Liberty Papers (5)  — Philadelphia Evening Post

To the People of the United States,

To determine the circumstances which made possible the success and support of the front-running candidates for the Presidency of the United States of America, we must ask ourselves to take a hard look and honestly evaluate the fundamental causes leading to their success. I see America today much like the French after failed attempts at revolution: highly factious, reactionary, and tired of failed systems that don’t work. The result is a falling back on more primitive forms of social order and party. A nation trying to recapture its glory and reassert its excellence in a world of fading influence; fear of unrest and the desire for social order provide a platform. Instability acts as entry stones to would-be emperors. Is America ready for its Napoleon? The rise of either prospective head of state marks the nation’s willingness to be pandered to, to accept authoritarianism, and to resign responsibility in favor of dependency. The stark contrast in the revolutions of France and America was the former’s inability to unify. The ideals and sentiments were very much the same, but the outcomes could not have been more different. The national unity felt among Americans made all the difference. The lesson of history is it is always easier to tear down than it is to build up and the cunning will invent new methods of destruction. Those who lust for power will use every means available. The ability to control and manipulate is not a byproduct of the 21st century. It has always been the job of kingmakers to capitalize on chaos and disunity. The surge of nationalism is a natural instinct, the gut reaction toward self-preservation. America cannot survive another civil war. We, as a people, put too much emphasis on leaders. If only we were to model ourselves after that American ideal of self-reliance, we would find again that affection and attachment to our country. Only with that, can we ever hope to remain a shining city upon a hill.

“The invincible principle is to be found in the love, the affection, the attachment of the citizens to their laws, their freedom, and their country.“- George Mason, Speech to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, June 4th 1787

We must as a nation become whole again. For all of America’s faults at its inception, its shining light was the wider vision of liberty in creating a system built on principles rooted in human dignity. What could be wrong with a system whose purpose is to protect the ultimate ideal, that perfect truth, that every individual, in light of their being equal, should hold equal power in the decisions that impact their lives. Not fall behind a leader or rely on the strength of the mob, but as individual Americans. This system today seems operated by constructs of the total opposite. A system that is so influenced by pressure groups that its entire mechanism is controlled by the range of the moment. Controlled by interests that try to limit and order our greatness. We are not so small as to be seeking systems to curb chaos, for it is these systems that define who we are. Our natural inclinations toward generosity, civility, and fairness; the human impulse that defends the weak — the vision of man unaccompanied by failure or meekness, the innate system of community, competition, and a kinship to those who share in the fight and struggles tied to survival. A democratic republic — a system to no longer each alone to fight for our heart’s small but great freedom. The pervading attitude of nihilism and compromise is the result of a culture expropriated by cynics. The frustration that mobilizes the powerless to act is the same frustration that clouds our thinking. It’s time we reject the cultural products of staleness or face an American Reign of Terror. We must live like Americans and reject the bicorne hats and white horses, refuse the empty slogans of wannabe leaders or prepare ourselves for Waterloo.

+Burke
@nwsonsofliberty (twitter)