According to my dictionary the word slavery defines a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them. When America rebelled against England in 1776, slavery was legal. Landowners owned slaves. The founders struggled with the concept of keeping slaves while they defined the concept of “all men are created equal.” Thomas Jefferson originally had words which included slaves in the Declaration of Independence. The southern colonies would not join the union if the declaration included slaves as equals. A long debate ensued and ultimately, the fathers concluded that a strong union of the thirteen colonies was most essential. Jefferson wrote the last version of the Declaration of Independence as it stands today. The founders were the first to kick the problem(slavery) down the road; thus setting a precedent for current congressional leaders to do the same with issues like Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid.
One hundred years later, Abraham Lincoln, founder of the Republican party, finally decided to end the can kicking and abolished slavery. The cost he incurred was huge both in dollars, and in human lives. He believed as did Jefferson (who was reportedly the founder of the Democrat party) that the slaves must be included in the “all men are created equal,” phrase of the Declaration. Lincoln took a hard stand and signed the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in the USA. He chose to do the right thing and not to kick the can down the road.
I suggest that everyone review the Declaration of Independence. I did, and I if I didn’t know it was the Declaration, I would swear the writer described the same issues we face in our country today. The Declaration is a call to arms and gives the rationale for doing so. Today, citizens of the USA are divided. Half are on the side of the government (monarchy) while the other believes in the right to govern themselves. In 1774-76 the colonists made ready for armed revolution to take their country from the King of England. Today, we see a Tea Party who believes as the colonists, i.e. we have the right and moral obligation to govern ourselves. Instead of an armed revolution Tea Party people like myself believe in peaceful use of the existing process to win back the country.
Since Lincoln’s time, our leaders in Washington have invented new philosophies for governing. Some say, that it is the role of Government to take care of the people under the “Welfare” clause of the Constitution. There is a Jefferson quote carved in stone at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington that contradicts the philosophy that we are stupid, and need to be cared for;
“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
Thomas Jefferson believed in man’s ability to think and care for himself. We do not need another man to Lord over us.
Thomas Jefferson foresaw that if left unchecked, the government would rebel against the will of the people and revert to tyranny. He truly believed as did his compatriots, that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . . .”
Obama’s speech this week to the GWU students clearly signaled his intention to stifle any effort by the people to take back their government and reverse exorbitant and costly social programs.
Are We the People going to stand for that, or will we allow him to lead us down the road to big government dependency and ultimately become tax-slaves to feed the monster?
Related Articles
- Why was The Declaration of Independence Written: Famous Quotes from The Declaration of Independence (brighthub.com)
- Who is credited for writing the American Declaration of Independence (wiki.answers.com)
Filed under: Cartoons, Conservative, Election, Government, liberals, politics | Tagged: Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, George Washington University, Government, Jefferson Memorial, Republican Party (United States), Social Programs, Thomas Jefferson, United States, United States Declaration of Independence |
[…] Are “We the People” Going to Stand for That? (grumpajoesplace.com) […]
In response to Matt, will check out The Fourth Turning. Another good read is The Ominous Parallel by Leanord Picoff. It compares Nazi Germany to the US today. All about welfarism, statism, etc, etc. May GOD BLESS AMERICA once again before its too late.
Chuck and Matt; Great debate. You have both added enough to my reading list to take a year to complete. Thanks for the leads to knowledge.
I checked it out. Might make a good read. I was not defending banks, but there’s much more to our problems than banks. Our government runs us like a nanny state and there are too many folks as pleased as they can be with it. I can guarantee that there’s much more and much worse to come. Check out The Fourth Turning, by William Strauss and Neil Howe. It makes clearer what we are experiencing now.
In response to Matt, read the book, THE CREATURE from JEKYLL ISLAND by G. Edward Griffin. It will surely give you a different perspective about banks and government. Our government rules by this way today. Problem, reaction, solution. The government creates the problem, tells “We the People” how to react through the Mass Media, and then offers the solution costing more money while losing our precious GOG GIVEN RIGHTS.
Somebody hates banks. My point about slavery had nothing to do with whether it’s moral or not. Most folks would agree today that it is immoral. My point was that Grumpa Joe is not all wrong in ascribing the motive to end slavery (or to maintain it) to a faction of those who ultimately defended Union or States rights. BTW, follow the money is not entirely wrong, but far from the only reason that the Union split in 1860. Slavery was an economic reason for a certain class in the South to secede, but you’re giving far too much credit to banks.
As for who we may be slaves to today, I think you’re giving far too much credit to politicians and banks. We have become slaves to our own laziness and greed. Don’t blame politicians, banks, big business, unions, churches or God for what we have become. They give us what we ask for. If that is not what we wanted, it wouldn’t exist. It’s time that we quit complaining and started doing. Too many Americans have learned to live comfortably off the dole and have become whining babies. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.
Grumpa Joe, you may be right about the numbers today. I might give it 20/20/60, but no matter. It’s still pathetic. Do you think Committees of Correspondence can work today? It seems to me that back in the 1770’s people may have had a longer attention span! ;o)
Matt: I like your question about the Committees of Correspondence. In a way, our current Tea Party groups are the closest thing we have to that colonial organization. With modern communication tools we don’t need the committees to spread the word, but we need groups who think alike to get together to discuss and strategize ideas and put them into action. Tea party groups do that. I only hope there are enough of them to make a difference.
In response to Matt, slavery was unjust, but then as now,, follow the MONEY. America has many problems today, immigration, medical care, inflation,etc. etc. It all revolves around MONEY. The dismantling of OUR REPUBLIC began with and is currently being orchestrated by the MONEY CHANGERS, BANKS. With the passage of the FEDERAL RESERVE ACT in 1913, our federal GOV. went in business with the BANKS and “WE the PEOPLE” have become slaves to the bankers and politicians ever since. There were slaves in Jesus time and slaves today. There will always be the HAVES and the HAVE NOTS. You cannot legally takes from one and give to the other and have everyone live the American Dream. We are all created equal in the eyes of GOD. Those who produce, should not be penalised by the government to subsidise the lives of those who won’t.
Grumpa Joe (and Chuck),
First, a slight revision of your numbers, Grumpa Joe: the actual (as close as can be determined since there were no poling organizations like today) number of people that were for and against the American Revolution were 1/3 in favor, 1/3 opposed and 1/3 sitting the fence or didn’t care until they saw how things were going to turn out. Much like today on your question of those who oppose and favor today’s Federal Government takeover of our lives and pushing decisions down our throats and down the road.
Chuck, I have to disagree that the Civil War’s cause was singular and as simple as banks. Looking at the literature of the times and the mountain of writing on that conflict since, I think it’s safe to say that there were many causes. Among those was slavery. There were many in the South who saw the election of Abraham Lincoln as a threat to their way of life-that along with the North’s growing economic influence. There were those who did not believe that the union of the states could legally be dissolved while in the South, many believed that what was voted together in 1789 could be peacefully voted seperate in 1860. There’s not enough space and I don’t type wll enough to enumerate all of the causes of that war, but I would like to point out that I see a parallel between the Dems leaving WI and IN and the Southern States seceding from the Union. They don’t really want to play by the rules of democracy. They’d rather take their marbles and leave. Majority rule is only O.K. if they are in the majority. Disgraceful and they ARE dangerous.
Matt: Thanks for the comment, I stand corrected. I have to admit I recall reading about that split among the colonists riding the fence. I think the actual split among today’s citizens is more like 10-10-80 (ten percent far left, 10 percent far right, and 80 percent who don’t know or care to know). The actual call to action took over two years to accomplish. There was quite a systematic organization of communicating to the people through many town meetings. By the time the surge began the people were ready to move into action, and did.
Grumpa Joe, the War between the States was a war about money first.The Northern Banks didn’t like the Southern States having their own Banks and keeping the money in the South. The issue of Slavery was another reason alltogether. You can research this if you care to. Chuck
PS: We are fast approaching another war, “We the People” and the Federal Government.
The war you predict is in the conceptual stage. It won’t be long before events transpire to trigger a civil conflict. The war between states will seem like child’s play in comparison.