Truth Detective: Hidden History

Learn to spot facts from fiction like a real detective!

Ages 8-12

How to Use This Workbook

Become a Truth Detective using the 4 Rs!

RECEIVE Read and learn the facts
REFLECT Answer detective questions
RECALL Draw what you discovered
RESPOND Test and apply the truth!

"Test everything; hold fast what is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

1What Is a Truth Detective?

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

A Truth Detective doesn't believe everything they're told. They check the facts! Just like a detective looks for evidence, we look for proof before believing stories about history.

"Test everything; hold fast what is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

There are three kinds of stories about history:

A good Truth Detective always asks: "Where is the proof? Who wrote it down? Can we check the original source?"

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

1. What does a Truth Detective do?

2. What is a "verified fact"?

True or False? Circle one:

3. The Bible tells us to test everything.

4. Everything in school textbooks is always 100% correct.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw yourself as a Truth Detective with a magnifying glass looking for facts!

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

2The Founding Fathers: Fact vs. Fiction

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

The men who started America are called the "Founding Fathers." Some people say things about them that aren't true. Let's be Truth Detectives and find the facts!

George Washington was a Freemason. We know because the lodge records prove it. He joined in Virginia on November 4, 1752 when he was 20 years old.
Benjamin Franklin was also a Freemason. He even became Grand Master of Pennsylvania Masons in 1734.
Thomas Jefferson was NOT a Freemason. Many people say he was, but there are NO lodge records anywhere proving it.
John Adams was NOT a Freemason either. He actually opposed secret societies later in life.
Not everything people repeat is true. The proof: SOME Founders were Masons, but NOT ALL of them. Check the records!

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

5. Was George Washington a Freemason?

6. Was Thomas Jefferson a Freemason?

True or False? Circle one:

7. ALL the Founding Fathers were Freemasons.

8. We can check old lodge records to find out who was really a member.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw a "Fact" check mark next to Washington and an "X" (myth) next to Jefferson about being Masons.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

3The Great Seal: Who Really Designed It?

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

The Great Seal of the United States has an eye and a pyramid on the back of the dollar bill. Some people say Freemasons designed it as a secret symbol. Let's check the facts!

The Truth: THREE different committees (1776-1782) designed the seal.
1776: First committee - Franklin (Mason), Jefferson (NOT a Mason), Adams (NOT a Mason)
1780: Second committee - ALL four members were NOT Masons
1782: Third committee - ALL three members were NOT Masons
The Eye of Providence (the eye in the triangle) was suggested by Pierre Du Simitière - who was NOT a Mason! Charles Thomson, who put all the ideas together, was also NOT a Mason.
The committee records still exist. We can read exactly who suggested what. Only ONE Mason (Franklin) was on only ONE committee, and his idea (Moses parting the Red Sea) was rejected!
This is a case where checking the actual records proves the popular story wrong. The "Masonic Great Seal" is a myth!

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

9. How many committees designed the Great Seal?

10. Who suggested the Eye of Providence symbol?

True or False? Circle one:

11. Benjamin Franklin's idea of Moses parting the Red Sea was used on the seal.

12. The committee records still exist today.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw the three committees (1776, 1780, 1782) as three groups working on the seal.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

4The Secret Island Meeting

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

In 1910, a group of powerful bankers met in secret on an island called Jekyll Island in Georgia. They didn't want anyone to know they were meeting!

This really happened! One of the men who was there, Frank Vanderlip, wrote about it later in his own book. He said they used fake names so reporters wouldn't know who they were.
What Happened:
November 1910: Secret meeting on Jekyll Island
Who was there: Senators, bankers from big banks
Why secret: They knew people would be upset if they knew
December 1913: The Federal Reserve Act passed into law
"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known." - Luke 8:17
This isn't a "conspiracy theory" - the people who were there admitted it! Sometimes important decisions happen in secret, and we only find out later.

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

13. Did the Jekyll Island meeting really happen?

14. Why did the men use fake names?

True or False? Circle one:

15. Frank Vanderlip was a person who was at the meeting and later wrote about it.

16. Sometimes important meetings happen in secret.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw an island with a secret meeting happening (people around a table).

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

5Skull and Bones: A Real Secret Society

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

At Yale University, there is a real secret society called Skull and Bones. It started in 1832 and only accepts 15 new members each year.

Two presidents were members: George H.W. Bush (inducted 1948) and his son George W. Bush (inducted 1968). This is public record!
In 2004, BOTH candidates for president (Bush and Kerry) were Skull and Bones members. When asked about it on TV, they both refused to talk about it.
Skull and Bones is real and documented. Members come from the same university, become friends, and sometimes help each other get powerful jobs. The question is: should secret groups choose our leaders?
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." - Ephesians 5:11

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

17. When was Skull and Bones started?

18. How many presidents were Skull and Bones members?

True or False? Circle one:

19. In 2004, both presidential candidates were from the same secret society.

20. Skull and Bones is just a made-up story with no proof.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw the year 1832 and the words "Yale University" with a question mark about secret groups.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

6Scientists with Secrets

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

After World War II ended in 1945, America wanted Germany's best scientists. So they started a secret program called Operation Paperclip.

About 1,600 German scientists came to America through this program. Some of them had done bad things during the war, but the government changed their records to hide this.
Wernher von Braun led the German rocket program. After the war, he came to America and helped build the rockets that took astronauts to the moon!
This is verified by declassified (no longer secret) government documents. The program was real, and about 120 of these scientists worked for NASA.
Key Numbers:
1,600: Total scientists brought to America
120: Worked for NASA
1945-1959: Years the program ran

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

21. What was Operation Paperclip?

22. How many German scientists came through Operation Paperclip?

True or False? Circle one:

23. Some scientists' records were changed to hide bad things they did.

24. We know about Operation Paperclip because documents were declassified.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw a rocket with "Made with help from Paperclip scientists" written on it.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

7When the Government Admitted Wrongdoing

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

In 1975, a special committee in Congress discovered that the government had done secret experiments on people without telling them. The program was called MK Ultra.

This is verified fact. The Church Committee (named after Senator Frank Church) found documents proving the experiments happened from 1953-1973.
The head of the CIA had ordered most of the documents destroyed in 1973. But 20,000 pages were accidentally saved in the wrong filing cabinet!
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age." - Ephesians 6:12
Sometimes governments do things they shouldn't. That's why Truth Detectives are important! And remember - even when documents are destroyed, truth often finds a way to come out.

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

25. Who discovered the secret program?

26. How many pages of documents were accidentally saved?

True or False? Circle one:

27. Someone tried to destroy all the documents.

28. The truth came out anyway because of saved documents.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw a filing cabinet with hidden documents being found.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

8Groups That Influence Leaders

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

Some groups help decide who becomes a leader. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) started in 1921. Since 1940, almost every Secretary of State has been a member!

The Trilateral Commission was started in 1973. Just 4 years later, in 1977, President Carter filled almost all his top jobs with members of this group!
Carter's Cabinet (1977):
President Jimmy Carter - Trilateral member
Vice President Walter Mondale - Trilateral member
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance - Trilateral member
National Security Advisor Brzezinski - Trilateral founder!
This is all public record. The question isn't "is this true?" (it is!). The question is: "Should small private groups pick most of our leaders?"

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

29. When was the CFR started?

30. How many years was the Trilateral Commission founded before staffing Carter's cabinet?

True or False? Circle one:

31. Almost every Secretary of State since 1940 has been a CFR member.

32. These facts are easily checked in public records.

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw a group of people around a table, with lines going out to different government buildings.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

9Verified vs. Myth: The Big Test

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

Now you know how to tell verified facts from myths! Let's practice sorting them out.

VERIFIED:
MYTHS:
"The truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
Real Truth Detectives admit when they're wrong. It's better to correct a mistake than to keep believing something false!

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle VERIFIED or MYTH:

33. "All Founding Fathers were Masons"

34. "Skull and Bones members became presidents"

35. "The Great Seal was designed by Masons"

36. "Operation Paperclip brought German scientists to America"

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw two columns: "VERIFIED" with a checkmark and "MYTH" with an X. Add one fact to each.

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

10Being a Truth Detective for Life

RECEIVE - Learn About It!

You've learned to tell facts from myths! Now you can be a Truth Detective for the rest of your life. Here are your detective tools:

The Truth Detective's Toolkit:
  1. Ask "Where's the proof?" - Demand evidence
  2. Check original sources - Don't trust copies of copies
  3. Question who benefits - Why is this story being told?
  4. Admit when you're wrong - Update your beliefs with new facts
  5. Trust Scripture first - Yahuah's Word is our foundation
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
Remember: Some "conspiracy theories" turn out to be true (Jekyll Island, MK Ultra). Some popular stories turn out to be false (Masonic Great Seal). The key is checking the evidence!

REFLECT - Answer the Questions!

Circle the right answer:

37. What should a Truth Detective do when proven wrong?

38. What should be our ultimate source of truth?

True or False? Circle one:

39. Some things people call "conspiracy theories" are actually true.

40. A good Truth Detective always checks the evidence before believing.

Match the Detective Skill to its Description:

A. Check original sources | B. Ask "Where's the proof?" | C. Trust Scripture first

___ Yahuah's Word is our foundation

___ Demand evidence before believing

___ Don't trust copies of copies

RECALL - Draw What You Learned!

Draw yourself as a Truth Detective with your toolkit (magnifying glass, Bible, checklist)!

RESPOND - Do It With a Parent!

Answer Key

Lesson 1: 1-B, 2-B, 3-TRUE, 4-FALSE

Lesson 2: 5-A, 6-B, 7-FALSE, 8-TRUE

Lesson 3: 9-B, 10-A, 11-FALSE, 12-TRUE

Lesson 4: 13-B, 14-A, 15-TRUE, 16-TRUE

Lesson 5: 17-A, 18-B, 19-TRUE, 20-FALSE

Lesson 6: 21-A, 22-B, 23-TRUE, 24-TRUE

Lesson 7: 25-A, 26-A, 27-TRUE, 28-TRUE

Lesson 8: 29-A, 30-B, 31-TRUE, 32-TRUE

Lesson 9: 33-MYTH, 34-VERIFIED, 35-MYTH, 36-VERIFIED

Lesson 10: 37-B, 38-B, 39-TRUE, 40-TRUE | Matching: C, B, A

TRUTH CARRIERS ACADEMY

"Test everything; hold fast what is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

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