Is America Still Free? By Fiona Nave Member, Stillwater Republican Women Is America Still Free? (Article appeared in the July 17, 2014 issue of the Stillwater County News) By Fiona Nave Member, Stillwater Republican Women The Founders’ Principles of Liberty It is a fairly common news device for a reporter to ask “people on the street” questions about a whole range of topics, including mathematics, American history, politics and current news stories. It is disheartening to witness the lack of knowledge displayed by young people when asked about the constitution and the founding of our country. They don’t seem to understand the purpose of the document, the powers granted to the government or the origins of liberty that the founders sought to preserve. These fundamental principles explain who we are as Americans and why we attach importance to certain ideas. This series of articles is an attempt to provide bits of fact and historical context to help improve the general understanding of the founding period. To begin, let’s look a little at the founders as a group. They had all been brought up under English Law in essentially a British culture. Yet they rejected much of the governmental structure of England in favor of a Republic unlike any before. In 1984 a detailed study was made by American Political Science Review of the thousands of political writings and speeches that were made and given during the founding period (sometimes called the Revolutionary period) between 1760 and 1805. The point was to determine who and what most influenced the thinking of the founders. Study results showed that the Bible was overwhelmingly the most quoted source, especially the Book of Deuteronomy. The next most cited sources were the philosophers Baron Charles de Montesquieu, William Blackstone and John Locke. In addition, there were 33 other authors and thinkers from ancient times to the then-present. The founders were not unsophisticated rustics who managed to put together a document that was applicable only to their era. They were educated and persistent men who understood the significance of their task. As a result, 28 Principles of Liberty, as listed in The 5000 Year Leap, were defined that the founders believed would form the only sure foundation for the government of a free people: 1. The only reliable basis for a sound government and just human relations is Natural Law. 2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong. 3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders. 4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained. 5. All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible. 6. All men are created equal. 7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things. 8. Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. 9. To protect man’s rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law. 10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people. 11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical. 12. The United States of America shall be a republic. 13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers. 14. Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right of property is secure. 15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations. 16. The government should be separated into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial. 17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power. 18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution. 19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people. 20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority. 21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom. 22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men. 23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education. 24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong. 25. “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none.” 26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity. 27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest. 28. The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race. References: 1. Skousen, Cleon W. (2007) The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution. Malta, ID: National Center for Constitutional Studies. 2. Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land. (2013) Malta, ID: National Center for Constitutional Studies. 3. Meese, Edwin III (2005) The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Washington, DC: Regenery Publishing, Inc. 4. Hillsdale College Politics Faculty, ed. (2012) The U. S. Constitution: A Reader. Hillsdale, MI: Hillsdale College Press. 5. Skousen, Cleon W. (2006) The 5000 Year LEAP: A Miracle that Changed the World. Malta, ID: National Center for Constitutional Studies.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:10:01 +0000
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