“Standing up for what you believe in is always difficult,” Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch told USA TODAY, speaking about his new children’s book about the American Revolution.
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WASHINGTON – The history of this nation is on the walls of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s courtroom.
A portrait of James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, faces paintings depicting Revolutionary War battles at Lexington and Bunker Hill.
For Gorsuch, these are reminders of Founding Father John Adams’ point that future generations will never know how much it cost to preserve our freedoms.
One-third of the homes of signers of the Declaration of Independence were destroyed by British troops. All risked rebellion to support a cause that deeply divided the colonists and even separated Benjamin Franklin and his son.
“Most of us would like to think we had the courage to stand on the side of freedom,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY in a written response to questions. “But the reality is that it’s always difficult to stand up for what you believe in.”
The courage and sacrifice of not only the Founding Fathers but also the lesser-known colonists are the subject of a new children’s book, “Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence,” by Gorsuch and co-author Janie Nitze.
As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary,th On his birthday, Gorsuch answered written questions from USA TODAY about the book, how his British-born wife views the revolution, what he read as a child and how humility was a virtue for the founding fathers and Supreme Court justices.
Below is an excerpt of that exchange.
superheroes are not superhumans
Gorsuch wants young people to understand that heroes are not superhumans.
“Most of us know George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY.
One of them was Emily Geiger. At the age of 18, he volunteered to ride across enemy-held territory on horseback to deliver a message to a revolutionary general. When she was captured by British forces, Ms. Geiger memorized the message, swallowed the paper it was written on, and managed to escape to deliver the message.
James Armistead Lafayette was a slave who served as a double agent for Washington’s army, providing vital intelligence to the army during the Battle of Yorktown.
Richard Lord Jones joined the Continental Army as a sergeant at the age of 10 and experienced many of the same hardships that other soldiers faced.
“He wasn’t a superhero. He was just like any of us,” Gorsuch said. Gorsuch’s ancestry includes British colonists who fought for independence.
Why Gorsuch admires ‘fat, bald and obnoxious’ John Adams
Many of the people and stories he wrote about, even details about famous figures, were new to the judiciary.
Gorsuch was excited by the “friendly discussion” between Adams and Jefferson over who should write the Declaration of Independence. We both thought we should do it.
Adams was able to persuade Jefferson to undertake this monumental task for several reasons. Jefferson was from Virginia, the most populous colony. Jefferson was a better writer. And, as Adams himself admitted, it was “offensive, suspicious, and unpopular.”
“What a great story. The combination of humility and strategy on Adams’ part to get Jefferson to pick up the pen,” Gorsuch told USA TODAY. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”
In fact, Gorsuch said that of all the people profiled in the book, he would probably like to be Adams the most.
“Who wouldn’t want to be George Washington? And who wouldn’t want to be a fat, bald, obnoxious John Adams? But I think I’d choose John Adams anyway,” Gorsuch said during a recent discussion of his book at the Nixon Library. “I think he was looking ahead.”
Gorsuch’s own humble moment
The book humanizes the Founding Fathers by including personal details, such as Jefferson letting his pet mockingbird take food from his mouth. Adams was very frugal, so his friends bought him nicer clothes.
So USA TODAY asked justices who joined the Supreme Court in 2017 for personal details that should be included in a book about the court.
Gorsuch recalled that he joined the Colorado bar 20 years ago as a newly appointed appellate court judge. Unaccustomed to the standard black polyester choir uniform worn by American judges, Mr. Gorsuch tripped as he climbed the steps to the bench. Some of the documents he was carrying went flying, and his face “turned red with embarrassment.”
Later, when he told his wife Louise what had happened, she replied: “Oh, Neil, don’t you know? You have to pull your hem up when you go up the stairs.”
“Looking back, a little humility was the right way to start the job of a judge,” Gorsuch said.
Why Gorsuch’s British-born wife makes fun of him
Gorsuch said his wife, whom he met while studying abroad in England, is “proudly British by birth and proud to be an American by choice.” She became a citizen in 2002.
“That said, even though Louise has a deep love for America, she likes to tease me from time to time by pointing out how much we owe to England on various levels, right down to the names of states and cities like New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Plymouth,” Gorsuch said. “After all, the colonists were British, and the two countries shared a common culture, language, and customs.”
These common characteristics, he added, “made the Declaration of Independence all the more difficult, difficult, and all the more remarkable.”
What Gorsuch read as a child
Gorsuch said she was lucky to have a Great Books program at her middle school. In addition to regular English classes, he read one book a month and met with students from other schools to discuss it.
“This show has introduced us to greats like CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and George Orwell – authors that all young readers should explore,” he said.
“It’s up to each of us individually.”
Gorsuch was an elementary school student in Denver when the nation celebrated its bicentennial.th Anniversary.
He saw young people struggling when they returned from Vietnam. President Richard Nixon had just resigned due to the Watergate scandal.
“Yet people came together in remarkable ways for the 200th anniversary,” the judge said. “I remember my neighbors painting 13 American flags on their red Volkswagen buses, representing the original 13 colonies. ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’ inspired my generation to think about the Declaration, the Revolution, and the Constitution. Newspapers and books retold our history.”
Gorsuch said he hopes the country reaches 250.th The anniversary will similarly prompt Americans to consider the “three perfect ideals” of equality, liberty, and self-government embodied in the Declaration of Independence.
“These ideals speak to the heart of every human being and belong to each of us,” he said. “And it is up to each of us to hold onto them for a long time.”
