The 28 Principles of Liberty
I have been studying our great nation's history and founding documents for quite some time and continue to study it and learn more each and every time that I look to our past for inspiration and to be a guiding light of what the soul of great nation looks like. America under the founding fathers and founding documents propelled humanity forward and broke a cycle that echoes back to the beginning of civilization. They created something that has never been seen before and if their ideas die we may never see again or if we do it will be thousands upon thousands of years. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as well as the Constitutions forerunner The Article of Confederations were a miracle that changed the world and the course of human history. In this article I will lay out for you the 28 principles that I have discovered in our founding documents. At some point I will delve into each one and what the framers meant by them. Now our founding fathers may have disagreed on the implementation of some of these principles but they all believed in these principles of liberty. So here is a brief snapshot into the minds of our founding fathers and what they thought was necessary in order for liberty to reign supreme.
1. The only reliable basis for a sound government and just human interaction is to be found in Natural Law. backed up by the Declaration of Independence section 1.
2. The only way to remain free under a republican constitution is for the people to be virtuous and strong. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in sections 1, 2, and the conclusion.
3. The best way to secure a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in sections 1, 2, and the conclusion.
4. Without religion/spirituality the government of a free people cannot be maintained. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in sections 1, 2, and the conclusion.
5. All things are created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in sections 1, 2, and the conclusion.
6. All men are created equal in the eyes of God, in protection of there rights and before the law. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 2.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not equal things. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 2.
8. Human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 2.
9. To protect humanity's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in sections 1, 2, and the conclusion.
10. The God given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 1 and the conclusion.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical in nature. Backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 2 and the conclusion.
12. The United States of America is to be a republic. This is backed up by the Constitution Article 1.
13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers. This is backed up by the Constitution the Preamble and the 1st Amendment.
14. Life and liberty are only secure so long as property rights are secured. This is backed up by Declaration of Independence in section 2 and the Constitution in Article 4 and the 5th Amendment.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free market economy and a lassiez faire approach by the government. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1 Section 8 and by the 10th Amendment.
16. In order to protect against corruption of power the government should be separated into three branches: the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1, 2, 3 and the 10th Amendment.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution. This is backed up by the Constitution in the Preamble and Article 1, 2, and 3.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people. This backed up by the Declaration of Independence in section 2 and by the Constitution in Article 1, 2 ,3 and the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments).
20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, while simultaneously constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1 section 2.1 and section 5.3
21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom. This backed up in the Constitution in Article 1 Section 8, Article 4 Section 4, and the 10th Amendment.
22. A free society and people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men. This is backed up by the Declaration of Independence in Section 2, List of Grievances, and the Constitution in Article 1 Section 8.
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education the republic must be truly informed. This is backed up by the Declaration of Independence, List of Grievances, and the Constitution in the 10th Amendment.
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1 Section 8.
25. Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations: entangling alliances with none. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 2 Section 2 and Article 6 Section 2.
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect the integrity of the family unit. This is backed up by the Declaration of Independence in Section 1, 2, and the conclusion as well as in the Constitution in Article 1 section 10.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest. This is backed up by the Constitution in Article 1 Section 8 and Article 6 section 1.
28. The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race. This is backed up by the Declaration of Independence in Section 1, 2, List of Grievances. and the conclusion as well as in the Constitution in Article 4 Sections 3 and 4.
Happy 4th of July everyone. I hope that you all have a lot of fun on this day and have lots of good food and have wonderful company to be around today and enjoy the fireworks. However, I would also encourage you all to reflect on the 28 principles of liberty above and to figure out how to best implement in your life as well as how to influence our government to start following the above principles again and stop trampling all over our liberties and the liberties of those abroad.