The Crucible of Freedom - How Did We Get Here?

Today, the media of democratic societies are flooded with stories which seem to focus on a person or group advocating for some cause or another and justifying their actions as an attempt to avail themselves of their rights. This is a very strong argument, as the public is conditioned to be sympathetic to and respectful of the rights of others and it naturally fits into egalitarianism as expressed in American Exceptionalism.

It is part of our paradigm to consider the concept of rights naturally good and we take notice when someone claims to have had their rights violated. Indeed, it would seem that democratic societies continually expand the concept of rights. As a result, people in democratic societies take in interest in the human rights of people in other parts of the world.

How did we get to this point?

To understand our own commitment to human rights, we must examine first how individual rights and freedoms evolved.

 The history this relates to, of course is the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact serves as an example of how the first settlers to America agreed to the need for and purpose of a government -- giving up some of their individual authority for the greater goals of the community.

http://www.allabouthistory.org/mayflower-compact.htm

Remember, the concept of individual rights was still limited. At the time, most people believed in Rule By Divine Right.

Although poor King Arthur is having some problems getting the peasants to buy into this in the clip below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJBg74WYa-0

Background to the Age of Enlightenment

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Age_of_Enlightenment

John Locke

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Locke

http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/john-locke-natural-rights-to-life-liberty-and-property#axzz2qZo6TIJe

The Age of Enlightenment challenged this view and planted the seeds of cultural change in philosophy, art, science, economics, and political thought. It is the path by which we move:

•From a society where the governed are responsible to their government

•To a society where the government is responsible to the governed

In the former, the government gets its legitimacy from the hand of God. Whereas in the latter, the government gets its legitimacy from the people who have God given rights.

The Mayflower Compact of 1620 comes at exactly the same time as the publication of Francis Bacon's Novum Organum. These events symbolize the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment. The first permanent English settlement in Virginia gets started at Jamestown a bit earlier in 1607. It takes almost 170 years for these ideas to manifest themselves into the American Revolution but in historical terms this is an incredibly quick transformation when you consider old habits die hard, or as Jefferson put it, " ...all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." 

On a lighter note, check out how the Age of Reason is used to solve all sorts of problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g&feature=related

In practical terms, those aboard the Mayflower did not consciously set out to design a government of the people, by the people, for the people. They were doing what they thought they needed to do to ensure the survival of the 102 people who would have to make a go of it at Plymouth Rock.

However, the effect of their decision to adopt a government that was essentially representative of them and responsive to their needs set in motion the tradition by which Americans, and later the world would come to understand their freedom and cherish it for what it was -- the key by which, in Jefferson's phrase, "the pursuit of happiness" was possible.

So, the United States becomes the "great experiment" in democracy and sets the template for the evolution of democracies around the world... but it does so based on the thinking and debate that arose out of the Age of Enlightenment, which was based in Europe.

As the United States develops into a world power and as media and trade export American products, American ideas, and American values, the demand for human rights becomes louder in every corner of the world. Although, sometimes sadly, back home in America someone doesn't quite get the idea.

When Freedom Runs Amok...

It's My Lawn Mower and I Can Shoot it if I Want to

Read about the Lawn Mower Shooter... What cultural messages has this man received in America that tell him his thinking is justified?

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25854715/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/cranky-man-shoots-lawn-mower-not-starting/#.XYpJHC0ZPdc

Influences and Foundations

Over the last few classes, I have referred to several consequential works and how they are illustrative of the American mind. The following is a collection of influences and foundations that shaped the United States in its formative moments.:


Declaration of Independence

Below you will find the goals of the Declaration of Independence (as well as the text), as discussed in class:

1. To inform Britain and the world that the Thirteen Colonies were going their own way and were going to be independent.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

2. To explain the reasons for independence.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity.

3. To identify a set of ideals and values that the new nation would be based on and would rely on in the formation of its government and its society as a whole.



Those values were to include:



•equality

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...


•individual rights

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.


•a government completely accountable to the people

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.



•the people's right to choose and change the governmental structure as it suits them

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

4. To make a personal blood oath between the signers in order to ensure the survival of the new country.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.


Another view on the purposes of the Declaration on Independence


http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/purpose-of-declaration-of-independence.html



The Story of John Hancock signing the Declaration of Independence


http://www.john-hancock-heritage.com/john-hancock-signature/

Yankee Doodle

 The transformation of the song, "Yankee Doodle," from a tune used for cadence by British troops that lampooned American colonists to an American patriotic staple says much about the culture of the country and its strong affinity for that which is truly its own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Doodle

Thomas Paine

Still, despite the problems between the colonies and Britain, independence was not a foregone conclusion. However, the writings of Thomas Paine in a simple pamphlet called, "Common Sense" seemed to bring everything into focus.

"Common Sense" became an instant best seller and Paine's words stoked the flames of revolution. He continued to write after the war about various matters of public policy. Here are some short samples of his writing, representative of his style and his philosophy.


"A constitution is not the act of a government, but of a people constituting a government; and government without a constitution is power without a right. All power exercised over a nation, must have some beginning. It must be either delegated, or assumed. There are not other sources. All delegated power is trust, and all assumed power is usurpation. Time does not alter the nature and quality of either."

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

"But if you say, you can still pass the violations over, then I ask, hath your house been burnt? Hath your property been destroyed before your face? Are your wife and children destitute of a bed to lie on, or bread to live on? Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor? If you have not, then you are not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and can still shake hands with the murderers, then you are unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover, and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the heart of a coward and the spirit of a sycophant."

"I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies another this right makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it."

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated."

"SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer! Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others."



Below you will find the works of Thomas Paine. The full text version of "Common Sense" may be found in Volume I.

http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1743&Itemid=27



Out of the crucible of the Revolutionary War, we see the essence of what America stands for and the values it survived by in those critical moments:

•freedom

•assertiveness - standing up for oneself

•resoluteness

•democracy

•competition

•patriotism

American Exceptionalism - The Reader's Digest Version

What follows is a summary of the discussions that emerged from the questions found on the recent blog entry, "Drilling Down on American Exceptionalism." Please review and familiarize yourself with this material, as it will be applied to much of our work going forward for the remainder of the year.

Industriousness

The foundation of industriousness is hard work. Without a willingness on the part of the individual to perform, sacrifice, and give of their time to accomplish goals, nothing else is possible. Hard work directly leads to getting ahead, which means to see forward progress in one's life where they can meet their needs and have the power to make real what they deem as important and necessary -- hence, the term, "pursuit of happiness."

Don Draper on Happiness. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTJrNHdzm0k

George Lucas on Happiness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnHyStDZ3_U

If you work hard and stay with it, you will get ahead. Ultimately, this will lead to self reliance. The confidence to know that you can accomplish things will help you pursue greater things and know that when things get difficult, you can trust in yourself to see you through to where you want to get to.


Community Life

Neighborliness is at the root of community life. Neighborliness refers to a mindset where people who are not related or otherwise intimately close will do good deeds for others. This can be in the form of volunteerism, charity or other actions that support other members of their community. 

The American belief that people are generally trustworthy, helpful, and fair is defined as social trust. The American spirit of volunteerism and service to others whether it be political or otherwise is referred to as civic engagement. Neighborliness can either build social trust which inspires civic engagement or can inspire civic engagement which builds social trust.

Egalitarianism

A fundamental belief in the equality of human dignity as defined by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence is what causes Americans to have a natural identification with the middle class and is why America has had no aristocracy. Having built a society which consciously chose to have no aristocracy led to a natural identification with the middle class resulting in a culture where the equality of human dignity could not be ignored -- even when institutional inequality was insulated from criticism by the notion of local control and individual property rights.


"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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."



Colonel Joshua Chamberlain on Egalitarianism and the Point of the Civil War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTZSwgnWtuA


Religiosity

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there. . . . in her fertile fields and bound less forests—and it was not there. . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there. . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." 

Conrad Hilton on America's Greatness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHA6Nx1H03U

The above quote has been long attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, but there is no documented evidence that he ever wrote it. Regardless of where it comes from, it does capture some of the sentiments at the heart of American exceptionalism. 

Religiosity as it relates to American exceptionalism begins with utopian aspirations -- "the better angels of our nature," as Lincoln referred to it in his first inaugural address. In America, these utopian aspirations are a combination of egalitarianism and community life validated and strengthened through the values taught and practiced in faith based communities across the nation. When combined with the notion of America as a participatory republic, these utopian aspirations inspire social activism. As well, utopian aspirations nurture inner self-government, where doing what is right is chosen over doing what is best for you at the moment. 


American Truisms of Human Nature

• People are generally good and therefore have a respect and regard for others
• All people are capable of virtue and intelligence - this gives us a moral compass
• People serving in their own best interest will do public good "self-interest rightly understood" if they have a strong sense of community and morality
• People are tempted by power
• People tend to associate with those they see as having the most in common with them 

The framers of the American Constitution applied these truisms to their efforts. The following conclusions may be drawn:

• The protection of individual and personal freedom supports the utopian aspirations of an egalitarian society. Respect for the equality of the individual requires freedom.
• Government is a necessary evil, therefore government must be limited and power must be diffused in order to make people less susceptible to the temptations of using power for their own purposes.
• Factionalism has many forms and is a natural outgrowth of participatory political discourse. The checks and balances of the Constitution including the electoral college are specifically designed to work against factionalism. 

Drilling Down on American Exceptionalism

Below you will find the summary that I have promised you regarding Charles Murray's "American Exceptionalism - An Experiment in History". We will be using this material and the book itself for our in class activities to help build your familiarity with and understanding  of the meaning of American Exceptionalism.

Elements of an Exceptional Culture

RICE

Religiosity

Source of social activism

Source of utopian aspirations

Source of inner self-government

Industriousness

Self-reliance 

Hard work

Getting Ahead

Community Life

Civic Engagement

Neighborliness

Social Trust

Egalitarianism

No aristocracy

Identification with the middle class

Equality of human dignity

(pages 17-31)

America is a culture borne out of the frontier and forged into a practical ideology rooted in truisms of human nature and freedom. This ideology maintains that each of us has unalienable natural rights  -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which “cannot be given, or withheld, by the state”.

Giving validation to the existence of these “God given” rights is the notion that virtue and intelligence reside within us all. If so, it follows naturally that each of us has a moral compass. When combined with our belief in the innate goodness of our fellow man it is not surprising that one of our most coveted rewards is the regard and respect of others, which the Framers correctly recognized as a means of encouraging good behavior.  

However, they also were very aware of the dangers inherent in providing government with coercive power. As Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers, “In framing a government that is to be administered by men over men, the difficulty lies in enabling the government to control the governed while in the next place obliging it to control itself.”

Americans were much more comfortable with Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” of the marketplace or de Tocqueville’s “self interest rightly understood” than they ever were with consenting to government authority.  In general, it has been the natural inclination of the people to be suspicious of power and distrustful of government concurring with Thomas Paine’s characterization of it as a “necessary evil”. Here we see concrete evidence supporting the existence of a universal moral compass and the goodness of all.

However, the Framers were also realists who understood that while socially human beings were generally thoughtful and considerate, in political discourse human beings were easily tempted to seek solutions though leveraging power. This leverage was most commonly achieved through factionalism, which Madison correctly identified as an existential threat to freedom and ultimately the Republic. Factions were defined as groups of people who shared a common interest or passion and actively coordinated themselves for maximum political effect to achieve the consensual ends that united them.  While factions were a natural and healthy part of the democratic process, when left unchecked they could “strangle freedom and destroy republics.” 

Since factions cannot be prevented, government can only work to limit their evil effects. As Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers, “If men were angels no government would be necessary…. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” As a specific solution to this problem, the Framers provided the checks and balances that exist between the executive, legislative and judicial branches as well as the Bill of Rights.

Questions for Group 1

Define

Complete ONE of these statements to define "industriousness". You may add ONE additional sentence. Your definition MUST include the THREE KEYS associated with "industriousness".

• In order to be industrious...
• Industriousness means...
• When you look for industriousness in America, you will see...

Consider Relationships

Use the following questions to consider the relationship amongst the THREE KEYS associated with "industriousness".

• Does one key lead to another? Can you identify any causal relationships?
• Rate the keys in order of power/strength/importance. Why did you rate them this way?

Consider Process

Think of your definition of "industriousness" from above as an end result or product. Using the THREE KEYS draw a diagram or create a flow chart to explain the process that leads to the product or end result.

Questions for Group 2

Complete ONE of these statements to define "community life". You may add ONE additional sentence. Your definition MUST include the THREE KEYS associated with "community life ".

• In order for there to be community life in America...
• Community life means...
• When you look for community life in America, you will see...

Consider Relationships

Use the following questions to consider the relationship amongst the THREE KEYS associated with "community life".

• Does one key lead to another? Can you identify any causal relationships?
• Rate the keys in order of power/strength/importance. Why did you rate them this way?

Consider Process

Think of your definition of "community life" from above as an end result or product. Using the THREE KEYS draw a diagram or create a flow chart to explain the process that leads to the product or end result.

Questions for Group 3

Complete ONE of these statements to define "egalitarianism". You may add ONE additional sentence. Your definition MUST include the THREE KEYS associated with "egalitarianism".

• Egalitarianism in America requires...
• Egalitarianism means...
• When you look for egalitarianism in America, you will see...

Consider Relationships

Use the following questions to consider the relationship amongst the THREE KEYS associated with "egalitarianism".

• Does one key lead to another? Can you identify any causal relationships?
• Rate the keys in order of power/strength/importance. Why did you rate them this way?

Consider Process

Think of your definition of "egalitarianism" from above as an end result or product. Using the THREE KEYS draw a diagram or create a flow chart to explain the process that leads to the product or end result.

Questions for Group 4

Complete ONE of these statements to define "religiosity". You may add ONE additional sentence. Your definition MUST include the THREE KEYS associated with "religiosity".

• Religiosity in America requires...
• Religiosity means...
• When you look for religiosity in America, you will see...

Consider Relationships

Use the following questions to consider the relationship amongst the THREE KEYS associated with "religiosity".

• Does one key lead to another? Can you identify any causal relationships?
• Rate the keys in order of power/strength/importance. Why did you rate them this way?

Consider Process

Think of your definition of "religiosity" from above as an end result or product. Using the THREE KEYS draw a diagram or create a flow chart to explain the process that leads to the product or end result.

Follow Up Activity for All Groups

Read the five paragraph summary that follows the elements of an exceptional culture. 

America is a culture borne out of the frontier and forged into a practical ideology rooted in truisms of human nature and freedom. 

• Make a list of the "truisms of human nature"
• Write a specific explanation of how these truisms of human nature are complimentary to the American ideology that "...each of us has unalienable natural rights  -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which 'cannot be given, or withheld, by the state'".