Are you, like me, struggling to connect with that celebratory spirit in this 4th of July? Is America not living up to your expectations? Does it not just recently, but regularly, let you down?
I believe in the potential of the USA. I grew up patriotic and will die that way. Sometimes we all need little reminders of why we love what we love though…Personally, I had to take a quick tour of the founding documents to give me some hope.
The Declaration of Independence
The “We hold these truths to be self evident” part is a challenge, cuz they didn’t include people like me in the whole “all men are created equal,” thing. They at least established a framework for us to fight for more “equal” equality in the following centuries.
Helpful: “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
Not Helpful: “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”
I’m encouraged to remember that our founders had some basic standards for the behavior of our head of state. It is also important to remember that they had glaring gaps in their vision of humanity. No human is a savage or an “animal.” History will surely judge our willingness to dehumanize our sisters and brothers on earth, as we can judge our forefathers.
The Constitution
Plenty of juicy tidbits here…
Article. I.Section. 3.
- “Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”
Random example: imagine a wild scenario where the President damages the state apparatus and instead helps a foreign head of state at the expense of US interests…Not only could he be removed from office, but he can ALSO be prosecuted for his other crimes, such as money laundering, sexual assault, or campaign finance violations, just to give some examples.
Article. II.Section. 2.
- “[The President] shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
Good luck keeping associates quiet with promises of pardons…
Article. II.Section. 4.
- “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
I never noticed “bribery” in there. My guess is that others missed it too. I understand, it’s easy to miss phrases in documents you never read.
Article VI
- “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
You don’t have to be “Christian enough” to be a member of Congress or the Supreme Court.
A note on amended sections:
It’s ok to love our nation and want it to be closer to the ideals it was founded on. But some of the ideals needed to be challenged. Case in point:
Article IV, section 2,
- “No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due
“If a slave runs to a free state, he must be returned to his master.” Not great, guys. Slavery as part of our very foundation? No wonder our great great grandpappies and grandmammies had to fight like hell to clean this error up.
Fortunately, this was partially corrected by the 13th amendment.
Section 1.
- “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.“
Note: Slavery was not abolished for those who have been convicted of a crime. Seems like a loophole big enough to drive a Mac truck through. Convenient.
The point here is that there are many beautiful aspects to the U.S. and I’m stoked to celebrate them today. Maybe in reconnecting to America’s beauty, as well as admitting the things that are problematic, we can find hope and encouragement to do what we need to for a better country. Simply chucking norms out the window isn’t working.
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