"The very idea of the power and right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government."
George Washington
Philadelphia was hot and humid in the summer of 1787. Fifty-five men representing all but Rhode Island of the thirteen colonies, were present on a mission to form a “more perfect union.” The Continental Congress of 1775 and the Articles of Confederation of 1781 were so inadequate as a governing device, something had to be done. The thirteen colonies had little tax structure to honor, no power to print money, no Navy to confront our adversaries, etc. What happened? The colonists, when they won freedom from Britain and George III, had become wary and suspicious of government, resulting in practically no strings to pull to obtain unity of purpose. George Washington (soon to be the presiding officer that summer) had the opinion that the colonies were “fast verging to anarchy and confusion.” He decried, “an altercation in our political creed.” A politically stronger federation, centrally located, was needed.
The hunt was on by a dedicated group intent upon creating a government in three months, of the people, by the people and for the people. The participants (John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were serving in Europe) secretly schemed, plotted and perspired over practical provisions, gleaned from past political doctrine and governments, that would now satisfy those they were attempting to represent. They chose a Republic, full of compromises, but with a central theme with enough power to get the job of governing “we the people” done. Checks and balances in a three-part government won the day and saved the colonies that had defeated the greatest military force in the world from stumbling in their attempt to self-govern. A victory, now 240 years in existence! That song in view of the 11-8-2022 election still plays a role at home and abroad. But the verses must be polished and new ones added to avoid future distress.
How to recapture that scene from where liberty and representative government was struck? We must construct a rebirth of that zeal; displayed by those 55 men in Philadelphia so long ago. The best way we honor their efforts is to reaffirm the concept of self-government. Plato suggested that “democracies pass into despotism.” The American voter does not have to accept that prediction. We can promote a rebirth, a re-affirmation of our U.S. Constitution. The secret sauce lies in the righteous and dignified will of the voter. They must see the problem and give new life to that journey those 55 men took in 1787. The voters must honor the new efforts.
George Washington said it best: “The very idea of the power and right of the people to establish government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government.” For those Christians in America—Peter said in the New Testament, “honor your government and pay your taxes.”
Every American that still loves their flag and their Constitution must now be like those 55 men in Philadelphia, full of dedication to preserve what we have. We owe it to our children to preserve and protect our U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
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