At the risk of sounding like a Philosophy 101 college professor lecturing on the metaphysical … Why publish a People’s Convoy Commemorative Magazine?
After all, quality journalism and photography is a lot of work, not to mention design layout, editing protocol, printing logistics, content distribution, cash flow management, and other tasks required to “publish”.
The historian in me would posit that since mankind first learned to communicate in a written format, all significant human social movements have been documented in some form of writing and or publication … as opposed to relying on the “oral tradition” of days gone by.
Examples of monumental writings or publications that have either chronicled or spurred new social movements include: The Ten Commandments, The Code of Hammurabi, The Magna Carta, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”, The U.S. Declaration of Independence, Mein Kampf, Roe v. Wade, and Transcripts of the Nuremberg Trials.
Continuing the theme of the importance of written documents, in the spring of 1787, 12 states (Rhode Island deferred) sent delegates to a convention in Philadelphia to “fix” the Articles of Confederation, which had proven woefully inadequate for the new nation. The original stated purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation to “render the federal government adequate to the exigencies of Government and the preservation of the Union.”
The Constitutional Convention and the document that it produced was arguably the most important event in United States Constitutional history. There were 14 original manuscript copies of the Constitution signed in 1787 – one for the federal government and one for each of the 13 states. Twelve of the 14 copies are known to have survived. Two copies, those of the federal government and Delaware, are on public display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C.
So why is it important that the stories and photos of America’s Convoy be committed to print in 2022?
- Publishing allows for the documentation of the Convoy movement and message to be communicated and distributed to the American citizenry at large.
- There is something “tangible” about being able to touch, hold, feel, view, carry, read, and re-read something in print, even in this digital age; in fact, those who study this phenomenon indicate significantly higher levels of both engagement and retention with published material over that of digital material.
- Each person who participated in the numerous Convoys throughout America represented tens of thousands of Americans at home who could not take time off from work and join for the full journey. Other folks either had family responsibilities that precluded extended travel or did not have the financial wherewithal to journey cross country; however, the turnout of Overpass Patriots (OPP) was spectacular and greatly appreciated!
