For most of the past 100 years we have been engaged in an intense debate on the purposes of government, particularly the concept of constitutional government. This debate originated earlier in the aftermath of the Civil War, continued through the growth of an industrial America, was energized by the Progressive movement of the early 20th century, and peaked in the crisis of the Great Depression of the 1930s. During this period a number of our founding principles were compromised, but the consensus of the American people in their commitment to constitutional government remained intact. However, this consensus began to unravel in the 1960s and has reached a level that is threatening to our American exceptionalism as a constitutional republic.
Why is this so? Primarily because we have become what Michael Sandel of Harvard University describes as a procedural republic, more concerned with rights and process than with substance, where moral considerations are set aside in favor of “fair” procedures. What does this mean? It means that substantive and objective considerations in public policy are subordinated to what is considered fair, regardless of the consequences, and moral considerations are off the table.
How must we respond? First, by reminding ourselves that our founding principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence and codified in the Constitution are moral principles. Next, we must demand that our education system teach these principles and require them as part of the core curriculum necessary for graduation from our high schools and colleges.
We have re-elected an administration that has announced its commitment to “fundamentally transform the United States of America”. This means nothing less than an endorsement of the progressive agenda of the early 20th century and the undermining of the constitutional principles of our founding, codified in part by Roosevelt in the 1930s and expanded by LBJ in the 1960s. The only way to counter this effort is to return to constitutional government and this will only be possible with a significant commitment to the education of our people in our founding principles.
No institution is doing a better job of this than Hillsdale College of Michigan, and their outreach is nationwide. I have been a long time supporter and I invite you to visit their web site at www.hillsdale.edu and review their national outreach offerings, particularly the lecture series on the U. S. Constitution. They deserve our help in expanding this very important initiative.
