by Linda Rodriguez
In 1776 on the 4th of July, the founders of what would become known as the United States of America signed a document called the Declaration of Independence. It voiced some remarkable statements for its time about the equality of all men and freedom from tyranny and other virtues. However, this document, unusual as it was for its time, specified African-American enslaved people as being only 3/5 of a person, the Native Americans surrounding them as savages to be disposed of, and women, not even discussed or mentioned in this document, were not considered fully people, at all. It was a truly remarkable and terribly flawed document that founded this nation.
Throughout the centuries since that moment, the United States has struggled as a country to embody more fully the virtues and enlightened concepts of that document, while it has, as often, been thrown back onto the sharp prongs of the terrible flaws in the very same document. This battle, struggling and aiming for the very heights, only to be thrown down onto the sharp points in the depths, is the story of our country. Each pass toward the mountaintop manages to achieve a little more height, getting a little closer to the goal at the very top, but each plunge backward is steeper and more forceful, causing more tearing of our very substance and hemorrhaging of our blood.
We had recently reached the highest point of our efforts in all these centuries with grandiose hopes of making it to the mountaintop in our lifetime. Unfortunately, this fall that we are engaged in at the moment, rolling and tumbling down the rocky mountain slope, cutting and bruising and gaining momentum with every second, as we aim toward those sharp knives in the deep valley below that await us, may turn out to be our fatal last tumble.
There is no way to know the ultimate outcome as we bounce and roll down the steep slopes, grabbing at every flimsy bush and shrub along the way, trying to stop or at least slow down our precipitous fall. Will we survive as a country? Will we survive as the country that held before it the high, virtuous goals set forth on that 4th of July in 1776? Will we destroy ourselves completely? Or will we simply damage ourselves so deeply that we come to embody only the terrible flaws set forth on that same day in that same document? This is the question we are facing on this 4th of July. What will the answer be?
The Declaration of Independence (not to be confused with the Constitution, which came later) set forth the reasons the thirteen colonies used to justify their rebellion against England (and specifically, its King). It's an interesting practice to read the charges the colonies laid against the Crown: From the US Archives.
ReplyDeleteSome on the right and the left believe (for different reasons) similar charges can be made against the current governments (federal and state). The question in my mind is whether the middle is strong enough to save the country from that schism.
Ben Franklin was reported to respond to a question from Elizabeth Willing Powel (Philly socialite and wife of the mayor) about what form of government the constitutional convention had created with, "A republic if you can keep it." To which Mrs. Powel asked, "And why not keep it?" Franklin responds, “Because the people, on tasting the dish, are always disposed to eat more of it than does them good.” (As reported 1803 by James McHenry, Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention.)
And here we are.
I live in Ohio and the actions of the legislature, state supreme court, and governor grow worse by the day. We have a second primary on August 2nd, and have no idea what district we live in or who is running for office.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Jim. I would say it will be interesting to see how it all plays out if I could be more hopeful. I've always been an optimist and a believer in Hope, but I have to admit that it's a lot more difficult right now when I look at this country's situation.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, ugh, Ohio, where they denied the 10-year-old rape victim the abortion she needed, not to mention all of the other stuff that's been going on at the state level there. I think I have you beat in state ugliness, however, because I live in Missouri, where they've not only passed trigger abortion laws, but made it illegal for pregnant women to leave the state to seek abortions elsewhere, not to mention a whole bunch of other really ugly awful laws at the state level. Hang tight and take care..
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