Revolution of Sober Expectations

I’ve always thought quite literally about the American war for independence as a full out revolution. What I never stopped to consider, however, was that it was actually more of a half revolution. Winning the war did not result overnight in the incredible system by which the Founding Fathers set up our nation. The Declaration of Independence was simply that, a declaration that the colonists would no longer stand to be governed by the tyrannical rule of Britain. It does not specify what type of government is best, or even which we would be adopting. It took over a decade to go rationally, soberly, from a half revolution, to the Constitution we are governed by today.
The founding fathers were truly intelligent and inspired men. They knew well the corrupt nature and tendencies of men. Well did Benjamin Franklin observe that, “If men were angels, we’d need no government; but men aren’t angels.” In this critical observance, the Founding Fathers were realists. They realized they couldn’t possibly set up a utopian civilization. As such, they did all the research, thinking, debating, and reasoning necessary to create a governmental framework that would protect the natural rights and individual liberties of the people. They researched the words of ancient and modern philosophies, the histories and success or failures of past governments. Another aspect of their sober expectations for this constitution I found intriguing was the concept of man’s equality. Thomas Jefferson penned the words “We hold these truths to be self-evident” as the opening phrase of the Declaration of Independence. But what did they mean by self-evident? The Founding Fathers expected these truths to be self-evident by the people living it, and establishing it in their lives.
I have often wondered what the Founding Fathers defined as equality in each of their minds as they created the Constitution. Clearly, it did not mean, at least to many of them, what it means to us today. This is evident by the rights of women at the time, the social status of society, and the fact that several of the Founding Fathers owned many slaves. In setting up the framework of this nation, they believe that equity is defined by the idea that we are all equal in that we are equally free. Every decision does not need unanimous or even majority support. They just needed consent to institute government. The idea of sober expectations implies the understanding that there is no pure democracy. A terrific example of the ingenious caution taken with the realist view that men naturally fall prey to corruption is the set up of elections every two years for Congressional members. This keeps them honest by using their vanity to force them to listen to their constituency. I am so grateful for the Founding Fathers, and for their sober expectations in setting up our Constitution and laying the foundation for this incredible nation.

Declaration of Independence

Though I have always considered the Declaration of Independence perhaps the most important document ever produced in America, it is even more awe-inspiring to consider its creation in terms of its meaning for humanity as a whole. Thomas Jefferson was not just writing for the colonists who sought liberty from the oppression of Britain; he wrote that all men are "created equal" and are "endowed with certain inalienable rights." I find the use of these phrases interesting when several of the founding fathers, including Jefferson, owned slaves; however, I understand that a clear definition of freedom and equality for all men (and women) would be a progressive process spanning the next about two hundred years. I was therefore very intrigued to read for the first time Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence. In it, he lays the fault of the issue of slavery at the door of the British. This arouses within me deep curiosity as to Jefferson's true feelings about slavery. Was he conforming to social and political pressures? Did he have mixed feelings on the issues of the equality and inherent rights of all men?
I am so incredibly grateful for the courage, the integrity, the faith of the founding fathers who gambled their lives, families, and honor by signing their names to that famed document. The truths they compiled into that philosophical masterpiece are a testament to God's hand in the reshaping of not only America, but the very human race. It changed the way every individual viewed themselves as well as their role in society. The Declaration of Indpendence was truly an inspired work that set into motion events that would lay a groundwork that would eventually make possible the restoration of the gospel. That sacred document stands for every man's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hope I never come to take for granted the freedoms I enjoy, and that it wasn't an immediate result of a decision to take a stand. It was a painstaking process of lives lost, debate, and slow progress that even still continues to seek for improvement. The divinely inspired Declaration of Independence is the cornerstone of this remarkable, free nation and the world we live in today.