College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  American History

Today is the 4th of July or what we like to call Independence Day (the holiday, not the movie)….actually Constitution Day, 17 September, should be celebrated more…why?  the DoI was basically a list of grievances against the King and what could happen if not addressed……the Constitution is far more important because it set up a system of government that has been copied the world over……but that is another post for another day……….

Okay my gripe has been addressed……onward……

In these days of rabid patriotism (see my page on patriotism)…….one group or another is beating their chest like oversexed, crazed primates….and of these groups we hear names of our Founders, like Jefferson or Adams or Hamilton or……well the list goes on and on……we are told just how patriotic they were in their defense of the Declaration of Independence and the war of said subject……but what made them these shining beacons of patriotism?  I can tell you that some catchy little slogan is NOT patriotism!

Was it their work to found a new independent country…..or maybe it was their rhetoric or how about their contributions, monetarily that is, to the war effort….Just what makes them so patriotic?

Men like Jefferson and Madison and Adams and on and on….were excellent wordsmiths, which by the way were NOT that interested in independence as much as reconciliation…..they wrote about all the things they thought were important….another BTW…..all their writings were NOT that original but rather continuations of other political philosophers of the past like Locke……but beyond all that….what made these men patriotic…….was it their words?  Or maybe it was their deeds……but keep in mind these were, for the most part, wealthy land owners and businessmen….so what made them these shining beacons of patriotism?

Like today, rabid patriotism is in the mind of the beholder…..but true patriotism is doing what is best for the country with all your resources…..so, I ask again….what makes these people patriotic?  Did these men offer up their wealth?  Maybe if the insurrection had failed they might have been paupers in the end…..but did they offer up their wealth in support of the country and the cause?  To my knowledge, as limited as it may be, the answer is NO………they wrote opinions and the met and the argued, but none threw their cash at the cause……NONE, with the exception of one…..Thomas Paine.

I will bet that all read this are just a bit miffed at my accusation……I shall explain why I say this…..

Common Sense which is known as the start of the demand for independence, was written by Thomas Paine after his arrival in the Colonies from England…the publishing house of Robert Bell…..the agreement was that they would split the profits…Paine did not want to profit from his work and instructed the publishers to donate the money to the used to buy mittens for the troops…….and he was not finished…..in 1779, when working for the Pennsylvania Assembly, he gave $500 to the relief of the hard pressed troops…..his example helped raise three hundred thousand pounds from private donations…..the welfare of the troops and the success of the cause were everything to Paine…..BY the way, Paine was NOT a wealthy person by any stretch of the imagination….so his patriotism came from the heart.

Now think back through your historical learning….any other Founders so inclined?

To my way of thinking…Paine is the best example of what a patriot is all about….and this is the man that has been all but ignored as a Founder….he deserves much more from a country that he helped to create and supported…….

A true patriot is not someone with flashy words and flying a flag or a wealth of magnets on one’s car….a true patriot is someone who does all he/she can in support of their country….even it the country ignores you…..with that I close with a quote from Paine’s The Crisis…….it is as true today as it was in the 18th century…….

“These are times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.”  and I would like to add….those that shrink from service become the most rabid patriots…….

Now that I have given a short history lesson, enjoy your fun, food and family…..and tomorrow begins it all again….