America was born of the Enlightenment on July 4, 1776, and it turned political theory upside down…
The Revolutionary Nature of the Declaration
Its founding principles were captured in the Declaration of Independence:
“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…”
In short, everybody has the right to be left free, free of interference from others and from the government, and the government’s only purpose is to protect those rights.
This was truly revolutionary in 1776, and even today, most people (including presidents and politicians) do not understand how radical the founders and the American founding was.
Before the Declaration of Independence, people were ruled. They were subservient to the king, the emperor, the tribal leader, the state.
The Declaration turned that upside down. Individuals were not to serve a higher power, they were sovereign beings living their own lives, for their own sake, and enjoying the rewards of their achievements.
The new nation was to be free, not just from Britain, but within, so that each individual was free from force and interference. Man was not a beast to be controlled and exploited, but a rational being capable of directing his own life, for his own benefit.
“[T]he mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them…”
Thomas Jefferson (letter to Roger Weightman, June 24, 1826
Rights protect all and coerce no one. This revolutionary concept of individual rights banishes force from human relationships. Neither the government nor an individual may use force to override another’s judgement and force him to act against his will.
The Results of the Declaration of Independence
Though America was still not a fully laissez-faire economy, the results were incredible.
America went from a rural agrarian society to the highest per capita GDP and the world’s super power in 114 years.
It became an innovation engine, producing an astounding array and number of life-changing inventions and achievements.
Cotton gin (1793)
Telegraph (1837)
Sewing machine (1846)
Transcontinental railroad (1869)
Revolver (1836)
Typewriter (1868)
Electric lightbulb (1879)
Phonograph (1877)
Airplane (1903)
Assembly line (1913)
Computer (1945), Internet, credit card, laser, GPS…
As Ayn Rand identified, the reason for this proliferation of innovation and productivity is that the original American system of individual rights, capitalism, is the only system that protects our basic means of survival, our minds, the source of creativity, production, and values.
This unleashed an unprecedented wave of innovation and production that continues today, attenuated and severely stifled by regulation and taxation.
What America is Not
The United States is not a democracy, not in the sense of an unlimited majority rule. The paradigm case of democracy was Ancient Athens, where votes determined issues and policy (including the execution of Socrates by majority vote in 399 BC). ‘
The Founding Fathers were opposed to democracy, since it essentially means there are no objective laws, it embodies lawlessness, because anything goes, if a majority favors it. As such, democracy annihilates the very concept of rights, especially the rights of those in a minority.
The United States is a constitutional republic, where each individual has inalienable rights guaranteed by the constitution, rights to their life, and to act freely in the pursuit of their happiness.
As the Declaration makes clear, rights are absolute sanctions and safeguards on our freedom to act without coercion as we pursue our interests and happiness.
Rights are not permissions. We do not need to seek the approval of others in order to act. Rights are not subject to veto by a majority, not contingent on the President, Governors, local government regulations such as planning and zoning. They are not contingent on the local populace’s opinion.
Individuals have the absolute and inherent rights to their lives, and to live them as they see fit, without interference from others.
In the over 200 years since its founding, these basic principles have been obscured, contradicted, violated, diluted, and sadly, all but forgotten, especially today. But the principles remain true and the foundation of the United States.
We do not have the right to gang up on someone we disagree with, to vote to infringe their rights and stifle their pursuit of their dreams.
You can have America, individual rights, and the rule of law, where each and every individual is sovereign over their lives, a land of entrepreneurs, innovation, producers, and traders, voluntarily trading for mutual benefit and ever-increasing prosperity….
Or, you can have any variant of statism, where the individual is subservient to some “higher” power, a king, the “common good,” the national interest, God, “the people,” the tribe…
“More than 250 federal agencies now impose regulations related to everything from basic business activity to family leave, wages, privacy, and disability.”
Norbert J. Michel (Crushing Capitalism, 13)
It is obvious, that today we are a long way from the Founder’s vision for America. On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, isn’t it time to rediscover it and take it seriously?
