Enemy at the door

America is running head long into perhaps the most important election in its brief history. Just shy of our two hundredth anniversary, the United States is the longest tenured constitutional republic in history. Similar attempts to establish such governance average around seventeen years. Which begs the question, what makes the United States different? What makes this country special?

The very question to many is offensive. To others it is a validation of the unique foundation upon which we have stood for two hundred years. To be sure, this country, more specifically, we the people, have never been more divided.

Our Declaration of Independence is succinct and to the point;
“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”

These truths… Much forethought, much debate. Bitter divisions, emotions running hot and high! The very idea of independence was repulsive to many, even among the leading citizens of the day. Congress was called, seated, and challenged to take on what most, perhaps all Americans considered an impossible task. After much debate, Congress agreed that a unanimous decision would be required before any such declaration would be made. To think that any one of the thirteen colonies would remain loyal to Britain when the inevitable war came, was unacceptable. Days, weeks, months, were spent hammering out a position that all could/would accept. Hope of success was in short supply. Faith, however, was not. Sure, resolute, confidence in He who promised!

Adherence to self-evident truths, as least self-evident in that day and time, was at the heart of the debate. Protection of certain unalienable rights was non negotiable. Their constant, fervent appeal to God, the author of ALL truth, was their only hope of success. Daily assembled at the State house in Philadelphia, after-hours sidebars, correspondence with state legislators for clarifications. Arduous, relentless, determined. Perhaps tomorrow will bring a breakthrough.

Tomorrow did bring news, but of another sort!. The British fleet, the mightiest navy in the world, had amassed one hundred warships within sight of New York harbor. General Washington reported to Congress that another three hundred warships were in route to reinforce them. These ships were said to carry nine thousand Hessian mercenaries to fight for his majesty the king. The general had repositioned the whole of his four thousand man army to meet them when hostilities commenced. Desperate times.

It was time for Congress to stand up and be counted, or to stand down. The loyalists members cowered, fearing a battle we could not win. The separatists were incensed, emboldened to stand in the face of tyranny that would wage war upon its own people. Lines were being drawn. Fates were being sealed. Whatever the declaration was to be, it was to be declared now, or in very short order.

Compromise, consensus, capitulation. The soft underbelly of politics was in full swing. What will it take to get you, to get your delegation on board? For New Jersey, and in part, for Pennsylvania, it requires new delegates. For Georgia and South Carolina, it required removing the issue of slavery from the declarational language. Alignment was coming together, painfully slow, but steady. Only New York remained in decent, but a backroom deal assured Mr Hancock that they would abstain, rather than vote no.

Jefferson, with the help of Adams, Franklin, Livingston, and Sherman, were tasked with embodying the precise intent of the Congress in clear, unambiguous language. Words addressed to his majesty king George, and available for inspection by the whole world. Despite a number of revisions, exclusions, nuances, a final draft was read and approved. The votes were aligned, the document was ready, now to the signatures. But there was a problem.

The Delaware delegation was divided. With McKean for, and Reid against, the vote for Delaware would be NO. Unacceptable! McKean sent word to the state’s elder statesman for help. In response, Cesar Rodney took to the road that very night and in a blinding storm!. He changed horses a number of times, riding the eighty miles from Dover to Philadelphia to cast the final and decisive vote for independence. We are really doing this!

A couple of days later, July 4th, 1776, the document was placed on the table at the front of the room. One by one, each delegate made their way to the front, feeling the full gravity of the moment, they signed what could effectively be their death warrant. When it was all said and done, fifty-six men, those who would come to be known as our founding fathers, signed the Declaration of Independence.

Though penned by Jefferson, this body politic clearly stated their intent to King George;

[we] declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

It’s done. And it was profoundly offensive. To the king, to the British citizens, to the loyalists. “We will crush you”. The sheer impertinence of these rebels razed the ire of the entire world. Those subject to the will of the king. Others, like these Americans, who were subjected to the will of the crown. The latter’s expression of disdain was likely rooted in jealousy for “these people” who are actually standing up against the very things to which they themselves bowed down to. “They have no more chance of victory than would we ourselves”. Regardless, the die was cast, their intentions were clear. The time for talk was over. May God have mercy on our souls.

And He did. Miracle upon miracle, well beyond explanation, the revolutionary army extracted a full and complete surrender from the mightiest military power in the world!. Though celebrated by many, many others loathed these audacious upstarts as brash, and unprepared to join the world stage. In his estimation, King George himself gave them a decade to fail. Though a hundred and ninety years premature, King George may have been right.

The declaration and the constitution that followed provided the United States with a plan for success. Government that provided both protections and boundaries. Through the years, and in various ways, both have been eroded, almost to death. This new world where anything goes, and with no fear of reprisal, eminent collapse is, not only possible, it is likely!

Joy to the world, they will shout. Gifts will be exchanged. Songs will be written. America is dead. Long live America. An America built in our own image. Darkness will be light, wrong will be right, evil will be the new good, the new god! The light they so vehemently wish to extinguish remains the last ray of hope in a world full of darkness.

What king George predicted will indeed come to pass. What he knew, sadly what has always true. People left to themselves will fail. Is today that day? That will depend on what we do with the declaration, with the constitution. Will we take up these self-evident truths, these inalienable Rights? Will we pledge our allegiance afresh to the proposition that all men are created equal? Will we protect ourselves from ourselves? God help us! And He will!

That is it. That is our only hope. To throw off the weight that so easily besets us. To live within the limits of discipline and restraint. Not what I want, but what is good for my neighbor, good for my country. Jesus said it best, do until others as you would have them do until to you. Now that, that is a self-evident truth!

Believing Christians may point to the apostle Paul’s remedy for times such as these. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13).

In his farewell address, President George Washington offered another truth that should be self-evident. “Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports”. It follows that, as morality spirals out of control, as religious restraint gives way to lawlessness, the future of our constitutional republic is in certain jeopardy.

Indeed, now is the time! God willing, and with His help, those who are and will promote morality, those who practice true religion, those who will care for the widows and orphans. Yes, those people. If they take a stand, the enemies from without and from within, perhaps they will be kept at bay a little longer. Perhaps this beacon on a hill will continue to shine a little longer. Perhaps those who hunger and thirst for freedom will continue to have a place.

Perhaps.