The Founding Fathers’ System
“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.” (6) These are the words expressed on July 4, 1776. Written by the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence was a beacon of freedom to all “men” who lived not just in the United States, but everywhere in the world. Its foundation was rooted in the idea of common humanity for all. Such a concept of freedom seems like a sound ideal and respectable principle.
Another assertion in the Declaration of Independence is that “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness.” (7) This claim represents the most common sense ideal of a civilized government: people whose government does not respect them or fails to look out for their common benefit should abolish that government and create another in its place.
While I believe that Thomas Jefferson had noble ideals when he began drafting the script for the birth of this nation, it seems that, like many things, the guarantees found in this document were never meant for the eyes of black and brown people. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, fifty-five men in all, created the social and economic infrastructure we have today. They constructed our constitution, which was intended to make humanity the right of all men. However, it made certain that 700,000 thousand men and women, 13% of the nation, remained in bondage, devoid of opportunity, hope and freedom.
In 1968, almost 200 years after the Declaration was written, Dr. King gave his speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” at the Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. In it, he uses the founding documents as primary evidence of broken promises.
All we say to America is, “Be true to what you said on paper.” If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn’t committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren’t going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around, we aren’t going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on. (8)
Here we see America’s exceptionalism, a fascinating concept. Dr. King’s ancestors were considered property. His country did not embrace him or his ancestors, but still he loved those who would place him under their heel. He loved the nation, even though his nation didn’t love him.
Why? How could fifty-five men, who America holds up as the most upstanding, morally consciousness and forward-thinking leaders, construct such a plan that would knowingly set back a certain segment of society for generations? It’s important to understand the makeup of these “founding fathers.” The Birth of the Republic explains that it was a "convention of the well-bred, the well-fed, the well-read, and the well-wed.” (9) Here is the beginning of the reality of the construction of the American Dream, a selective “table” of opportunity sanctioned by the Constitution and built for white, landowning men. Time has camouflaged the table, but the structure and benefactors remain the same.
With each generation, America has gradually made steps forward to try to right the wrongs of its founders. Amendments to the Constitution, The Emancipation Proclamation, Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation were designed and ratified to change the scope of how America does business, but they failed to fix the social, emotional and psychological tolls of slavery. The ratification of the Constitution, much like the Declaration of Independence, was an opportunity for equality for all. Yet it seems to be a rough draft; although amended and revised, it hasn’t reached the proficiency grade that would give credibility to those truths that we once held as self-evident. It is not the beginning of the gaps of opportunity based on race, but it widens that hole instead of closing it.
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