FREEDOM
What makes someone free?
The establishment of freedom is vastly different among nations. There are research groups that survey the social-political landscape for find which countries are the freest. The ratings constantly change. Primarily because those freedoms being measured are altered, given more, or taken away.
Our Declaration of Independence of the United States is a unique document.
“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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — 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 new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Unalienable means: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred.
In other words, there is no one to take these rights away because they are from our Creator. The government derives their just powers from the consent for the governed, the People.
This has huge implications. We may be the only people on this planet that can be assured that our rights cannot be taken away because they are not given by any man, or collection of men. Our government cannot take our rights away because they never had them to give. The source of our rights falls outside of the government’s domain.
Knowing this is incredibly important as a measuring stick to what actions are attempting to abridge our rights. If any right can be altered, then all rights are vulnerable to being taken away.
This is a common-sense approach to checking on what our representative are doing.
Looking at the Constitution, no one ought to be thinking of changing it. Adding to it has been done; prohibition was added, then removed. No one has ever taken something away that was originally in that document.
Once that is attempted and succeeded, our country will never be the same.
Here is the point;
History of freedom is fascinating.
These documents:
Magna Carta 6/15/1215
Petition of Rights 6/7/1628
English Bill of Rights 12/16/1689
Came about from the swing from Absolute Monarchy with less Regent governance. The pendulum swung from absolute Sovereignty to Limited Sovereignty. Freedom for the individual, though included in the English Bill of Rights, were mostly applied to narrow avenues. This is a very important aspect of freedom. You see, that which is given, granted, or dispersed can also be taken away.
In the history of the world, conflicts came about from pursuing power and control. Kingdoms between the 17th & 18th Century took a hard turn toward absolute monarchy.
From 1625–1642, Charles I of England took all the power from the English Parliament, effectively dismissing them, and ruled without their authority, with no check and balance. Eventually, this led to the English Civil War, which put the power in the hands of the Commonwealth and Oliver Cromwell from 1642–1649. but after Cromwell’s death the monarchy was re-instituted under Charles II.
Messing with the Constitution may very well start a pendulum swing between power mongering elements. This can destroy a country because it starts to usurp the rule of law.
Those who drafted the Declaration of Independence understood that any form of government that could give rights could also take them away.
These brilliant individuals referred to the words of John Locke and Montesquieu in terms of Laws. Incidentally, these two names were referred to more than any other political philosophers during the Continental Congress Sessions leading to the several drafts of the constitution.
The founding fathers understood the flaws of government their debates were published in the newspaper for all to read. These Federalist Paper printed the pros and cons of the type of government that should be established.
Our Constitution did not come along without conflict. The product of their effort has held this country together for over 200 years.
Sometimes the best avenue is holding on to something that works.
Attila B. Horvath, author