What Dan said. If we put the founders up on a pedestal, we can't
appreciate what they actually accomplished. Moreover, we prevent our own
selves from improving on what they accomplished if we don't credit
ourselves with the ability to do just as well, or better.
On Fri, 15 Jun 2001, Dan Minette wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dean Forster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> >
> > If you really believe that the men who founded this
> > country were so aristocratic, narrow and almost wholly
> > self serving, I pity you sir.
>
> I have tremendous respect for the founders of this nation. But, you do have
> to remember that they were politicians, not theorists. I think much of the
> American mythology surrounding them actually decreases a true appreciation
> of their efforts. I am more than willing to accept that the founders of
> this country had more than their narrow self interests at heart. I also
> agree that they made a radical step. But, they did not make a full step to
> the democracy that we have today.
>
> The Constitution is a political document born out of a realistic
> understanding of what it would take to form a nation. The original
> Constitution had immorality written into it: the 2/3rds compromise. It had
> a limited trust of the common man. IIRC, most of the original 13 colonies
> had property ownership requirements for voting. And, for the federal
> government, most of these folks could only vote for the House of
> Representatives. The Electoral College was supposed to be a council of
> wise men who were chosen for their wisdom. They would decide the president,
> not the popular vote. The Senate was not elected by the people, it was
> elected by the state representatives. In this case, the legislative body of
> the states would choose who would represent that state in the Federal
> government.
>
> None of this is intended as criticism. The steps they took were radical at
> the time. But, since an elected national government was a bit of an
> experiment, and the fear of mob rule existed, they had some checks on the
> power of the majority.
>
> When writing the constitution, I don't think they really worried about a guy
> with 4 or 5 years of grade school education being able to understand the
> documents. Rather, I think it was a document that was meant to be
> understood and used by those who grappled with the issue of how to govern
> well for the benefit of all.
>
> In short, the founders of the US were politicians. With one possible
> exception, I think they were the best politicians in our history. That's a
> complement in my book. The citizens of the United States are forever in
> debt to them for what they accomplished politically.
>
> Dan M.
>
>
>
>
Marvin Long
Austin, Texas
