History Book - West Point’s first roll call

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, March 14th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up: the WORLD History Book. This week marks the 120th anniversary of one of the U.S. military’s most cherished institutions, and today we also celebrate a golden anniversary, so to speak.

EICHER: But first, 350 years ago this week, the English king issues a law promoting religious freedom. Katie Gaultney is out for a few weeks, so here’s WORLD correspondent—and historian—Collin Garbarino:

MONTEVERDI’S “CANZONETTE D’AMORE”

COLLIN GARBARINO, CORRESPONDENT: On March 15, 1672, King Charles II of England issued the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, giving Catholics and nonconformist Protestants religious freedom. During the 16th-century Reformation, King Henry VIII, along with Parliament, created the Church of England, and over the next hundred years England passed a series of laws punishing Christians who didn’t conform to the Church of England—like congregationalists, Baptists, and Catholics. Many nonconformists, like John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, found themselves imprisoned for their ideas, but Charles’s declaration allowed them to be released. Today, we cherish the ideal of religious freedom, but as historian Kate Williams explains, not everyone in the 17th century felt the same way.

KATE WILLIAMS: In April 1672, just a month after the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, England and France declared war on the Netherlands. It did not go according to plan. The money promised by France to Charles was not enough to cover the military expenses. The king was forced to recall Parliament, and it contained many members who were fiercely opposed to the Royal Declaration. They deemed it far too generous to Catholics, and they now had the king in a bind. Parliament refused to fund the war until the declaration was withdrawn. Charles had to comply.

A decade later though, Charles’s younger brother James II was king—and openly Roman Catholic. James issued a similar declaration of toleration, and the ensuing outcry of protest helped spark the Glorious Revolution. James fled England and Parliament gave his throne to his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. William and Mary granted toleration to most Protestants in England, but Catholics would have to wait another 100 years before gaining basic freedoms, with some social liabilities persisting until the 20th Century.

From short-lived religious freedom in England, to celebrating the birthday of an institution that helps protect our freedoms in America.

[“On, Brave Old Army Team”]

On March 16th, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed the Military Peace Establishment Act. Besides outlining a number of regulations for the young republic’s army, the act created a corps of army engineers who quote “when so organized, shall be stationed at West Point in the state of New York and shall constitute a military academy.” West Point—the home of the new military academy—had been a fortress on the Hudson River during the Revolutionary War.

Times have changed over the last 220 years, but things at West Point change a little more slowly. While some schools chase the latest educational fads, the Military Academy has used the same method of teaching for more than 100 years—a method first introduced by Superintendent Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. Cdt. James Tyler explains what it’s like to study at West Point.

Cdt. James Tyler: So, we have something here called the Thayer Method, which is how all of our classes operate. We first do our reading on the topic that we’re going to be discussing the night before. So we actually learn everything that’s going to be talked about before we go to class.

Since its founding, West Point has produced more than 60,000 graduates, including two U.S. Presidents. Around West Point, they like to say, “Much of the history we teach was made by people we taught.”

From the gold standard in military education, we move to achieving gold in the music business.

Sixty-four years ago today, the Recording Industry Association of America, better known as RIAA, awarded its first gold record to Perry Como for his hit single “Catch a Falling Star.”

[“Catch a Falling Star”]

“Catch a Falling Star” proved to be Como’s last No. 1 hit, but RIAA was just getting started. Less than a decade later, Elvis Presley and The Beatles would begin racking up awards making them RIAA’s most decorated artists.

[“How Great Thou Art”]

Early on, RIAA certified music as “gold” when a recording made a million dollars. But as the music industry changed, so did the awards. Eventually, Gold represented 500,000 recordings sold. In 1976, RIAA added its Platinum award for recordings that had sold in excess of a million units. And in 1999, they added the Diamond award for selling more than 10 million.

But today, who buys music when there’s Spotify? In 2016, RIAA shifted its approach. It began counting every 100 listens on a streaming service as one unit sold, allowing them to keep handing out those multi-platinum awards in spite of the industry’s declining sales.

ALOE BLACC - I NEED A DOLLAR

That’s this week’s WORLD Radio History Book. I’m Collin Garbarino.

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