COLUMN: America has forgotten original principles
When the Constitution of the United States of America was written in 1787, its goal was to preserve those freedoms, or inalienable rights, established by the people of the several states when they declared their independence from England. The Declaration of Independence was more than a document declaring sovereign power, it became the standard of freedom to the world. It recognized a power greater then the men who penned its celebrated words as the author and finisher of liberty and, ultimately, society itself. Fundamentally, it established our Creator as the authority to which our country could declare independence. The Constitution became a contract between the states to ensure that the principles embodied in this declaration, the principles upon which civilization and humanity are built, are protected and recognized by the people and their government.
These principles, namely the three major immutable rights defined as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and the origin of these rights are found in the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. It is extremely important to note the remaining portion, the greater majority of the document, is devoted to explaining 27 grievances the citizens of America had with England. The grievances of the colonists correlated perfectly to the three rights earlier defined in the document. The enumerated complaints were violations of those rights (the definition of the rights not coming from the colonists, but the Creator of all mankind, thus establishing an authority the colonists themselves and the English had to be accountable to). Violation of those rights and the refusal of the English government to redress these matters caused the thought of rebellion to move past a mere “light and transient” desire to a fight for a vindication of justice and humanity. It became a fight for freedom.
It is important to note these grievances because they were reasons the founders of this country felt were gross enough violations of the rule of law and the rights of the people for them to declare war. Although violating just one of the grievous acts defined by the Declaration as a violation would be a phenomenal intrusion on the rights of man requiring redress, all 27 acts have, in one form or another, found their way into our current system.
If one analyzes the polices of our current collectivist oligarchy (the current two-party federal government) with of the second portion of the Declaration of Independence as a standard for the definition of the rights of man, we notice that the federal government is in direct violation of 12 of the original 27 grievances. The remaining 15 complaints may not be violated in fact, but are indeed violated in principle. For simple minds, our federal government is fundamentally violating those inalienable rights established by the Declaration of Independence in the same way the English were when Jefferson wrote the document.
One of the most notable and gross comparisons between the actions of our current government and the actions of our mother country is found in grievance No. 10. In this complaint, the colonists expressed their displeasure with the “multitude of new offices… and swarms of officers to harass our people.” One needs only look at the history and current size of our federal government to see this valid comparison. Looking over the history of the United States, there has never been a time with such an increase in government. Originally established, government was a small, non-intrusive entity with extremely limited powers. The separation of powers between the federal government and the states, the principle known as federalism, was once more than symbolic – it actually existed.
The list of violations goes on and on. The Supreme Court has recently again advocated the same actions that were violated in No. 13. The violation of No. 21, the fundamental alteration of our form of government, has been happening for almost 100 years. Most recently, these actions have fallen under the guise of civil rights activism (minority/majority districts for a relevant example). The glorious republic, the pillar of freedom we once fought so hard for, has been, and continues to be, eroded away.
America currently is the socialistic society that was once feared as the antithesis of freedom. We have refused to hold dear the principles held as the standard in the Declaration. The freedom we now enjoy is merely symbolic. This social ill is due to the incentives that politicians face and the apathy and ignorance of the general public. It is imperative that the perversion and complete disregard of the Constitution by our government, that has defined our government for more then a century, needs to be stopped.
We, as Americans, need to understand why the Declaration of Independence was written and the significance of its words. The independence of the United States of America was not its only ambition, it was inspired and penned in order to establish a standard of freedom that was to be met in any society. We must fight for that freedom. Heed the words of a defeated politician, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Westbroek is a senior in law and constitutional studies. Comments can be sent to jwestbroek@cc.usu.edu.