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AMERICAN HISTORY 101
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense,
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.
How should you begin learning American History? Do you begin at Columbus? How about the Pilgrims? Maybe the War for Independence? No, you can’t start at any of those places. If you do, you are picking up in the middle of a story.
You cannot begin with Columbus, because to do so leaves out the reasons for his explorations. And no criticism of Columbus is relevant here. We can take issue with methods and commit to do things differently if presented with similar opportunities. We cannot apply 21st century standards to a 15th century figure simply so because we want to cast him as a villain. He, and all historical figures, must be judged within their own context. To not do so would be akin to castigating him for taking his small, rickety, wooden boats across the Atlantic Ocean during the height of hurricane season without regard to the satellite imaging and ocean current maps. Not to mention using those boats instead of utilizing large, ocean-going liners.
You cannot begin with the Pilgrims, because that would ignore the political issues sweeping England and Europe at the time.
You cannot begin with the War for Independence because so many other events led up to it.
So where would you begin?
I believe that any study of American History, whether it is early American History, the Civil War, any of the World Wars, current events, etc should begin with the Preamble to the United States Constitution.
Take a look at a deconstructed Preamble: We ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Who is “we”? The complete version continues “the people of the Untied States”. It was obviously not possible for every single person living in the former British colonies to be present at the drafting of the Constitution. So the “we” refers to the representatives elected to the Constitutional Convention. They spoke for everyone else.
Hold on, you might say, the Founding Fathers didn’t speak for everyone. After all, there were no women there (which is why it is perfectly fine to refer to them as Founding Fathers), and no African Americans. But I would contend they most certainly did. Whether they represented everyone well, or equally, could be a matter of debate. But all interests were represented.
And what did they do? To ordain and establish could be stated as to empower and authorize. This group of men created a body of laws to govern the United States of America. And now it gets sticky. This constitution was not enacted for the “people” of the United States. Nor was it designed for the “government” of the United States. It was for the united states.
Contrary to popular opinion, the United States of America is not a democracy. We were never intended to be. Each state was considered more-or-less sovereign. Our government (The United States Constitution) was created to provide a framework for those states to function both dependent on and independent of each other. That is why the Preamble begins: in order to form a more perfect Union.
It continues: (to) establish justice. Justice is the practice of treating each other justly. That is, with fairness, equity, fair play, and impartiality.
The Preamble also seeks to insure domestic tranquility. Now there’s a phrase: domestic tranquility. Read that as “national serenity”. Serenity means a peaceful calmness, and our nation is our society. So we the people established a Constitution in order to guarantee peaceful calmness in our society. And if we do a good job carrying out the first thought of treating each other justly with fairness, equity, fair play, and impartiality, it will go along way toward guaranteeing a peaceful calmness.
And even though each state wanted to safeguard its independence, each could not be expected to fend for itself if attacked by a hostile entity. That is why the Constitution exists: (to) provide for the common defense.
Again contrary to the popular current opinion, promote the general welfare does not refer to government entitlement programs. It does, however, refer to creating an environment of well-being and prosperity (and you could say happiness) for the general populace. By “general” I mean a wide cross-section of our society. But the phrase says to promote the general welfare, not provide the general welfare. The best meaning of promote is “encourage”. A goal of our Constitution is to encourage an environment that allows people to provide for their own prosperity and happiness.
Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. This may be a most misunderstood phrase. The Constitution does not seek to provide blessings to ourselves and our posterity. It seeks to provide the blessings of liberty. Maybe we can understand this as the “assets” of liberty. What, you may ask, are the assets of liberty? Well, the Constitution is a document written as the product of securing liberty from England. So it would seem that the blessings of liberty would be spelled out in the document of liberty.
And so they are. Those blessings: the practice of treating each other justly with fairness, equity, fair play, and impartiality; a guaranteed peaceful calmness in our society; defense against an attack by a hostile entity; and an environment that allows people to provide for their own prosperity and happiness.
The final phrase, for ourselves and our posterity, should be rightly understood as our promise to leave a better America for our kids and grandkids.
Now for a reconstructed and amplified Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America.
We, the elected representatives of the people of the Untied States, in order to provide a framework for those states to function both dependent on and independent of each other, establish the practice of treating each other justly with fairness, equity, fair play, and impartiality, insure a guaranteed peaceful calmness in our society, provide for defense against an attack by a hostile entity, promote an environment that allows people to provide for their own prosperity and happiness, and secure these assets in order to leave a better America for our kids and grandkids, do empower and authorize this body of laws to govern the United States of America.
All aspects of American life should be understood through this lens. That is why I would begin every history course with the Preamble and the Constitution. Everything that happened before 1789 sets the stage for the Constitution. And everything since 1789 has occurred within the context of the Constitution.
And context truly is the key. There are those in our society today who seek to redefine certain portions of the Constitution. They declare the Framers intention to be something other than what it has always been understood to be. That is where context comes in. Many of the men responsible for writing and adopting the documents essential for creating this country wrote extensively in the period immediately before and after the ratification of the Constitution. To understand what was meant by any phrase of the Preamble or Constitution, all one needs to do is read the other writings of those involved. One does not need to look to other countries or international law.
If all concerns of American life, history, policy, and government were filtered through the Preamble, maybe we could avoid some of the contention that exists today. For instance, any talk of expanding the power of the Federal government should be viewed in context of, in order to provide a framework for those states to function both dependent on and independent of each other (in order to form a more perfect union).
The debate of laws which grant special protected status to certain individuals, businesses, or groups should include, establish the practice of treating each other justly with fairness, equity, fair play, and impartiality (establish justice).
The splintering of our society along special-interest lines, and the virulent commentary of many who occupy fringe positions should be subjected to scrutiny according to, insure a guaranteed peaceful calmness in our society (insure domestic tranquility).
If “to war or not to war” is the question, the answer should be, provide for defense against an attack by a hostile entity (provide for the common defense).
Government regulation and tax policy should be established which would, promote an environment that allows people to provide for their own prosperity and happiness (promote the general welfare).
And if we really believed in, secure these assets in order to leave a better America for our kids and grandkids (secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity), would we ever condone deficit government spending?
Something to think about.
GIVE US YOUR TIRED...
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flameis the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame, "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
(Emma Lazarus)
For the uninformed, these words greet every visitor to the shores of the United States of America. Countless millions of immigrants passed by them on their way into America. These words are at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
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.
These are the words of the Declaration of Independence. This document stated the intention of Great Britain’s American colonies to self-govern. Roughly 14% of the 56 men who signed the Declaration had immigrated to America at some point in their life.
In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Columbus. An Italian who made his way to the Americas by way of Spain.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Abraham Lincoln penned these words as a speech to dedicate a military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. At the time, our country was embroiled in a great conflict over, among other things, the status of certain immigrants (so to speak).
This land is your land This land is my landFrom California to the New York island; From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and Me.
In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, By the relief office I seen my people; As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking Is this land made for you and me?
Somewhere between the opening chorus and closing verse of Woody Guthrie’s great anthem is where we are now as a society. Between the statement, “this land was made for you and me”, and the question, “is this land made for you and me?”
Some would argue that the changes to “the land made for you and me” threaten the very nature of the land. Others want to know whom the “you and me” refers to?
Our country is currently consumed with a debate regarding immigration. Now, in order to not sound like a despicable racist, some try to say it is only about illegal immigration. But, that does sound very much like a ruse to me. And we should not stoop to the “illegals take American jobs”, “illegals only take jobs Americans don’t want”, or “Americans would want the jobs if illegals didn’t lower the market” arguments. None of that is the real issue.
The real issue is can be seen in these facts from World Vision’s Faith In Action Study Bible.
- In some countries of the world over 94% of school age girls are not in school, while over 99% of girls in America are
- The average student-teacher ratio in some areas can be as high as 250 to 1, while in America the ratio is 17 to 1
- Over 90% of American adults are literate, while in developing countries the literacy rate is less than 10%
- Outside of America 5 children die of preventable illness every 15 seconds
- 1 in 7 people in developing countries go hungry, while Americans spend $20 billion a year on ice cream (enough money to feed 83 million children for a year)
- Nearly 3 billion people live on less than $2 a day
- More than 1 billion live on less than $1 a day
- But on a list of the 22 most affluent countries, America ranks last in providing foreign aid to the developing world
Is there any doubt as to why, in the words of Emma Lazarus, “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse, the homeless, the tempest-tost” are literally dying in an effort to get to America and possibly make a better life for their family? Can we blame them? Would we not do the same if the situation was reversed, and it was our kid going to bed hungry, without an education or a hope for the future? And would we stop to consider immigration law if our family’s life was at stake?
What would God have to say on this topic? Look in Leviticus 19:33-34. Don't mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself. Remember, (your ancestors) were once foreigners in the land (too).
Yes, in this era of terrorism, we need to better secure our borders. But many of those who are here illegally are honest, hard-working people. If they have committed no other crime than to be here illegally, we need to practice some civility. Give them a helping hand in their quest to provide the life for the future generations of their family that many of our ancestors provided for us. Remember, it wasn’t too long ago in our country that these statements would have possibly impacted our grandparents and great-grandparents:
- Irish need not apply
- No Chinese
- Catholics not welcome
- Jews not welcome
- Coloreds not served
Keep in mind these words of Scripture from Revelation 7:9, 21:4. After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever.
This land was made for you and me, whoever you and me are, wherever you and me are originally from.
WHAT PART OF "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
…Our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal … this government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth.
Of course, that is part of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The beginning and end of this speech summed up both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. But it seems that in the 21st century we have forgotten what those words mean.
The fact that our government is “of the people, by the people, and for the people” is apparently lost on many in today’s life, both on the left and right of the political spectrum.
Quite recently a school in Massachusetts had two young men apply to West Point. Against great odds these guys were accepted. (West Point only accepts something like 10% of applicants per year). As is customary, The United States Military Academy at West Point wanted to send a representative to this high school and surprise the men with their letter of acceptance. The high school, at first, refused.
The reasons given by the administration seem disingenuous. It appears much more likely an anti-war political agenda was more to the point.
Similarly, I have heard of an Elementary School Principal ignoring a teacher’s request to let a Marine Corp sergeant address a class of 3rd-graders who had been corresponding with him while he was in Iraq. Actually had the man removed from the campus.
As with the West Point case, the reasons given here do not seem to jive with reality. Ultimately, private citizens and organizations stepped in to make it possible for the students to meet their pen pal.
Then there is the widespread policy among colleges and universities to not have an ROTC program. This has the effect of restricting access to a college education to people based solely on public policy views contrary to those of the university administrations.
But, those are examples of “liberals gone wild”. How ‘bout conservatives? Well, the most basic and easy to describe is the ongoing flack concerning the Confederate Flag, and I’ll get to that in a moment.
In all these cases, plus those concerning things such as the Ten Commandments, prayer at voluntary school events like graduations and football games, etc, it seems as if the government officials involved have neglected to recognize one very important fact. Namely, they serve “of the people, by the people, and for the people”.
All the people.
If your particular political viewpoint is one that runs counter to the current administration and congressional majority, you still do not have the right to impose your beliefs on those you serve as a member of the government. That would include teachers and principals, and the administration and faculty at any state college or university. In the school system, especially, it is encumbered upon the teachers, principals, et al to protect the rights of all students. They are not attending school voluntarily; they are required to be there. If a kid wants to pray, they can pray. If they want to rally for or against any political or social issue (as long as written policy permits it) they can. If they want to pursue the military, they can. And their ability to do any thing of the like cannot, according to the United States Constitution, be taken away.
The same does not apply to teachers and staff because they are there voluntarily. They know the rules and limitations placed on their free speech, and willingly accept those limitations when they accept the position. If they don’t like it, they can go elsewhere. Students do not have the same freedom. Law requires their attendance 180 +/- days a year until at least age 16.
The same principle should be in place as regards prayer at football games or graduations, but from the exact opposite perspective. Those events are not mandatory. You do not have to be at graduation to graduate. No one is being forced to accept the tenets of a particular religion. If you do not like what is being said or done, you don’t have to attend. Life goes on if you miss a football game or school event. And it still goes on if you miss it because some student (or teacher, or preacher) says a prayer.
In the same vein, for a government institution to fly the Confederate Flag is inexcusable. That flag has a very negative meaning for a significant number of people it might fly over on some local or state building. Yes, to many it might be a harmless emblem of heritage such as, “American by birth, Southern by the Grace of God”. But to others, that heritage is not so harmless. And it is “all the people” that governments serve.
Keep in mind as you read that I am talking about government institutions here. Not private citizens or businesses. Totally different circumstances. Private citizens who want to display the Confederate Flag have a Constitutionally protected right to do so. Businesses and civic organizations that want to recognize that flag and make a conscious decision concerning the effect on their business for displaying that flag have every right. If a company wants to mandate prayer, or restrict it, that is their privilege. If a private group, organization, or even country club places restrictions on itself and its members, check out the First Amendment, they have the right. After all, none of us are forced to work for a certain company, support a certain organization, or belong to a particular club. If they have policies contrary to our beliefs, we can go elsewhere. Just like the kid at a school event, football game, or graduation, we don’t have to be there.
However, a politician represents all the people. And they need to do just that; represent all the people. A Democratic or Republican Senator, Congressman, State Representative, County Commissioner, or City Councilman does not just represent the Democrats or Republicans of his or her district. They represent everyone from that district. It is the height of arrogance to assume that, just because one party’s member was elected over the other that only that party’s view needs be represented.
Morally, we know there is Absolute Truth. Some things are just right, and some things are just wrong. But politically, all views are equally valid. If a political entity, which purports to serve all the people, allows voices on one side of an issue, regardless of the issue, then it has a Constitutional obligation to allow the opposing view.
The Constitution of the United States begins with, “We the people”. The Declaration of Independence states in part, “Governments are instituted … deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. If you serve the people as an agent of the government, whether it be on the federal, state, or local level, would you mind terribly acting like you have read those documents and believe in them? It will help us all.
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