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I wasn't a great student in middle school, so I mostly remember my history classes as being fuzzy daydream sessions full of boring facts that I was expected to memorize. So when I recently found that I was curious about how this country came to be, I realized I knew nothing more than a few rudimentary facts. I knew the Founding Fathers decided to break from the British Empire to start a republic, and that they declared independence and wrote the Constitution, but beyond that everything was a little hazy. I decided to read a book my father recommended, which basically summarized over two-hundred years of American history into two relatively short volumes.
Well, to my surprise, I was fascinated. History literally came to life. It finally hit home what an incredible experiment America was. Here was a group of men that were willing to bet that, for the first time in history, they could create a truly democratic government run by the people, at a time when monarchies reigned. The Constitution was an incredibly ambitious document and they wanted to make sure that power was separate so that no one group or person could seize control. They also wanted religious freedom to be a fundamental part of this new free government, which was an incredibly radical idea at the time (and still is in some places).
Now, of course, we know there were a few glaring contradictions in some of what the Founders put down on paper and the realities of life at that time – not all men were treated as equals, though they were supposed to be created equal, and women were not mentioned at all. However, I was surprised to read that slavery was a very contentious topic from the beginning, and I was deeply touched to learn that many of the Founding Fathers that we admire today (Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams) all realized slavery to be an abhorrent scar on their shining new republic, and desperately fought to end it at some point in their lives.
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These men were far from perfect, and at the beginning none of them was even sure their experiment would work. They made a lot of mistakes, fought fiercely amongst themselves, and compromised some things they held dear to make sure that their republic would form. Yet, despite that, they had a level of integrity that is almost hard to believe. For example, George Washington was so loved and admired that many wanted him to stay in power indefinitely. Yet, he knew that would go against everything their new democracy stood for, and voluntarily stepped down after two terms. I think we could use a little more of that humility in today's politicians!
In a few short years America moved from a scrappy little upstart to be the most powerful country in the world. In recent years some would argue that America has lost its way, I would be one of them. But with the historic election of Barack Obama, I once again feel touched and inspired – there is a lot more to this country than meets the eye, and we are still capable of being an inspiring example for the rest of the world.
I doubt the Founders could have foreseen the challenges we currently face a few centuries after the Constitution was signed. Yet, we need their strength, courage and integrity now more than ever. This time, decisions we make about our environment will reverberate through the annals of history. Maybe someday our generation will be read about with gratitude and admiration for having the courage to make the changes that allowed our planet, and all its creatures, to survive and thrive. I hope we make the Founders proud.
Jeffrey Mindell writes poems, articles, comics, and has even written a few books (unfortunately yet to be published). He can be reached at jmindell@gmail.com |
