(cross-posted at Deny My Freedom)
As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.
The United States of America was founded upon a novel concept – the notion that all men were created equal, and they could choose themselves who they saw fit to govern. Although some can question whether or not the Founding Fathers genuinely believed what they stated – slavery remained in America, women could not vote, and some such as Alexander Hamilton advocated for a near-monarchy to rule the country – the Constitution was a revolutionary document. It incorporated the social theory of John Locke and the writings of Montesquieu to create a ‘more perfect union’. A system of government unheard of during its birth, America was an experiment, as Alexis de Tocqueville put it.
America has always recognized that it was far from perfect, and the country has evolved as such in order to become a ‘more perfect union. Although it took much bloodshed, slavery was abolished at last. When machine politics thoroughly corrupted the system, laws were passed to make civil servants gain their positions on merit. We passed amendments allowing for the direct election of senators and for the end of withholding a woman’s right to vote. The government instituted a series of policies that helped out the less fortunate and the needy, realizing that taking a laissez-faire attitude was detrimental to our country. With our novel system of government, America has inspired people around the world for generations. Indeed, the Statue of Liberty, guarding the shores of Manhattan, symbolized what America
In this day and age, this is no longer true.
The fall of America has not been a slow and ugly descent. In the past, there were always sweeping, idealistic appeals to the better angels of our citizens. John F. Kennedy, at his inauguration, “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. ” There used to be a sense of collective national pride. Regardless of the adversary, America was unparalleled in its majesty when its citizens were united. No matter what your affiliation, the country always came first. Politics was more honest, people were more informed, and to be a liar an accusation that was to be taken seriously. In America, after a bitter presidential race, we entered the 1960s as if we were in a golden age. Piece by piece, though, the Camelot we had long dreamed of was destroyed. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, Jr. – three of the most idealistic Americans in modern times – were gunned down. Vietnam escalated into a war for which the less-privileged youth of America died. Despite these most dire of circumstances, there was a chance to pick up the pieces.
The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 spelled the acceleration of America’s fall from grace. Appealing to the worse angels in Americans with the ‘Southern Strategy’, Republicans made it clear that polite discourse and honesty were no longer welcome. Jimmy Carter’s presidency was an attempt to restore some of the integrity in government, but Reagan’s election ensured the continuation of our identity transformation. In George W. Bush, we have the fulfillment of Roosevelt’s prescient words. For the facade of prosperity, we have sacrified the moral obligations that Americans before us have placed on us. For peace, we are willing to reserve the immoral right to preemptively strike whomever we choose. For safety, we trample over the Bill of Rights that was established to protect us. We disregard the duties that our forefathers have assigned us to uphold. We live a lifestyle that chooses to ignore the hardships around us and celebrate individual acclaim, and money has become the norm by which we measure success and happiness. In politics, the Republicans have devolved into vicious animals, hurling lie after lie, insult after insult, all in false outrage, at those who disagree. There is no middle ground; you are either with us or against us. Everything is black and white, but we can be told black is white, day is night, and people no longer care to learn otherwise.
The rest of the world has not become blind to what we have become. No longer do we appeal to our high moral standards; instead, we always aim for the lowest denominator possible. Each time we think that the bottom has been reached, a new low is attained. It makes me wonder how America could become so lost. It can be easy to blame the other side for the country’s problems, but in a sense, we have failed as well. There is no longer a sense to pledge allegiance to America; we now support ourselves, our sports teams, our favorite celebrities. The common good has been erased, replaced by a selfish standard of individual happiness. In hypocrisy, the GOP appeals to our sense of patriotism…in an effort to boost poll numbers and score cheap political points. The Constitution has become a political ploy with the amendment to ban gay marriage. The American flag has become a political ploy with the amendment to forbid flag burning, a right clearly protected by the very first amendment ever passed. Nothing is sacred anymore, whether it be the deaths of our American soldiers in Iraq or the innocent civilians who died in New York City and Washington on September 11.
“To be nobody but yourself in a world that’s doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.”
In the coming months, and indeed, in the years leading up to our next presidential election, the battle lines have been drawn. The coming conflict will be for the heart and soul of our country. Americans have finally tired of the vitriol of modern politics, and they are ready for a change. It is clear that our opponents across the aisle are not interested in working together to move the country in a better direction. So the charge of reclaiming the soul of America falls to us. But in a time where conformity is the norm, and dissent is not tolerated, diversity will triumph in the end. It always has, and so long as we recognize that we are not only fighting for political survival, but for the survival of the Constitution and everything that the Founding Fathers believed in, we can – and we will – prevail.
