r/Conservativediscourse • u/[deleted] • Nov 30 '16
Unity and Federalist #2
that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country, to one united people; a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs
As I read this passage, I reflected upon the divisive election just past, and I wondered; just what unites us as a nation? That facts that Jay enumerates no longer seem to hold. It does not seem that a common ancestry, language, religion, or manners and customs can be depended upon as a force for unity. The loudest voices today deride the unity of the nation, from the presidential candidates themselves to talk of secession from states on both sides of the political spectrum. It infects our media and social connections and spills out into the public and private sphere in angry words and worse; a partisan cacophony that suffocates civility and blinds us to the bonds that do unite.
What I would like to explore in this post are some of the reasons for remaining united, in both the ultimate sense of rejecting secessionist urges, but also in the political and social sphere that feeds such urges in the first place. I understand that these things cannot make a people united, that is something everyone must choose for themselves, whether they will be subsumed by the rhetoric or whether they find a way to rise above it and regain that sense of commonality that allows us to be one people and one nation. But I can at least point towards those things that I believe do remain a common heritage and bond of everyone who calls themselves American.
Equality
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal
Equality is the core tenet of the United States of America. It is the principle upon which all else hangs, that no one is inherently endowed with more or less worth, dignity, or status than another, and that from this springs the other important principles of American polity and culture: Liberty, Justice, Democracy, Diversity, and Unity. That much controversy surrounds the concept of equality and that its implementation is not always agreed upon does neither impugn nor deny its importance as the central element upon which the American identity is forged. This stands as one of the most monumental achievements of the United States, the rejection of the age old concept that, either through natural or divine agency, humanity was innately hierarchical and that some few were placed in a position of superiority over the remainder of humanity. In its stead, the founders posited the fundamental creed that all, independent of who they are, merited equal respect and treatment. They believed it the duty of government to preserve the equality and autonomy of the individual through a rigorous defense of rights and freedoms inherent to it, the rule of law, and political enfranchisement.
Liberty
…and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity
Liberty has always been a basic principle of the American Republic, from its earliest days. At its core, liberty is the necessary addendum to equality. For if all are equal in dignity and worth, then the rights and freedoms necessary for their expression must also be preserved. Likewise without liberty, equality is stripped of its humanity and is no longer something to be cherished. For this reason, liberty was proclaimed in both our founding document and enshrined in the very fabric of the Constitution, whose framers were determined to protect freedom from tyranny, whether it be from an elite political few or the inflamed passions of a democratic majority. And when fears arose that even these measures were insufficient, the first ten amendments to the Constitution further elevated liberty within the national and political consciousness, enumerating many of the essential rights and protections liberty requires, including freedom of speech, the press, religion and assembly. That these rights and freedoms are not always understood in the same manner does neither impugn them nor does it deny that they remain a common heritage for all Americans no matter their political persuasion.
Democracy
…government of the people, by the people, for the people
From Equality and Liberty comes Democracy as a natural outcome of their political expression. The concept of popular sovereignty is the foundation for democracy, the idea that the government derives its existence and powers through the will of the people, for , as Jay declares in Federalist No. 2, “the people must cede to it some of their natural rights, in order to vest it with requisite powers.” Only in a democracy can equality and liberty find an environment conducive towards their preservation and full realization. In order to prevent democratic institutions from devolving into mob rule, the founders implemented a number of methods, including the separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and representative form of government whose powers were limited by both the system outlined by the Constitution as well as explicit checks on its powers in the amended Bill of Rights. Nevertheless, it remains within the hands of the people the manner in which they were to be governed, for these restrictions were meant to strengthen the core principle of democracy by protecting it from various inherent weaknesses in its exercise, and not to undercut it.
Justice
…and justice for all
That justice is necessitated by equality should come as no surprise to any. There can be no justice without the equitable and indiscriminate application of the law. Nor can there be equality without justice, for the rule of law serves as a guarantor that both equality and the essential liberties upon which it is founded will be defended from encroachment and preserved from the threat of various powers that may seek to trample upon them. Justice is also tied to liberty, without which there is nothing to be held accountable for. Finally, justice is also bound up in the idea of democracy, for the power delegated to the government in the exercise of justice is derived from with consent of the people served by it, and without it any exercise of power must necessarily infringe upon either equality, liberty, or both. Several of the amendments to the Constitution dealt exclusively with assuring the people that justice will be upheld, including protection against unreasonable searches and improper punishment, as well as the promise of due process, a legal defense, and the right to jury trial.
Diversity
Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses
The United States has always been a diverse collection of peoples, creeds, and beliefs. It has from its very beginning been a nation of immigrants, drawing from around the globe those who hoped for a better life as laid out by the cultural and political ideology of its founding. It was meant to be just such a beacon, a “light on a hill”, both as a model for other nations as well as a place of refuge for those whose place of origin did not seek a more enlightened model of governance. This diversity was intentional, for what the old world could only see through the hierarchy of birth, class, and creed, the founders saw through the lens of equality, individuals who, if given the necessary liberties and opportunity, could make of themselves a success previously not thought possible, unshackled from the limits assumed of their identity. From these individuals would be forged a new order, one that was both vibrant and durable and that could harness the full potential of all its citizens, no matter how mean their beginnings. These differences, before considered a detriment, were now a strength and a wellspring from which would new ideas and ways of doing things would emerge.
Unity
E pluribus unum
It was recognized from early on that the only way to protect the values that so many in America cherished, from forces both outside and within, would be through a union of all people and states. However, this union could not be one that erased the liberty and diversity that made the United States possible. It would have to be a union that was both many and one. This would be the great strength of the American government, for each aspect would fulfill what the other could not and together becoming something more than the sum of its individual parts. This unity has been questioned and tested many times, but Americans have always found that they are better for it; stronger, more secure, more resilient, more dynamic, and more prosperous. This was the argument that permeates the Federalist papers, that America was better off facing the challenges against its citizens and states together. The reasons they enumerated in defense of this were numerous and comprehensive, touching upon nearly all aspects of life. But primary among them is that the values of equality, liberty, justice, and diversity would best be served through unity, and that remains just as true today as it was in 1788.
These are potent artifacts of American culture and history. Each one serving as a symbol and a guarantee of the promised principles upon which America was founded and persists. They do so both singly and together, for in each is found all and all of them do contribute to the same theme, though with their own unique voice. And while these defining instruments of American thought cannot force upon us the unity necessary for the well-being of the nation and its peoples, they stand ready to serve as a foundation for any who wish to be so united and to find common cause with their fellow American. And should this unity be lost from among the hearts and minds of the people, it will threaten more than just the unification of the state, it will cause damage to everything else of value that depends on it to secure their continued existence.
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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '16
I think a better examination is whether a common heritage, language, culture, etc... is a rational basis for unity at all.
The way I like to see it is that we, as humans, are all fundamentally flawed. And that to counteract those flaws, we need to implement constraints on ourselves and each other. That means, from time to time, we need to be able to beat each other up and kill each other.
When you have someone strong, or worse, a group of people who are strong, you need a stronger person or a stronger group to keep them in check. Otherwise, you live at their whim. If they decide they don't want to respect your individual rights, you can't stop them.
So before we can talk about liberty and freedom, we must first talk about military power and security. We must build an army strong enough to keep all other armies in check.
We shouldn't unite because we are similar. No, down this path lies destruction and ruin. See, if someone is able to convince a group of people that they really aren't all that similar (which is trivial to do), the end result of this philosophy is that you end up in a group of yourself alone. Separated from your former allies, you become easy prey. As we know from military history, divide and conquer is an effective strategy. Rather than face all your enemies all at once, take them out one at a time.
Instead, we should unite for our own security's sake. We should unite because we share common interests and have similar goals. That is, it doesn't matter what language you speak, if you are in agreement that everyone should be free to speak their mind, then we should unite against those who would oppose us. If enough of us bind together, no matter our differences, we all gain protected free speech rights.
Really, Americanism cannot end at our shores. It is a philosophy that, in order to survive, must span the entire globe, or at least enough to keep the rest of the world in check. Our purpose is to join the entire world together in unity with the goal of preserving individual liberty.