After the American Revolution: Liberty!

After the American Revolution: Liberty!

Now when one looks at the American Revolution, one can begin to appreciate it in a brand new light, or at least the light cast by its own brilliance–not solely by the shortcomings we perceive in looking backwards across two centuries, but in the proper historical context of its own day and time: of the powerful and dramatic break it made with feudalism and monarchy.

The American Revolution helped put an end to the steady stream of horrors stemming from the absolute power of kings and a barbarous feudal past ruled by titled nobility with little or no compassion for the masses.

When one looks at the U.S. Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, one should learn to read between the lines: and what one can see is what life must have been like for the ordinary people of England.  Americans now safeguarded these rights as written guarantees precisely because under the monarchy these rights did not exist.

These new rights and guarantees included:

• freedom of speech;
• freedom of the press;
• freedom of assembly;
• freedom of conscience: the right to think and speak freely (and not be charged with the crimes of slander, libel, heresy, or treason for doing so!) –First Amendment

Whenever a student reads the Bill of Rights, he or she can find the rights lacking under King George III and under the other kings and queens of Europe.  What was it like to be accused of a crime in England?

Read the other amendments to understand the rights that were typically lacking for the English lower classes–and American colonials—whenever they were put on trial.  These are the answering legal rights guaranteed under law:

• the right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers;
• protection against unreasonable searches;
• protection against self-incrimination;
• the abolition of torture (no cruel and unusual punishment);
• the right to be told the reason for one’s arrest;
• the right to not be held indefinitely without charges;
• the right to confront witnesses;
• the right to a speedy trial;
• the right to legal counsel;
• the right not to have unusually high bail set; and
• the right to be tried no more than once for an alleged crime (double jeopardy).

These and other rights combine to construct and protect one over-arching principle:

THE RIGHT TO HAVE ONE’S DAY IN COURT!

All of these rights that did not exist prior to 1776 now became part of the American Constitution and system of laws.  The new philosophy of natural rights–that every human being was entitled to freedom and dignity simply because they were born human–was on the rise, with America its best champion.

It would no longer be a matter of social class or caste, wealth or political power, that would determine who had rights and who could advance within society.

The Americans drafting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, with its Bill of Rights, would aim to create a government with a popular foundation.

The Founding Fathers, as well as the men and women who carried the Revolution forward to victory, looked forward to an expansion of the number of citizens who could vote and would have a say in how they were to be governed.

While the architects of the new experiment in democracy fell well short of the mark of universal suffrage and universal rights in many ways, one should never forget what a powerful and fatal blow they delivered to feudalism and the divine right of kings.

They showed the way toward a new society governed by a constitution and a government elected by citizens.  They deliberately left room for the Constitution to be amended, allowing future generations to have room to add these basic rights and freedoms to all Americans in the years to follow: to have room for hope!

In framing the Constitution, the authors did what they could to end monarchy, establish a more democratic form of government, and guarantee individual rights for more people than ever before.

Before we criticize the men and women of the American Revolution for what they failed to do, we must also remember to pay them full respect for what they did do: for the smashing blows they delivered on behalf of human freedom when they out-fought the army of King George III and forced it to surrender: a stunning victory!

The courage and spirit of sacrifice of those difficult years inspired many other brave individuals, both here and abroad, who would follow our example of revolutionary courage and eloquence of language in their own difficult struggles for liberty and justice.

The inspiring success of the American Revolution against all odds is an essential part of the story of America and of the spirit of the American people.  In the modern era, the first steps on the path to greater freedom and social equality for all peoples–which we guard so jealously today–were taken during the American Revolution.

It is easy for today’s generation of young people to criticize the Revolutionary generation for its shortcomings, but it is also important to remind them what the Revolution meant to that first generation of courageous Americans; it is important to remind them what society and daily life was like for the common people “Before the American Revolution.”

As the great orator Daniel Webster expressed it, on the 50^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:

“No age will come, in which the American Revolution will appear less than it is, one of the greatest events in human history.”

Seen in its proper historical context, the American Revolution shines like a beacon torch of hope and freedom to thousands of impoverished and oppressed peoples the world over.

The men and women of the American Revolution deserve our respect and admiration for risking their very lives so that this Modern Era of Freedom could begin with a resounding victory: one still cherished by untold millions!

-Professor Rosenberg