As a history teacher one of the comments that really grinds my gears goes a little something like this: "If the Founding Fathers were alive today they'd be shocked at what this country has become!" This is almost always proclaimed in a negative tone. The speaker isn't claiming that the Founders would be shocked and surprised at home much our nation has accomplished. No, they are suggesting that we have betrayed the guiding principles of this nation. The country has changed so much that the men and women who founded this country would be ashamed at what we've become. This may very well be true.
However, if the Founders were to somehow miraculously appear in our own time, I'd imagine they'd have a million questions for us beyond the political direction of our government. "Where have all the slave auctions gone?" they might ask. "What are these strange horseless carriages everyone is traveling about within?" "Can you direct me to the nearest physician? I'm feeling rather low and am in need of a good bleeding." The point is that the world has changed tremendously in 240 years and our society has reflected that change. More often than not, guessing what the Founders would think of our world is a bit foolish; they couldn't comprehend our world. I say "more often than not" because occasionally our former leaders tell us what they think about the few issues that have remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. They do this through their writing. There is a reason why I require my AP Government students to read not only the Constitution, but also several of the Federalist Papers. For example, when students asked me what I thought about the Senate refusing to confirm (or even give a hearing to) President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court vacancy until after the election, I said "Alexander Hamilton is rolling in his grave." We know from the likes of Madison and Hamilton that the Supreme Court was intentionally designed to be free of electoral pressure. We have their words to guide us. However, the instances where there is an apples to apples comparison of our issues to those of the 1780s and 90s are few and far between. One area that I'm confident the Founders would have been shocked (and perhaps appalled) to see what we created is the presidential nominating process. The Republican and Democratic Conventions that are taking place these two weeks in Cleveland and Philadelphia are in no way what the Founders intended. The Constitution makes no mention of political parties or a nominating process. In fact, George Washington warned against the formation of parties in his farewell address. The idea at the time was that the best man would be chosen by the most virtuous and educated individuals. No one would "run" for office. Such behavior would be beneath a man of honor. Rather, candidates would simply let it be known that they would accept the job if the Electoral College chose them. The idea that a presidential nominee should reflect the will of the people by winning a series of primaries and caucuses is most certainly not what the Founders had in mind. For one thing, they didn't care what the average person thought. Don't believe me? Look up the percentage of the popular vote George Washington received. You won't find any record, because no such record exists. At the time there were only 10 states (3 had yet to ratify the Constitution) and only 6 allowed for any sort of popular vote. Even then they weren't actually voting for a candidate for President, but rather the people who would vote in the Electoral College. George Washington was unanimously elected because he received 100% of the Electoral Vote, not the popular vote. In fact, a national popular vote for President was not counted until 1824, 32 years after the first election! Shortly there after, the party system began to dominate politics and the process slowly transformed into the system that we know today. So, who were the men chosen as President before the counting of popular votes and nominating conventions? Our first 5 Presidents: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. All of whom were Founding Fathers. With the next generation came new ideas and new methods. Was the Founders' model for selecting a President democratic? No, not particularly. Am I suggesting that we should abandon primaries, polling, and party conventions? No, I'm not. I certainly believe that a President should reflect the will of the people. However, when I look at the first 5 men to serve as President and I look at the circus that our presidential nominating process has become today and the kind of candidates it can produce, I wonder if the Founders weren't on to something. I for one, think we could use a few more virtuous leaders.
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Derek Trent AshcraftA place to discuss, among other things, politics, culture, food, faith, and nonsense. Archives
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