What an awesome foundation!
By David Wilder – November 23, 2024
In a world of monarchs, emperors and dictators there was a forgotten part of the world struggling to thrive.
Here, there was no real authority to answer to. There was an official authority of course, but in practical terms had no power.
This is the New England colonies in the 1630s. A group of Massachusetts Puritans decided to move to what is now the Hartford Connecticut area. They did this without the approval or consent of the King or any English company guidance. It was during a time of great turmoil in England, leading up to their civil war. They had other, more pressing worries, than micro-managing the new world.
A Reverend Thomas Hooker was speaking to his Hartford congregation on May 11, 1638. A remarkable quote from that sermon is “The foundation of authority is laid firstly in the free consent of the people.” Clearly a treasonous statement at the time. I imagine this was said not out of revolutionary zeal, but of the practical necessities of the time.
This radical thought of self-governance spread quickly, and was enshrined in the 1639 Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This declared a sovereignty free from a monarch and established some basic tenants. Individual rights and voting. Limited governmental powers. Conventions twice a year. Term limits for the governor. Not an ideology driving armed insurrection, but a natural, practical development when a powerful overlord is absent.
Carried throughout the region, this template was basically how the colonies grew and governed for over a century. Eventually the Monarchy started focusing on its control and oversight of the colonies again. The colonists saw their rights as being natural and God-given, while the King saw himself as God’s administrator to grant rights as he deemed appropriate. We know the history.
The Declaration of Independence was the united colonies stating their world view:
“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. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…”
Familiar words to a lot of us. Like a lot that is familiar, it is easy to gloss over and not appreciate the depth of meaning. One point that constantly strikes me is the purpose of government is to make sure my rights are guaranteed. Government has no authority to restrict, constrain or deny these rights. This short phrase calls out the polar opposite philosophies at war. On one side, the government (King) has absolute say on what rights you can have. The other side, as stated in the Declaration proclaims that the individual has these rights inherently.
After the revolutionary war was won, the Articles of Confederation were created as a governing document. This was best described as a treaty between independent states. This followed the now American world view that no central government has the authority to dictate terms. In practice, not having a judiciary, common coinage, a standing military and others issues created a lot of obstacles and problems. Reluctantly, the colonies saw the need to balance individual and state freedoms with the “exigencies of the Union”.
This was the backdrop for calling the Constitutional Convention of 1787. They met the challenge by carefully balancing the minimum requirements for an effective federal government with the individual rights of citizens and states. Our Constitutional Republic keeps the authority with the people, and protects the rights of each person and state. The checks and balances as well as the clear delineation of the limited federal powers has proven to be a masterpiece in governing structure.
This is the foundation the United States was built upon. We must all understand this nugget of truth that makes our country unique and successful. It provides structure and process for self-governance. It is the guiderails to make a more perfect union, so we can identify and correct any errors along the way.
Join with us and our states in the fight for America: Stand Up, Show Up, Speak Up!
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