For the Revolutionary Era, a Look Back and a Look Ahead
“It appears to me … little short of a miracle, that the Delegates from so many different States… should unite in forming a system of national Government…”
– George Washington, Letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, February 7, 1788
As our nation prepares to celebrate two and a half centuries of existence, it is worthwhile to review the principles upon which the country was founded and the goals of those we now call our Founding Fathers. These men took enormous risks which could have ended in their imprisonment, loss of property and death – yet they persisted in doing something totally unexpected: defeating the most powerful nation in the western world while being outgunned and undersupplied. Despite the familiarity with these events which seems to elicit boredom in some people, their achievement is truly extraordinary in the annals of mankind.
Many people think the Founding Fathers were a jovial bunch of men who largely agreed on just about everything. Not exactly. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison came from different backgrounds and disagreed on a wide range of topics: government, taxes, commerce, and other issues. Yet they later coalesced into a working framework which created something different: a country in which people governed themselves. From a notion emerged a new nation. Washington and Hamilton had been brothers-in-arms on the battlefield: they’d survived the war together and later trusted each other’s judgement. Despite their subsequent differences, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were both revolutionaries who wanted to see the era of monarchy ended and a new age of liberty begun. Benjamin Franklin was the wise old sage who’d shown his range of skills as a businessman, a printer, an inventor, a scientist, and a statesman. That he would help craft and later sign the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution while in his 70s and 80s is evidence of his brilliance and influence in this crucible of nation-building. James Madison was the most politically learned of the bunch; his readings into the attributes of systems of government around the world helped form the blueprint for our society.
After the war was over, four of them met in Philadelphia in the spring and summer of 1787 in an attempt to bring order out of the chaos of independent states each going their own way. That they managed to bring together 13 different streams and join them into one mighty river is nothing short of amazing. Washington was convinced throughout the Revolution and all their efforts that they were quietly guided by Divine Providence. He called it the “sacred fire” of liberty, a spark which burned inside all men who yearned to be free. That fire motivated them all to strive to achieve something never done before.
What would the Founding Fathers think about our nation if they were alive today? They’d all be thrilled that the nation had survived. John Adams had stated cynically that all democracies eventually fail and destroy themselves, so he’d be surprised seeing his creation was still breathing. They would all be relieved that slavery had been outlawed. Each of them would go into cardiac arrest seeing the extraordinary expansion in the size and scope of government, but be pleased that defibrillators had been invented. Hamilton would be stunned knowing that the nation’s debt now far exceeds our gross domestic product (GDP) – and likely wonder where this word “trillions” came from. Washington would be most concerned with the nation’s stability and safety. Jefferson and Madison would surely focus on individual freedoms and perhaps even try to re-write the Constitution- something they mentioned might be considered every 20 years. Franklin would be fascinated by the leaps in technology which have revolutionized our way of life – and tinker with each invention he’d never seen before. They’d all be eager to comment on possible improvements in our government to further its longevity.
What about … a look forward? Is it even possible for people today to conceive what America will be 250 years from now – in the year 2276? Civil War historian James McPherson noted in his November 2013 Keynote speech commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address that President Lincoln at the time wasn’t completely sure if our nation would even survive the conflict which by 1863 had killed millions of our citizens. In that address, Lincoln mentioned the “great task remaining before us…,” knowing that our country was facing enormous peril and could easily split apart. Yet he understood that the principles which the Founding Fathers fought for were eternal- and could never die. Only if our people lose that ‘spark’ will America falter.
Washington said it best in his Farewell Speech: “The Unity of government which constitutes you one people is … a main Pillar in the Edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad … of that very Liberty which you so highly prize …”
As a commander and as President, Washington knew that unity is vital for success. United we can achieve amazing things – and keep their dream alive – not just for us today, but for generations to come. No wonder people are traveling from all around the globe to be part of this noble experiment we call America.
