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.
On July 4, 1826, fifty years after the Declaration of Independence had been adopted by the Continental Congress, something extraordinary occurred: two of the founding fathers, two of the three first presidents, died. With his last words, John Adams said, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” and yet Jefferson had slipped through the veil five hours before, no doubt to welcome John Adams to eternity.
This is such a peculiar coincidence that begs the question, was it something more? The odds that the two men most intimately involved with our nation’s founding, the two that put to words our desire for freedom would not just die five hours apart, but live long enough to witness their sacrifice come to fruition fifty years later. From that moment forward, with notable exceptions, the ideals they embedded into our national soul thrust America to the greatest heights ever known in the world. July 4th, 1826 was the birth of American Exceptionalism.
Adams and Jefferson differed greatly in their desired course for America. Adams felt we should strive to join the world of nations as co-equals and thus promoted the ideas of a strong, central government with ever expanding wealth and power. Jefferson believed that his document created the grandest of all experiments, a nation that kept inward, away from the creations of mere mortals to deliver the world’s first artisanal nation built upon reason, science, and creativity. He begged America to remain isolated from the ills of Europe that had forged civilizational tyranny, a system that delivered wealth to nations but kept the very souls of its citizenry in captivity to serve the glories of the state.
With the benefit of hindsight, Adams’ vision is what won out but the spirit of freedom that Jefferson held so dear has been the drumbeat that has kept the cadence for our march. As the world slows, as our nation stands on the precipice of dissolution, that heartbeat of liberty must be found again in order to carry forth the exceptionalism and idealism native to the American nation.
There is no one definition for American Exceptionalism. Is it our founding documents? Is it the system of government we created? Is it the formation of an economic engine powerful enough to rule the world? Is it our culture (as damning as it is in current form)? Is it our military strength? Is it our magnanimous nature towards those in need? Is it our rugged individualism (which seemed to dissipate as our nation urbanized)?
It is all of the above and none of the above. Our actions built a complex machine that has tried to be all it can be to all that have come. Our struggles have been to create a system where everyone is equal, has the freedom of expression, and can make their way in the world as they see fit. While we are to treat everyone as equals, not all are. We have wanted to lighten the load for our fellow travelers and in so doing, have created a safety net for those who slip and fall. Judging by the inner-city decay and depravity, that effort has failed. If one examines the federal government’s finances then it becomes abhorrently apparent the efforts have failed. The flag we proudly fly above our heads is tattered and soiled.
I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.
Barack Obama
The debate between the two concepts of our nation, as exemplified in Adams and Jefferson, has defined our nation’s politics. A strong, central government built for world engagement has been the traditional conservative message; a federal system where the individual states are the nation with the federal government to serve only as a referee and guarantor of our natural rights was once the liberal view.
A third view emerged after the Civil War. As our nation grew stronger and urbanization took hold, there were those who believed government could be corralled as a force for good. Charities and social groups were pushed aside in favor of a government solution. As the government power grew, more schemes and nightmares were cooked up and slowly, American’s lost sight of what our nation was supposed to be and turned it into an unrecognizable cadre of bureaucracies that now control all aspects of government and, by extension, us.
A basic tenet of our exceptionalism is that government is a necessary evil. Evil cannot be corralled for the purpose of good.
For an all-powerful government to help one, many others must be infringed upon. If voluntarily, assistance to another is divine. Alexis de Tocqueville, in Democracy in America written in the late 1830s, marveled at American’s ability to self-govern through voluntary group formations to transform society. Mental health issues in America were handled within the communities; welfare for those who fell through the cracks was handled within communities; law and order were handled within the communities. There was no need to corral the federal government because with freedoms come responsibilities and our forbearers took their responsibilities as divine inspiration from God. Tocqueville coined the term exceptionalism to describe America.
The third way, taken root in America, was for government action to solve community problems and with that, the divine spark is extinguished. Progressivism is the cancer in the body politic and it is terminal. Once again, from our former president:
Generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the federal government can’t do to you. But it doesn’t say what the state or federal government must do on your behalf.
Barack Obama
But it doesn’t say what the state or federal government must do on your behalf.
The last line is summation of this third way, this progressive/fascism hybrid that has made quick work of destroying the prayers, beliefs, and visions of our founders. It has distorted the natural flow of ideas and evolution in our grand experiment and is thrusting together those of us today who are the true spirits of Adams and Jefferson.
If we were to band together and write such a document as the Declaration of Independence, we would be labeled racist, white supremacists (regardless our actual skin pigmentation), domestic terrorists, and all around rascally people. The current administration would let loose the full might of the federal law enforcement bureaucracy against us, even possibly sending in F-16s as the president has often suggested. Are the times any different than in 1776? Those who haven’t paid attention laugh and those who have are deeply concerned.
The world is on fire. It has been set ablaze by the ignorant, born and bred to follow the drumbeat of tyranny. Europe is in danger of falling into chaos and in short time, we may be following their lead. Institutions long hallowed have become hollow shells. Money is virtue in this new world and the wolves of Wall Street and the hogs roaming the halls of congress are very virtuous indeed. No institution is sacred. No institution will be saved and our society no longer reflects the exceptional nature of our very founding.
The instruments of reason, science, and creativity have been discarded by that mutinous rabble that has shoved the nation away from both Adams and Jefferson and yet it is reason, true scientific inquiry, and the freedom in our hearts to allow divine creativity to enter our daily lives that will return us to exceptionalism.
American Exceptionalism, is, in the end, a state of mind and not locked into a specific piece of land. The spirit that flowed from the Continental Congress on that day, 247 years ago, has had a lasting imprint on the souls of many through the centuries. As the turbulent times ahead continue to escalate, we should each hold true to that spirit for when the time comes to rebuild, that exceptionalism will serve us well.