TOPIC “How Can Americans Maintain the Spirit of Freedom Enshrined in The Declaration of Independence?”
Today, Americans are hunkered down in stifling political and cultural trenches dug by warring social factions, partisan media outlets, vote-buying politicians, and radicalized name-your-cause activists espousing over-reaching ideologies and oppressive protestations that send violent waves of civil anarchy rippling across the country. This nationwide unrest features lawlessness that spans from our unsecured borders to the major metropolises of America. This societal meltdown – including the burning of American cities, rampages, and looting of private businesses, the border crisis, and the unlawful intrusion of our capital – are all in direct contrast to the “spirit of freedom enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.”
To maintain the reality of a free and united people as envisioned by the framers of the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Constitution, Americans – all Americans – must learn to put their country first. Reading the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution is a wonderful place to start.
Our Declaration of Independence was destined to alter the course of world events forever after it was adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776. The framers did not know that the America they fought to establish would later play a key role in the catastrophic defeat of Germany and the dominant Central Powers of Europe that wished to control the continent and beyond during WWI. They could not foresee the America that helped free Europe’s Jewish men, women, and children from squalid prison camps and death-serving gas chambers during WWII. Little did they suspect that the Declaration of Independence would lead to America defending England and other allies from the same Nazi-Germany and other Eastern powers that were slaughtering innocent Jewish people.
Thomas Jefferson, the chief drafter of the Declaration of Independence, referred to the document as “an expression of the American mind.” He and all of our forefathers who signed on to this ultimate quest for Colonial independence fully realized that they had staked their lives, the lives of their families, as well as their properties and futures on the belief that “government derives its power from the consent of the governed.” Abraham Lincoln once said of the Declaration of Independence that when future generations of Americans read its words “they have a right to claim it as though they are the blood of the blood and flesh of the flesh of the men who wrote that declaration, and so they are.”
Today, too many of our political leaders see government as a road to riches. Whether it involves insider trading using family members as investors or using foreign and domestic political clout to obtain paybacks deposited in clandestine bank accounts, many politicians are mining for riches, instead of mining for the consent of the governed. As Americans witness ascending transgressions, blatant ethical lapses, and utter disregard for the country by their leaders, that behavior metastasizes into ever-larger proportions with the results we see today; a fervent distrust for government, businesses, and one another.
The answer to maintaining the spirit of freedom is complex – it was never going to be easy considering human nature. Still, America is unique and even today presents the largest obstacle to global tyranny, oppression, and dictatorship. However, unless we reign in political corruption, it will not be possible to have a government that derives its power from the governed.
It is absurd to believe a violent, politically-divided society governed by a corrupt and divisive government can protect, let alone enhance, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Some of the main barriers to maintaining the spirit of freedom enshrined in the Declaration of Independence are mentioned in the previous sentence. If we remove those barriers, change will lift the country up and restore the intentions of the Declaration of Independence. Such passionate change is sorely needed and would greatly benefit current and upcoming generations of Americans.
Change is good, however, change can be extremely difficult and impossible for those lacking passion for their country. Perhaps Americans will ultimately match the passion reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the spirit of freedom.
