Written by: EV
“The United States of America”
Those words can induce a number of feelings depending on where they’re spoken—patriotism, pride, and freedom… bitterness, pain, and loathing. What began as a movement towards true liberty, has ultimately developed into the misery of millions around the world. What some don’t realize, or take into serious consideration, is that this government system was an experiment—one that has failed. As with all failed experiments, it’s time to start anew.
On July 4th, 1776, America declared its independence from England. To the American patriots, those who were in favor of independence, liberty began to take on a new meaning. It was no longer a set of specific rights and privileges only to be enjoyed by a corporate body, or people in certain social circumstances. Liberty had become a universal entitlement. Many Americans today can attest that this idea of liberty no longer rings true, and if we take such plights as that of the American-Indians, slaves, African-Americans, and women into consideration, one might say it never did.
Seven years of war later, in September of 1783, American and British negotiators concluded the Treaty of Paris, and America was officially recognized as an independent nation. Now the new Americans were left to the long and arduous task of establishing an official government, and the idea was to move away from those forms of government easily susceptible to tyranny. That included, first and foremost, monarchy, which embodied the principle of hereditary aristocracy, and the society of privilege, patronage, and fixed status. It was agreed by nearly everyone that the government should be a republic.
After the failed Articles of Confederation in 1787, a new Constitution was drafted. Fifty-five men, including some of the most prominent—and of course wealthy—in the nation attended the Constitutional Convention, and after four months of discussions and compromises, one of the most confusing government systems was created. Based on two political principles—federalism (the relationship between the state and federal governments), and “checks and balances” (the system for balancing power between the two)—we now had a legislature, an executive, a national judiciary, a two-house Congress which consisted of a Senate and a House of Representatives, and an extremely cumbersome system of election. Many rights were expanded to the federal government, and in comparison to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution significantly strengthened national authority—this is an issue still argued today. It was believed by quite a few who had attended the Constitutional Convention that this system would lead to the same tyranny they were trying to avoid, so when it came to ratifying the Constitution, many were against it.
The system left open many gaps that could be exploited, and the process of ratification sparked a fierce public battle. Federalists, those who were pro-Constitution, insured the public time and again that rather than posing a danger to the people’s liberties, the Constitution protected them. It was assumed that their system of “checks and balances” was foolproof. Anti-Federalists—including Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Patrick Henry—felt it shifted the balance between liberty and power in the direction of the latter. Today we know this to be true. In fact it would seem nearly all of the anti-Federalists fears have come to fruition, one of the largest being that the new government would fall under the sway of merchants, creditors, and others hostile to the interests of ordinary Americans. We can see this is evident in our current capitalist society.
“Our great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Therefore all of our activities are in the hands of a small group of men who chill and check true economic freedom. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, completely controlled and dominated governments in the world. No longer a government of the majority but a government of the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.” Woodrow Wilson
According to a 2014 report from Forbes.com:
- Almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population.
- The wealth of the one percent richest people in the world amounts to $110 trillion. That’s 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world’s population.
- The bottom half of the world’s population owns the same as the richest 85 people in the world.
- Seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years.
- The richest one percent increased their share of income in 24 out of 26 countries for which we have data between 1980 and 2012.
- In the US, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer.
Most of us have heard these statistics before, and from numerous sources. We feel the effects of our capitalist society every day, but this was only the beginning of the anti-Federalist’s fears. They believed that “a very extensive territory cannot be governed on the principles of freedom”, and claimed that popular self-government flourished in small communities (states) where the governing bodies and citizens could interact daily. Melancton Smith, a member of Congress under the Articles of Confederation, warned that the “well-born” would dominate the “common people”. “This,” he predicted, “will be a government of oppression.” They knew that men of wealth, who were ignorant of the sentiments of the middle and lower class, would have the resources to win elections, and again, we know this to be true today.
According to a report from Bloomberg L.P. (a privately held financial software, data and media company), “Presidential candidates in the 2008 race spent a total of more than $1 billion, up from $717.9 million in 2004 and $343.1 million in 2000.” To the average American, this is an astronomical amount of money. Much of it was raised, yes, but trends show that the candidate who spends the most money usually wins.
In the end, we know the Federalists prevailed, and the Constitution was ratified. Because the anti-Federalists lacked the coherent leadership of the Constitution’s defenders, and because the supporters of the Constitution dominated the colonial press, we now live in the current system we find ourselves. Although more than 230 years have passed, not much has changed. We may live in a world filled with automobiles, computers, MP3 players, and neon billboards, but we are still fighting for our freedoms in the same experimental government as the first Americans. It’s as though our society fell asleep for a while and forgot what was going on.
Directly after the Constitution was ratified, Alexander Hamilton, who was by then the Secretary of Treasury, enacted a plan that included creating a Bank of the United States. He claimed to have the right to do so thanks to an ambiguous clause in the Constitution empowering Congress to enact laws for the “general welfare.” However creating a national bank was sure to have a great impact on society, and many who were pro-Constitution opposed Hamilton’s plan. This included Thomas Jefferson, who believed the new national bank to be unconstitutional since the right of Congress to create a bank was never mentioned in the Constitution. And thus the first cracks in our system were exploited from the start. It didn’t take long for the Federalists to turn to tyranny. They soon acquired an elitist outlook that reflected the early 18th century view of society as a fixed hierarchy. Public office, they felt, was to be held by the “rich, the able, and the well-born,” as Hamilton put it, and it’s safe to say not much has changed today.
This article is not meant to bash the American Constitution, nor is it by any means an argument in favor of the Articles of Confederation. Although the Constitution, in particular our Bill of Rights, is now meticulously being destroyed, many of the ideas behind it were good. We like the words “freedom”, and “liberty”, both of which many would say the Constitution stands for, and there have been many positive changes along the way, the eventual abolition of slavery being a good example. The purpose of this article is to bring to the reader’s attention that nearly all of the ways predicted in which this government could fail, have come to pass—I’ve given the biggest examples here—and it doesn’t take a source to tell you things are getting worse. This government has failed.
The United States was formed by revolutionaries. They fought for our freedom from England, and the word “revolution” was spoken with a profound sense of pride and patriotism. It is most likely that the only way we will repair our corrupt government is with another revolution, and there are many who are now calling for them all over the globe. In the words of Thomas Jefferson;
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
This is not a call for bloodshed. Our government has killed enough, and why emulate something so dysfunctional? It is, however, a call for society to stand up and take part in shaping its future. We are not just people on a mass of land. We are scientists, engineers, economists, architects, mechanics, doctors, farmers… We are this country. Without its citizens, America is nothing but dirt and rock. It’s up to us, the people, to find the solutions to our problems. We can no longer be content to leave it to politicians, those who haven’t had control themselves for quite some time.
The first step is to move past fear, and educate yourself. We have to be willing to look at all sides of a story—all theories, all evidence—with an open mind, and come to our own rational conclusions. Watch documentaries, read books, and refer to unfiltered, alternative news sources—we can no longer believe the mainstream media. Join protests, and hear the opinions of others. Focus on those issues you feel most passionate about, and find ways to take action.
If it weren’t for the various revolutions around the world, we would be much worse off than we are now. If we’ve learned anything from the past, it is that nearly all governments eventually slip into tyranny, and it’s up to the people to monitor, question, and keep the governments of the world under control. Our ancestors weren’t afraid to stand for what they believed in. Now it’s our turn.
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Sources:
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! : An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.
Shin, Laura. Forbes. January 23, 2014. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/01/23/the-85-richest-people-in-the-world-have-as-much-wealth-as-the-3-5-billion-poorest/)
Salyer, Kirsten. Bloomberg L.P. March 6, 2012. (http://www.bloomberg.com/consumer-spending/2012-03-02/the-real-cost-of-a-presidential-campaign.html)
