Sunday, July 07, 2013

Belated Thoughts on the Anniversary of Our Nation's Birth


On this celebration of our nation's birth, it is fitting to celebrate the founders as much for what they DIDN'T do as for what they did. Consider these three great omissions by General George Washington, after the war had ended and the Articles of Confederation had been replaced with the new Constitution: he had no great ambition to be president of the United States, but evidently sought and held the office out of a sense of duty; he did not plunder the public purse while in office (as can be witnessed even today by visiting his humble estate, Mount Vernon--its very plainness serves but to embellish his honor); he did not cling to power once his term was over, but retired to private life. 

How many leaders of violent revolutions can boast of such a humble legacy? Although I am an anti-Federalist, and believe that the federal government instituted by the Constitution has ever had an unfortunate tendency toward tyranny at home and imperialism abroad, one can surely respect the Founders for the numerous crimes which they did not commit, but which were in their power.

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