States.
The First Book of Nephi: His Reign and Ministry, usually referred to as First Nephi or 1 Nephi, is the first book of the Book of Mormon, the sacred text of churches within the Latter Day Saint Movement, and one of four books with the name Nephi. First Nephi tells the story of his family's escape from Jerusalem prior to the exile to Babylon, struggle to survive in the wilderness, and building a ship and sailing to the "promised land", commonly interpreted by Mormons as the Americas. The book is composed of two intermingled genres; one a historical narrative describing the events and conversations that occurred and the other a recounting of visions, sermons, poetry, and doctrinal discourses as shared by either Nephi or Lehi to members of the family.
Glenn Lee Beck is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and radio network TheBlaze. He hosts the Glenn Beck Radio Program, a talk-radio show nationally syndicated on Premiere Radio Networks. Beck also hosts the Glenn Beck television program, which ran from January 2006 to October 2008 on HLN, from January 2009 to June 2011 on Fox News and now airs on TheBlaze. Beck has authored six New York Times–bestselling books.
Evan Mecham was an American businessman and the 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5, 1987, until his impeachment conviction on April 4, 1988. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham was a automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher.
Joseph Bracken Lee was an American political figure in the state of Utah. A Republican, he served two terms as the ninth governor of Utah (1949–1957), six two-year terms as mayor of Price, Utah (1935–1947), and three terms as the 27th mayor of Salt Lake City (1960–1971).
Willard Cleon Skousen was an American conservative author associated with the John Birch Society. In addition to his role as a notable anti-communist and supporter of the John Birch Society, Skousen had a significant influence on Mormonism. He served as a prominent figure within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, contributing to Mormon literature and theology. Skousen's works often reflected his Mormon beliefs and included discussions on Mormon eschatology, which is the study of the end times according to LDS Church teachings. While his writings covered a wide range of subjects including the Six-Day War, New World Order conspiracies, and parenting, his influence within Mormonism stemmed from his interpretations of LDS doctrine and his efforts to promote conservative values within the faith community. Despite his association with the John Birch Society, Skousen's impact on Mormonism is a significant aspect of his legacy within both religious and political spheres. Two of his most popular works, "The Five Thousand Year Leap" and "The Naked Communist," also resonated with audiences within the LDS community, further solidifying his influence in both realms.
The Book of Mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the King James Bible (KJV). In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the Book of Mormon. Sometimes the quotation is explicit, as in the Second Book of Nephi, which contains 18 quoted chapters of the Book of Isaiah.
The historicity of the Book of Mormon is the historical actuality of persons and events that are written in it, meaning the quality of it being part of history instead of being a historical myth, legend, or fiction. Most, but not all, Latter Day Saints hold the book's connection to ancient American history as an article of their faith. This view finds no confirmation outside of the movement in the broader scientific and academic communities. Relevant archaeological, historical, and scientific facts are not consistent with the Book of Mormon being an ancient record of actual historical events.
Joel M. Skousen is an American author of books on survivalism and candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election for the Constitution Party.
Glenn Kimber is an American author and educator. He founded Kimber Academy, a network of private schools, and is a prominent figure among U.S. homeschooling families.
The Institute for Constitutional Education (ICE) was a conservative constitutionalist organization operating in Southern Utah from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. It was formerly part of the National Center for Constitutional Studies and was later renamed "Families for America". The institute produced summer seminars at its facility in Duck Creek, Utah. The school George Wythe College was formed as a subsidiary of ICE in 1992, and control was later transferred to Coral Ridge Baptist University.
The Naked Communist is a 1958 anti-communist book by W. Cleon Skousen, a former FBI employee. The book has been reprinted several times and it has sold almost two million copies as of 2017.
The Five Thousand Year Leap: Twenty-Eight Great Ideas That Are Changing the World is a book that was published in 1981 by American Mormon author and attorney W. Cleon Skousen. The book asserts that the United States prospered because it was established upon universal natural law principles that had been passed down from common law and traditional Judeo-Christian morality, as many of the Founding Fathers had been guided by the Bible, among others. Thus, the book asserts that the U.S. Constitution incorporates enlightened ideas.
Paul Skousen is a son of W. Cleon Skousen, and is a writer of books including The Naked Socialist. He has written other books aimed at the Latter Day Saint market.
The White Horse Prophecy is the popular name of an influential but disputed version of a statement on the future of the Latter Day Saints and the United States. It was given by Edwin Rushton in about 1900, and supposedly made in 1843 by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance is a 2010 book by investigative reporter Alexander Zaitchik. Released in June 2010, the book attempts to critically explain the life story and phenomenon of conservative host Glenn Beck.
The Restoring Honor rally was held August 28, 2010, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was organized by Glenn Beck to "restore honor in America" and to raise funds for the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Billed as a "celebration of America's heroes and heritage," several veterans were honored. Along with Beck, the speakers included former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and activist Alveda King, a niece of Martin Luther King Jr.
Jay Atwell Parry is an American author. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his LDS nonfiction and his books about George Washington.
William Daniel Johnson is an American white nationalist, attorney, and the chairman of the American Freedom Party.
The Latter Day Saint movement has had varying and conflicting teachings on slavery. Early converts were initially from the Northern United States and opposed slavery, believing that their opposition was supported by Mormon scripture. After the church base moved to the slave state of Missouri and gained Southern converts, church leaders began to enslave people. New scriptures instructing Latter-Day Saints not to intervene in the lives of the enslaved people were revealed. A few enslavers joined the church, and when they moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, they illegally took their enslaved people with them, even though Illinois was a free state.