With Independence Day coming up, let's take a moment to remember what made our experiment in politics and governance so great. The United States of America was founded, officially, on July 4, 1776. We remember this day yearly. But our apple has rolled a little too far from the tree. If we're going to continue as a nation, we should get back in touch with our roots.
At one point in time, the United States was revered and renowned for the Constitution of the United States. Indeed, this elegantly worded document plays a hugely important role in the history of European, Western and our planetary civilization. In our modern era of feudal fiefdoms and religious domination over politics, the document marked the first clear-cut, civilized attempt at a fully democratic government since the dissolution of the Roman Empire in the opening centuries of the Common Era (a.k.a. A.D.). Before the Constitution, the colonies of North America and other territories had been ruled by monarchies and autocrats in Europe. Taxes were levied without representation. Armies were given orders by dictate from across an ocean. This was no way to command a nation, nor to institute any kind of government.
The Constitution was the key. This document paved the way for what would become a shining light for our world. People across the globe were given hope in the knowledge that in the United States, individuals had realized their ability to play a role in governing the affairs of the state. Indeed, the early history of the United States was marked by volatile politics and frequent changes of power. State and municipal governments had great power. This was an era when the federal government was quite small. It wasn't until the American Civil War that Washington was able to amass some amount of power. Even after the civil war there was resistance to centralized authority.
Unfortunately, the early 1900s market a sharp decline in the outlook for rational democracy. A quick look at proportional representation in the United States House of Representatives shows the destruction of democracy and the institution of a republic. Some unspeakable diplomatic occurrences and laws came into effect that seriously undermined the prospects for democracy, one of which was the institution of the Federal Reserve. This effectively undermined the power the American people had over their own money supply. Up until 1900, the Washington government managed to do a very good job of expanding the House of Representatives to track the population.
Mathematically speaking, Americans maintained a proportion of under 100,000 citizens per elected representative up until the mid 1800s. By 1961, citizens per representative soared from roughly 99,500 cit./rep. to over 176,000 cit./rep.. The government didn't look back. By 1911, the figure was above 210,300 cit./rep.. In 1961 it was estimated at 410,350 cit./rep.. Today it is over 709,000 cit./rep. That's serious dissolution of democracy.
How can we rectify this? Simply by expanding the House! Yes, that would require building a new building for the House of Representatives with a larger parliamentary chamber. It would also involve changes to rules of conduct in the house and voting procedures to accommodate a larger elected body. Are we willing to make these sacrifices for democracy? It would surely create jobs in the process. This writer is for it.
If we're going to make any of these changes, it's important to get back in touch with our roots. Which brings us back to our point of the article: Remembering the Constitution. Take an hour or two this week to go over the founding documents. Why not read the Bill of Rights also? There's the amendments that we hold so dear. If we're going to have a fighting chance of rebuilding our country, we should know these documents in and out by heart. They are what we built our nation on, and they are what we should stick to when we rebuild it.
Bless.
The Constitution of the United States of America
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html
The United States Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights
