![]() In his iconic speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” Douglass notes that the promises of liberty and equality in the Declaration are eternal, even if America broke those promises. My favorite piece of art in my chambers is an oil painting of Frederick Douglass. He described equal liberty as a gift “not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time.” 6 The Declaration was a linchpin argument for abolitionists, and the Supreme Court feebly tried to explain it away in Dred Scott. Lincoln would not abandon them even to avoid civil war. America is imperfect, as all human things are.Įven so, the Declaration’s underlying ideals are timeless, and they are winning out. One-third of the Declaration’s signers were slave owners. It is undeniable that at the Founding, the ideals collided with the reality, America’s original sin of slavery. Amid today’s pandemic is something endemic: a deep misunderstanding of American self-government. staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” And frankly, Washington was pessimistic, confiding to another delegate, “I do not expect the Constitution to last for more than 20 years.” 5īut civic illiteracy - obliviousness to the “what” and “why” of America - accelerates disattachment. Washington made clear in his first inaugural address that this is on us: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are. The Father of the Country would be dismayed. Elizabeth Powel, who blurted out, “Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” And Franklin delivered his sharp-witted rejoinder, “A republic, if you can keep it.” 3 The survival of freedom depends on people, not parchment.Įleven years earlier, the Declaration - our original birth announcement the greatest breakup letter of all time - had proclaimed that we wanted government, as Lincoln put it four score and seven years later, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” 4 Our Founders, imperfect but inspired, aimed for something transcendent: not to enshrine a process - democracy - but to enshrine a promise - liberty.įast forward 200-plus years, and most Americans now say they do not trust any branch of government. A triumphant Franklin exited Independence Hall and was approached by Mrs. ![]() Related Reading: Involve, Inform, Inspire by Rebecca Fanning But Franklin, 81 years old, flexed his considerable diplomatic skills and implored his fellow delegates to “doubt a little of his own infallibility.” “The older I grow,” said Franklin, “the more apt I am to doubt my own Judgment, and to pay more Respect to the Judgment of others.” 2 We could all use a refreshing dose of that intellectual modesty today - more humility and less superiority. ![]() He wanted federal judges to be elected, for example. On the Constitutional Convention’s final day, Benjamin Franklin delivered the last great speech of his life, urging adoption of the new constitution “with all its faults.” And Franklin found plenty of faults. The former colonies had yet to coalesce into a country. And like most Philly crowds, it was tense. Two hundred thirty-five years ago, a throng of Philadelphians waited outside Independence Hall. 1 But truth be told, our nation still has an abysmal civics IQ. According to a 2021 survey, 51 percent of American adults can now name all three branches of government - up from 39 percent in 2020 (which was previously the all-time high). Arguably, the most normal part of recent times has been Tiger King.īut we look for silver linings where we can. America has endured a confluence of overlapping crises: pandemic, recession, impeachment, social unrest. ![]() The past few years have been a wild ride, and I say that as a former rodeo cowboy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |