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.