MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron
We just celebrated Independence Day, and some of you know that I taught history most of the years I also pastored churches. For this article, I'll put on my history hat to talk about freedom.
Our nation's founders understood history and political philosophy. But primarily, when deciding what they did and didn’t want in a new government, they relied on their background with the British constitutional monarchy. They sought a framework for authority that would protect rights, not direct their lives. Many of the concepts hearkened back beyond Christianity, to the Roman Republic, and Athenian Democracy. (Be careful not to equate republic with Republicans, and democracy with Democrats.)
Athenian democracy was in place for around 180 years during the 5th to the 4th century BCE and consisted of an Assembly of people, the Council of 500, and the People’s Court. Free citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in governing. There was direct involvement rather than representative leadership, and the Assembly was chosen by lot. All citizens were required to take an active part in government.
Around 375 BC, Greek philosopher Plato proposed the idea of a republic. His idea was a hierarchical system of government, ruled by philosopher kings known as guardians. These rulers would own no property and would govern with wisdom and justice. Plato's system depended on virtuous leaders who put the common good above their own.
Aristotle was a student of Plato, and though they disagreed on many things, they shared concerns about democracy. Aristotle's key objection to democracy was that it undermined the rule of law and was based on human whims and desires: democracy could become domination of the majority over the minority, without respect to individual rights. Both feared that with time, democracy would be controlled by leaders who would bribe the people with promises, and trick citizens into giving (voting for) unlimited control to the one who bribes the most.
In contrast to Athenian Democracy, the Roman Republic, from 509 to 27 BCE, was a significant attempt at representative government. Rome's government was made up of elected representatives of free citizens, consisting of a Senate and four assemblies, and was designed to provide laws that maintained structure, security and order. In many ways, though, it became an oligarchy - controlled by a select few at the top - and evolved into an empire. The emperor formed a small personal guard that protected him, thus allowing centralize control over the rest of the military and thus the empire.
Jump ahead to the mid-1700s, as thoughts in the new land began to move toward revolution. Leaders in the colonies relied heavily on the ideas of Englishman John Locke and the French Baron Charles de Montesquieu. Locke’s political theories could be summed up in the concept of a “social compact”, a phrase later captured in the Declaration of Independence, that governments “derive their powers from the consent of the governed.” Even today, all citizens including naturalized ones are required to submit their allegiance to that compact, the Constitution, to protect security of the people and the country which it sustains. John Locke went on to write that human law is to be based on natural law, which reflects divine law, all to safeguard the common good.
Montesquieu’s theories were marked by two key aspects, transcendency of law, and separation of powers. In forming the new government, both Alexander Hamilton and George Washington saw these principles as necessary to protect against governmental power. A third influencer was Sir William Blackstone, who wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England, later adopted as the official law books of the US Senate. Blackstone saw two foundations for government, "the law of nature, and the law of revelation", the second which he called elsewhere, "the holy Scriptures".
The greatest threat to the United States today is anyone who advocates changes in these ideologies, either through a new constitutional convention, or by violating the basic principles of separation of powers. Our form of government - more than a democracy, more than a republic - has worked for almost 250 years and has served as the inspiration and foundation for free people around the world. The US Constitution is designed to protect freedom and rights, so we must not vote them away just to get what we want.
The idea of equality was found originally in the realm of political and legal rights, but equality has now strayed into substantive rights – such as healthcare, education, housing - or anything else the majority wants. In other words, they now include goods and services, which require government to take from some to give to others. At the same time, we've greatly increased the role and power of bureaucracy. Government employees today make up more than half of the US workforce.
In 1776, Americans willingly gave up the security afforded by England to fight for freedom. The question today is, "what are we willing to give up?" to gain all the "stuff" that government provides. Or will we retain freedom to be self-sufficient and follow the pursuit of happiness?
