Ah, the 4th of July: Flags, BBQ, parades, fireworks, apple pie and
homemade ice cream. I have seen many
celebrations in my life, and have secretly celebrated the revolution of 1776 in
other ways. Usually with the following
thoughts regarding our philosophical history:
Thomas Jefferson was way out there in 1776. He wrote on behalf of the Continental
Congress a list of unresolved grievances against the King of England,
grievances so heinous as to justify a declaration of independence from the
British Crown and the de facto declaration of war against England. Jefferson was operating from a paradigm, a
way of thinking, a view of the world that was unique, was radical, was without
precedent. Governments prior to ours
were justified by right of birth or by might, never justified by those who were
governed. Assuming people could rule
themselves was the most liberal thought of the day. Others had theoretically argued this from
Plato to John Locke, but only here did representatives of those 13 states place
their names on a declaration with the commitment of their lives, their fortunes
and their sacred honor. What was this
philosophy that moved men of means to commit so thoroughly when they had little
chance for a successful revolution?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Wow. All men created
equal. All men at birth have
rights. Those rights include life, they
include liberty, and they include the pursuit of happiness. Really?
Radical. Liberal. Far out.
No conservative supported these notions as they were blasphemy to the
prevailing notions that there was noble blood, that those born to the nobility
were obligated to rule, mostly as tyrants, that those born to humble folk owed
their loyalty and labor to the King, had no rights to property or profit, and
the only rights they had were given by the King. The state ruled as it always had, by birth
right. Should a state be conquered by
another state, then a new inherited royal family would be established. That is the way it was. Birth was a political and economic life
sentence. Into this world and this
context, these men said, “No! All men are
equal.” Clearly from the majority point
of view they were wrong! All men have
rights at birth! Balderdash! Those rights include their own lives, (Poppycock!)
and their own liberty to map their own lives to pursue their own ends. Blasphemy!
That no state should intervene in these rights but should protect
them. Birth should not determine
futures. What a philosophical stand. This turned the historic international notion
of power and rights upside down. It
meant that one did not receive rights from an earthly monarch born to rule, but
one inherently had rights at birth, including the right to self government and
the overthrow of earthly monarchs.
I believe it is hard for us to understand how radical this
philosophy was at the time. Yes, the
language was sexist and at the time these men were thinking “men” and thinking
Anglo Saxon men. I forgive them
contextually. The history of our nation
founded on these principles has been the history of exercising protection for
the rights of our citizens earned at birth, whether they are in the majority or
minority, whether they are male or female, whether they believe as I do or not,
we practice freedom here and support the rights of our citizens.
We forget that. We
forget that when some argue that their view of the world is the “right” view
and it merits suppressing the views of others and trampling on the rights of
others. We forget that when some argue
that their view of the world is the “right” view and it merits securing
economic safety for the wealthiest while resenting providing life support to
the poorest. We forget that when some
argue that providing education to all children is not the right thing to do and
that some children deserve better education than others. The Founding Fathers were willing to
sacrifice their entire fortunes and their lives for the philosophy of the
equality of the rights of all. We have a
hard time paying a few more taxes.
On this Independence Day I fear we have drifted from our
founding notions to a nation of wannabe aristocrats who do not believe in
equality at all, much less equality earned at birth. Jefferson would be sad and mad.
Today, I celebrate the radical form of government we enjoy,
a form of government based on the most absurd assumption that all people have
rights at birth and should govern themselves.
I celebrate that I will protect the rights of those I totally disagree
with, who are different from me in beliefs, DNA and sexual preference. I believe that is the essence of the
formation of the government of the United States of America. This form of government does not yet exist in
the Middle East, or in North Korea, or in China, or in many other states. Few people in those nations may safely stand
and advocate such a government. It is
too radical. And, it would not likely be
successful without a liberal education of the people within those nations. We must be ever diligent against the forces
in this nation who would undermine the equal rights of our citizens as
determined by characteristics at birth.
That is our philosophical heritage confirmed by the blood and valor of
generations of our forefathers and foremothers.
For those who know this and remain willing to support these rights, join
me in the celebration!
Happy 4th of July, 2013!
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