Why the founders matter
The founding fathers of the United States have been forgotten in American pop culture. Instead of real history we teach our children silly parables as though the founders were the apostles, and the most they have to offer is simple moral lessons.
Our nation was in the grips of a Tyrant when it was formed. The oligarchy that ruled the American settlements in the new world imposed regulations and taxes on the hard working people while ignoring their basic human right to self determination. Those who were awake enough to understand that they were enslaved finally could not take it anymore. On the 4th of July 1776 Thomas Jefferson and many others signed the document that would make them targets to the empire, and mark the beginning of a long struggle for freedom and liberty.
It is not uncommon to see television commercials depicting our founders in a way that is comical and trite. Apparently all we can do as Americans to keep the founders vision alive is make them into talking heads and people in funny hats that lived a long time ago.
It is far to easy for the progressive movement to talk about the constitution as a rust old tome with little relevance for today. Often a logical persons response to such an attack is to quote the founders in a witty response. This does not hold any weight with the youth, I mean after all who really cares what people like Jefferson thought? That guy died 184 years ago yesterday, what could he teach us today that would be of any value?
The other response historians have made to discredit the founders of this country is focus on their flaws and humanity. As I spent the 4th at Jefferson’s home at Monticello I was not surprised to see the vast array of displays about the slaves he owned. This only makes sense as 110 slaves lived on the plantation with him they did play a large role in the home itself. It is also true that after his wife died Jefferson probably fathered several more children with one of his slaves. For a man that wrote all men are created equal, Jefferson was duplicitous in his nature.
Jefferson is not the only flawed founder, in fact many of the founders had human traits as well, and made big mistakes. While it si interesting to look at these men through the lens of history and dissect their flawed decisions it plays no bearing on their relevance to our history or our current political climate.
The flaws of the founders simply do not matter when you understand the primary reason that one should study them. Jefferson was highly interesting and is worth study for that reason alone, but even he is worthy of study more for the reasons he acted in 1776, than any flaw or scandal he was a part of.
The reason to study the founders
The founders acted out against tyrany and established the greatest nation the world has ever known. We should study them because the nation they created is a lesson for all those who would form governments, and we should study them because we need to understand why they did what they did.
I am far more interested in knowing WHY a piece of our constitution exists, than knowing about who the author had an affair with. If you have not noticed, public schools spend plenty of time talking about Jefferson’s mistress and no time what soever talking about his views on the constitution. Our current school education system does not teach our children the most valuable thing they can know as members of a Republic.
We as a nation need to understand why the founders of our government designed it the way they did. The constitution may not be perfect, and it may need some revision for modern times.. but to even know if that is the case, we must first learn why it exists in the form it does today.
How many Americans know what the 17th Amendment is? Why was the constitution revised? I personally think that should be removed from our constitution because it takes power away from the states and gives it to the wealthy. However, this is only one of the many amendments and court rulings on the constitution.
How can we even begin to build a better nation and a better government when we do not understand the government we have! How many US Senators understand the constitution? They all swore to uphold it, and yet they make regular statements that would lead anyone to believe they never read it.
My challenge to you is to read the constitution cover to cover. I don’t care if you have done it before, do it again. Keep a pocket copy with you at all times, that way you can read it during bathroom breaks or while waiting for something boring like a doctors visit. Then get on wikipedia and learn about the amendments, its free and it won’t take you a full afternoon. Understanding the foundation of our government is a requirement for any education, and to be a rounded person. Once you understand the basics of the Constitution you can list yourself amongst those who better understand our Nation than even our own congress. Once armed with that knowledge it is time to understand WHY it says what it does. Who authored what part? What was left out of the constitution? What is your state constitution? Ever read it?
To understand where we must go, you must first understand where we are, and that is why understanding our founders is so very important. The point of a Republic is not to worship the government we have established, but to celebrate the freedoms we were born with, and keep a watchful eye that the government setup to help us does not become to powerful for its own good.
Powerful stuff. When I worked in the White House I got the feeling that most politicians in Washington looked at the constitution as if it were Youth Camp rules.
There was certainly no appreciation of how hard the founding fathers wrestled with these issues of balance, etc.
Great post.
That’s a great analogy Doug. If only they would spend time trying to figure out how to do a great job at the responsibilities it gives them, rather than on how to get around how it is supposed to limit them