Lesson 1: America: Land of the Free

America the Beautiful, is a song title, so what is your favorite place in the United States? Have you seen a beautiful part of the United States? Can you comprehend the inherent beauty of American freedoms? What do you love about America? Write a list of your favorite things.

Ever since World War I, America has been a proponent of democracy. One aspect of democracy that Americans have shared with other countries is the idea of voting - the choosing of leaders by the people. Another aspect of democracy that is important to Americans is the idea of capitalizing on the production and sale of goods in a global market. America has sought to guarantee its business interests simultaneously with encouraging foreign countries to buy and sell internationally. This has not always worked out fairly because the citizens of foreign countries do not share the freedom of commerce that is protected by the US Constitution.

With America’s interest in global business ventures has come an interest in global political stability which is required for free trade. America has ventured into global wars to “promote peace.” The list of places where America has tried to influence the local politics spans the globe. To the extent that America has promoted peace, the people have prospered financially.

Q: Who is America’s Enemy?

Some might say America’s greatest enemy after World War II was Communism and the government of Russia. Communism promotes an equalization of work and rewards which do not materialize as promised and guarantees rewards by the force of a police state. In reality, the greatest enemy is the idea that I don't have to plant to reap a reward. Ideas I hold within myself as true either lead to prosperity or economic dependence. America was founded by people who were very familiar with the struggle of the landless class to prosper when all the elite received land and wealth by inheritance. By creating a society based on land ownership and representation in government, they sought to end the privileges of the government based on absolute rule by a king and his aristocracy.

The United States, in promoting merit-based prosperity, has come into conflict with Communist ideas in Vietnam, the Central America Wars of the 1980s, again in the two Iraq wars of the ‘90s where Iraq was supplied with weapons by Russia and in the war against terror in Afghanistan where again Russia supplied weapons. More recently the American ideas of capitalism have tangled with China over policies which hinder or help business prosper.

Speaking generally about the conflicts, in some cases America has supported dictators who had no intention of promoting democracy against rebels who represented the people but were funded by the Russian state. This, among other things, has led to confusion about America’s motives and anti-American sentiment.

Presently the ideas of democracy are in question within the United States. “Voters [sense] that ‘the status quo’ no longer serves their interests or reflects their priorities.” And some wonder, “What happens if voters choose to embrace policies that prioritize the present over the future and privilege the constituent over the universal? Particularly when it comes to questions like climate change.” The question of whether voters will choose amiss largely sidesteps the responsibility that elected officials have to protect national interests above personal ones. Voters are generally aware that their elected officials enacted no substantial reforms after the housing crisis of 2008 and that the police force as an extension of the government has expressed willingness to reform without actually becoming more equitable in it’s actions.

The founding fathers who set up the basis for the American democratic system took into consideration the misguided opinions of everyday citizens when they chose a representative form of government. They also correctly surmised the fundamental necessity of an educated and moral people who govern themselves. Samuel Adams said, “But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.”

Thomas Jefferson hoped that America would be led by a natural aristocracy rather than one where political power was gained by family connections or wealth. When a community chooses respected leaders from among its own who are pillars of strength in their homes and businesses, the government is in good hands. No problem that could be solved locally was sent to the national government.

The theories for political stability vary greatly. Some point to the “Chinese Model” as the flexible, super responsive government that avoids lengthy discussions and compromises inherent in a representative democracy. Democracy is inherently a compromise of many minds. Condoleezza Rice correctly stated that, “The paradox of democracy is that its stability is born of its openness to upheaval through elections, legislation, and social action. Disruption is built into the fabric of democracy.” The Chinese form of government allows for no upheaval and resists change which comes from outside its leaders' interests. When open dialogue is suppressed, the people are silenced.

One guarantee of stability in the American model is based on private land ownership. Those who own land are resilient to economic instability. Americans who enjoy the stability of land ownership have not felt the precariousness of American democracy’s decline because their personal finances have continued to prosper. Other Americans have felt more and more dependent while America seems to sink like a doomed ship in financial management, education and human rights. Those who have prospered have been the land owners not the  non-land-owners.

Rather than admit defeat, Americans need to understand the basis for prosperity as protected by democracy. As Americans rise up to the challenge of innovation and leadership, they will overcome the anti-American sentiments of those less fortunate. The preoccupation Americans have with their own fate must become secondary to the greater good American ideas regarding the freedom to prosper can offer the world. The world needs real American values not the ideas of political pundits. Unelected groups or factions seem to speak for Americans when they campaign for political parties or offer solutions. To elevate the voice of the common man in America, who understands the value of the liberties protected by the US Constitution might help promote true freedom. Like Thomas Paine said of old, ‘Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!”

Sources:

Williams, Virginia S., and Roger Peace and Jeremy Kuzmarov.  “Central America wars, 1980s.”  United States Foreign Policy History and Resource Guide website, 2018, http://peacehistory-usfp.org/central-america-wars.

Gvosdev, Nikolas K. “Democratic Decline?” The Carnegie Council website, https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/articles_papers_reports/democratic-decline

Paine, Thomas. “Common Sense” The Independence Hall Association Website, https://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/

Rice, Condoleezza. Democracy. https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Stories-Long-Road-Freedom/dp/1455540188/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=democracy+rice&qid=1599019985&sr=8-1

Nelson, Jeremy. “Choosing Virtuous and Moral Leaders” National Center for Constitutional Studies website, https://nccs.net/blogs/articles/choosing-virtuous-and-moral-leaders?_pos=1&_sid=27bd452d6&_ss=r

Wells, William Vincent. The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams: Being a Narrative of His Acts and Opinions, and of His Agency in Producing and Forwarding the American Revolution. With Extracts from His Correspondence, State Papers, and Political Essays, Volume 1. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=TIoTAQAAMAAJ&rdid=book-TIoTAQAAMAAJ&rdot=1

Image Credit: Cpl. Francesca Landis / Library of Congress / Public Domain