Declaration of Independence –
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution –
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Happy Independence Day to a deeply divided America.
As we celebrate another 4th of July holiday, the rifts in our nation’s collective conscience have never seemed wider.
It’s always a good day to remind ourselves of the unrealized ideals set forth in our country’s founding documents.
Yes, you can argue – with hundreds of historical examples in hand – that it’s always been this way.
That “we the people,” “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and “one nation…with liberty and justice for all” have always been worthy – but unfulfilled – platitudes for our experiment in self-governance.
Indeed, it’s been almost two and a half centuries since that Declaration was adopted by representatives from the nascent 13 colonies.
But with 24-hour cable and internet news and round-the-clock social media diatribes overwhelming our daily realities, perceptions of a future dystopia abound.
This American Division is stark; some even think it’s irreconcilable. Perhaps they’re right. But that doesn’t mean a 21st century Civil War is inevitable.
It isn’t…not yet anyway (but see the end of this essay; another January 6th event could be lurking around the corner).
If we’re being honest with ourselves, Americans have been at war with ourselves since our founding – it’s the nature of a democratic republic.
On the one hand, as our nation’s first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall observed, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”
On the other hand, as the wise Ben Franklin once quipped, “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”
Indeed, unity per se was never a goal of the nation’s founders, except maybe in an apocryphal sense. Turns out, democracy is a messy, often ugly process.
And in any event, policymaking in a democratic republic was never expected to be unanimous; it’s always been the art of achieving what is possible at any given time.
The problem with our ever-evolving internal war of words is that it’s growing more and more un-civil.
And that’s what some fear is leading to another Civil War – one with guns and blood and Americans killing other Americans.
But we’ve struggled with that very experience since our founding…and it continues as we celebrate our nation’s 247th Independence Day.
By Dave Allen for Discount Gold & Silver
Declaration of Independence –
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution –
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Happy Independence Day to a deeply divided America.
As we celebrate another 4th of July holiday, the rifts in our nation’s collective conscience have never seemed wider.
It’s always a good day to remind ourselves of the unrealized ideals set forth in our country’s founding documents.
Yes, you can argue – with hundreds of historical examples in hand – that it’s always been this way.
That “we the people,” “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and “one nation…with liberty and justice for all” have always been worthy – but unfulfilled – platitudes for our experiment in self-governance.
Indeed, it’s been almost two and a half centuries since that Declaration was adopted by representatives from the nascent 13 colonies.
But with 24-hour cable and internet news and round-the-clock social media diatribes overwhelming our daily realities, perceptions of a future dystopia abound.
This American Division is stark; some even think it’s irreconcilable. Perhaps they’re right. But that doesn’t mean a 21st century Civil War is inevitable.
It isn’t…not yet anyway (but see the end of this essay; another January 6th event could be lurking around the corner).
If we’re being honest with ourselves, Americans have been at war with ourselves since our founding – it’s the nature of a democratic republic.
On the one hand, as our nation’s first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall observed, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”
On the other hand, as the wise Ben Franklin once quipped, “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”
Indeed, unity per se was never a goal of the nation’s founders, except maybe in an apocryphal sense. Turns out, democracy is a messy, often ugly process.
And in any event, policymaking in a democratic republic was never expected to be unanimous; it’s always been the art of achieving what is possible at any given time.
The problem with our ever-evolving internal war of words is that it’s growing more and more un-civil.
And that’s what some fear is leading to another Civil War – one with guns and blood and Americans killing other Americans.
But we’ve struggled with that very experience since our founding…and it continues as we celebrate our nation’s 247th Independence Day.
One anecdotal piece of recent evidence of our national strife comes from last week’s Supreme Court decisions.
About half of Americans support last week’s court decision prohibiting the use of race in college admissions, while a third disapprove – with views split along racial and ethnic lines.
Majorities of White and Asian American respondents approve of the decision overturning affirmative action, while Latino and Hispanic Americans are evenly split.
And 52% of Black Americans disapprove in the ABC News/Ipsos poll published yesterday. Overall, 52% approve and 32% oppose.
Last week’s controversial court rulings, which also included overturning President Joe Biden’s student-loan relief plan for 30-something million Americans, injects three new policy issues into next year’s elections.
The court’s rejection of Biden’s student-loan forgiveness plan finds 45% approval in the ABC poll, while 40% disapprove.
Pres. Biden lashed out at the high court after the affirmative action ruling, saying “this isn’t normal,” adding, “The vast majority of the American people don’t agree with a lot of the decisions this court is making.”
Former President Trump, who’s seeking a return to the White House, praised the court’s decisions on Saturday – touting his appointment of three justices who supported the majority decisions.
Trump’s Vice Prez Mike Pence, who’s also running for the Republican presidential nomination, said the affirmative action ruling acknowledged minorities’ progress:
“I’m just very confident that African Americans, Hispanic Americans and other minorities are going to be able to compete and succeed.” Is it me, or do Pence’s words sound like wishful thinking?
Others worry that the court’s recent decisions signal a dangerous slide towards authoritarianism and centralization of power.
Now, almost half of the country views the last bastion of equal justice in America – the Suprememest of Courts in the land – as falling off the pedestal it built for itself and into the muck of politics as usual.
And Sam Baker says it's getting harder and harder to believe the justices aren't interested in wielding more power however it should land.
Public confidence in the Supreme Court is at its lowest in 50 years of polling, according to a 2022 Gallup poll. An analysis out this spring showed confidence was the lowest ever.
But look, the court hasn't become political. The U.S. Supreme Court is, and has always been, political – again by its nature. But perception is catching up to that reality. And that’s not good for our constitutional republic.
So, my humble advice this Independence Day is this:
Americans from all walks of life, who still care about leaving behind a livable planet for our children and theirs, shouldn’t just accept our differences as human beings – skin color, politics, whatever – we should embrace them.
Don’t let all the noise clanging around us cloud what’s really important in life – doing good to and for others, just as we would have them do to us.
I don’t know if we’ll ever achieve true “liberty and justice for all.” But that doesn’t mean they’re not ideals worth continuing fighting for – as civil fellow humans.
After all, the primary consequence of not heeding our founders’ vision is the following scenario that starts their Declaration’s July 4, 1776, proclamation:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”