Minority Viewpoint Peaceful Rebellion p.5
Dublin Core
Title
Minority Viewpoint Peaceful Rebellion p.5
Description
"What is it we celebrate on the Fourth of July that makes us unique among men? Is it the celebration of nationhood? Yes, but Russia, China, Cuba, Chile, South Africa, and other totalitarian nations also have days for celebrating their nationhood.
So the mere fact our 1776 unilateral Declaration of Independence from British rule which led to nationhood is nothing to brag about.
The truly unique feature of our celebrations is the triumphant embrace of an idea. An idea expressed in our Declaration of Independence as follows: "We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,”
The Declaration of Independence and later the Bill of Rights are really expressions of the liberal philosophy of thinkers like Locke and Hume. It is an expression of the natural law which holds that men own themselves, are autonomous, and that the state exists to prevent one from violating the rights of another. Unfortunately, our Founding Fathers did not give full meaning to the philosophy of natural law. There were some conspicuous violations such as slavery and failure to give the full franchise to women.
Despite these shortcomings, our Founding Fathers planted the seeds for freedoms as they had never been before in the history of man. Indeed, these seeds made it possible for blacks and women to eventually enjoy the fruits of freedom.
Both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are strong statements for the autonomy of the individual, and the state exists to protect this autonomy.
In other words, government exist to serve the individuals, NOT the other way around as suggested by expressions like: obligations to society or duty to government.
For several decades’ individualism has been under attack. We’re told by college professors, preachers, and politicians that society and community must be served and that individualism represents selfishness.
This is a psychological design for the growth and power of the state. People with a strong disposition toward individual liberty will always see the state as a threat.
When the Founders said, “All men are equal,” what did they mean? Did they mean Congress should take some of our income in order to make mine equal to yours? Or did they mean that Congress should mandate quotas to ensure men are equally represented by race?
Perhaps they meant Congress should confiscate the income of young people and give it to older people in the name of equality.
None of the perversions of principle of equality among men were expressed by the Founders. What they meant is that all mean should be treated equally before the law. Indeed, equality before the law is the only kind of equality that can be achieved without destroying freedom.
If the government takes your earnings in the attempt to equalize our incomes, it doesn’t treat us equally i.e, you don’t have the rights to my property. When the law allows unions to block entrances and commit act of yet jails the ordinary citizen if he does the same, it's not treating us equally.
Restrictions on Freedom and inequality before the law is typical history. What’s rare is the amount of freedom we now enjoy. All of man’s history is mostly -by degrees. Congress violates privacy. More and more laws are written governing our relations with our fellow man, and government favoritism is on the rise. The theme for this year’s Fourth of July celebration should be a rebellion against government encroachment on our freedom, while we are still able to rebel without guns.
So the mere fact our 1776 unilateral Declaration of Independence from British rule which led to nationhood is nothing to brag about.
The truly unique feature of our celebrations is the triumphant embrace of an idea. An idea expressed in our Declaration of Independence as follows: "We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,”
The Declaration of Independence and later the Bill of Rights are really expressions of the liberal philosophy of thinkers like Locke and Hume. It is an expression of the natural law which holds that men own themselves, are autonomous, and that the state exists to prevent one from violating the rights of another. Unfortunately, our Founding Fathers did not give full meaning to the philosophy of natural law. There were some conspicuous violations such as slavery and failure to give the full franchise to women.
Despite these shortcomings, our Founding Fathers planted the seeds for freedoms as they had never been before in the history of man. Indeed, these seeds made it possible for blacks and women to eventually enjoy the fruits of freedom.
Both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights are strong statements for the autonomy of the individual, and the state exists to protect this autonomy.
In other words, government exist to serve the individuals, NOT the other way around as suggested by expressions like: obligations to society or duty to government.
For several decades’ individualism has been under attack. We’re told by college professors, preachers, and politicians that society and community must be served and that individualism represents selfishness.
This is a psychological design for the growth and power of the state. People with a strong disposition toward individual liberty will always see the state as a threat.
When the Founders said, “All men are equal,” what did they mean? Did they mean Congress should take some of our income in order to make mine equal to yours? Or did they mean that Congress should mandate quotas to ensure men are equally represented by race?
Perhaps they meant Congress should confiscate the income of young people and give it to older people in the name of equality.
None of the perversions of principle of equality among men were expressed by the Founders. What they meant is that all mean should be treated equally before the law. Indeed, equality before the law is the only kind of equality that can be achieved without destroying freedom.
If the government takes your earnings in the attempt to equalize our incomes, it doesn’t treat us equally i.e, you don’t have the rights to my property. When the law allows unions to block entrances and commit act of yet jails the ordinary citizen if he does the same, it's not treating us equally.
Restrictions on Freedom and inequality before the law is typical history. What’s rare is the amount of freedom we now enjoy. All of man’s history is mostly -by degrees. Congress violates privacy. More and more laws are written governing our relations with our fellow man, and government favoritism is on the rise. The theme for this year’s Fourth of July celebration should be a rebellion against government encroachment on our freedom, while we are still able to rebel without guns.
Creator
Walter E. Williams
Publisher
Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988)
Date
1986-7-12
Collection
Citation
Walter E. Williams, “Minority Viewpoint Peaceful Rebellion p.5,” African American Fourth of July, accessed April 29, 2024, https://africanamerican4th.omeka.net/items/show/278.