- Thomas Paine
I stumbled across the above quote recently, and found comfort in the words. It reminded me that our country is a democracy and though we may all voice our thoughts, and we may disagree, no one man can make decisions for all. It was my thought last November, when I saw the upheaval that followed in the wake of our presidential election, that the constitution was steady, that the laws of our founding fathers were there to prevent any one person, or party, from taking all control.
Last week, I had moments of doubt about the strength of our own constitution, whether the branches could stand against the rising wind that is shaking them right now. So, I went back, and I read the constitution, and all its amendments. I reread the monumental decisions made in the highest courts that laid the foundation for the amendments. And found comfort in knowing I'm not the only one doing so these days.
As a nation, many of us have become complacent in our freedoms, lazy in our political participation, and ignorant of what our laws actually say. I'm guilty of some of these. And I find some satisfaction in knowing that all around me, a desire to participate in democracy is rising from across the country - all ages, genders, economic demographics, and races. We the people means all people, and everyone has vested interest in what happens to our country.
See, I guess what does concern me is that our founding fathers couldn't have foreseen what the press would come to look like, when they were granted freedom of speech. They couldn't possibly have even imagined ways in which someone could toss their thoughts out to the entire world with the mere push of a button, the immediacy of communication, and the devastating consequences of that power being abused. Scrolling through my newsfeed, seeing the alerts that pop up on my phone all day long, I wonder what they would make of the incredible deluge of information we shift through every single day, often looking for just that one common thread of truth.
They couldn't possibly have known there would come a time when no one would really need to own a gun to put food on their table, or defend themselves against wild animals or natives who were defending their territory. They couldn't have imagined that the rifles and pistols they knew would give way to guns that could fire out several rounds per second and shoot through walls and doors and cars. They didn't even know about cars. I mean, they knew about bears, and apparently we're supposed to worry about those in schools, so maybe defending with arms against bears was always their intent. In that case, my apologies.
In other words, our founding fathers were flawed, but they were not fools. They understood enough of what they didn't want for our country and did their very best to safeguard us for the duration. Those white, free, mostly wealthy and definitely all male, people did the best they could within their own scope of experience to protect our rights and to set up a government that was able to balance itself. A government that was designed to withstand some discourse and to allow representatives of all the people to come together and hash out their differences..
We did get to see a grown man come to power and then have temper tantrums publicly, through social media, because he didn't get his way. Didn't get to have absolute power over absolutely everything, because the checks and balances those men put together in a document for us, over two centuries ago, stopped him from acting as a dictator. Or a monarch. Or one of any other type of government that doesn't allow its people to vote, and speak freely, and disagree with their government. That's right. We get to disagree.
Now, my neighbor might not agree with that, might call me a whiny liberal, but it's totally within my rights to voice my opinion, to do it publicly, to do it loudly. It's not within my rights to block businesses, destroy property, or do anything that might cause harm to another person or their belongings. And I'm appalled by the few people who have felt enough rage to do these things, because their actions drown out the words of those with similar opinions and a better way of expressing them.
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.
- John Adams
The men who built our country were forged by fire. The freedoms of their children and generations to come were secured through their actions, their faith in what liberties should belong to all men, and through their words. These men were far from perfect - their flip-flopping over the wording in the ratification of the Articles of Confederation were what allowed slavery to continue to flourish far longer than most of them saw practical. They resolved some matters, and left others to fester until there would be civil war a scant half century later. But they had a vision, too, for not only what their country could be at the dawn of the 19th century, but what it could be for their grand children's grand children. And they designed a document that would stand time, because, it could be amended. They knew they couldn't foresee every scenario, and they left room to amend the constitution, but under strictures that would prevent a monarchy from forming out of any change. The people still get a say, and no president can make all the decisions alone.
If John Adams dreamed that his grandchildren would have the freedom to study the arts, then he surely saw an end to the violence that had punctuated his early years and saw hope in the exhausting years he had invested in helping draft laws that would govern our country even today. I've long been a fan of John Adams, as is no secret, and of his wife, Abigail. I'll even admit that, if you can have a girl crush on a lady who lived two centuries ago, I do and she's the object of my affection. Adams gave credence to what his wife said, took her opinion into account, and had great respect for women, not seeing them as lesser of anything, though like his peers, likely saw them as weaker and needing protection.
It wouldn't be until much, much later that ladies would have a right to vote, a right to voice their thoughts, a right to be financially independent. We enjoy those things now, but are still seen as far from equal in the business world. But under our constitution, we have just as much right to an opinion, and to voice it freely.
We are just over two weeks into a new administration in our national government. I don't know where this is going, but what I do know is that it has kindled an interest in government and history such as has not been seen in my lifetime. While elections in my adulthood have been largely apathetic and poorly attended, I now see citizens who are fired up, and having heated debate over liberties - immigration, women's rights, gay rights, the right to speak freely, the right to protect our environment, the right to personal beliefs.
Just as our new president has the absolute right to tweet whatever he likes, we have the right to dispute that loudly and -usually - with far more eloquence. It's the gift our founding fathers left for us. We are all still free men and women, and we still live under a document that covers us and gives a small layer of protection, despite the efforts to poke holes in it. The key to all is to study, to educate, and then to speak with eloquence and passion. I don't mean the kind of passion that throws bricks at glass windows, or makes ugly threats to people you have never met. I mean the kind of passion that will reach out to help someone you don't know, to voice your thoughts, to become uncomfortable in an effort that maybe your grandchildren will live more comfortably, not afraid to show their race, or religion, or sexuality.
And, when I was thinking about this last week, this was the scene that came to mind, it's from a movie I've always enjoyed, though I first watched it because I had maybe just a little crush on Brendan Fraser. But this speech by Joe Pesci is too good for me not to end this expression of free speech.
2 comments:
Nicely done. Eloquent indeed. Summarize the speech referenced at the end though, never seen it.
Link goes to video.
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