(An updated reprint of a
past post-- by popular request)
I recently received, in my
mailbox, six letters. Four were written by the first four presidents, another
stems from the hand of Abraham Lincoln, and the last is from Ronald Reagan. All
were addressed to: “The modern-day citizens of the United States of America, to
be opened and read on July 4th, the year of our Lord 2024.” All came
on the same day. To me. Why? Bizarre. Surreal. (And, no, I hadn’t been dabbling
in hallucinogenic drugs.)
The first four letters I
read were apparently crafted with a quill pen on parchment and bore distinct
messages from each of four Founding Fathers. The next was Abraham Lincoln’s
missive, and the sixth flowed from the pen of the Great Communicator himself,
Ronald Reagan. Here they are, in the order in which I have just read them.
A Fourth of July Message
from Thomas Jefferson:
Dearest
Americans, the Declaration of Independence, though written by my own hand, had
many contributors, just as did the Constitution of these United States of
America. Not just Mr. Adams, Mr. Franklin and other Founders, but Socrates, the
Magna Carta, Montesquieu, Burke, Adam Smith and others. It was written as a
national Emancipation Proclamation. And, though it didn’t reach its full
fruition for another four-score and seven years or more, it was intended to
protect the smallest minority- each and every individual- from the greatest
tyrants and bullies: Kings, dictators and other governments. I implore you:
never lose sight of that. We Founders won freedom for the inhabitants of this
land and all the generations to follow. We are ourselves now free of all
earthly shackles, yet I fear that the endeavors you have recently undertaken
are leading you into an endless, if “voluntary,” servitude. Be mindful that Dr.
Franklin, when queried about the form of government the Founders had given the
nation’s citizenry, replied: “A Republic, as long as you can keep it.” Implicit
in his answer was the fact that we didn’t want a pure democracy, as we had seen
that a form of immorality nearly always overtook voters of nations with such
form of government, leading the simple majority to rule roughshod over even a
large minority.
I fear something similar is happening to you now. Many of your votes are being
cast not for life and liberty, and what is best for the general welfare, but
are being offered up to those scoundrels who promise to give the most money and
goods to specific blocks of voters, or “special interest groups.” This causes a
great rupture in society. This is robbing Peter to pay Paul-- and also leads to
sloth and a diminution of individual endeavor, discipline, self-respect
and…liberty.
Time indeed changes manners and notions. But time produces also corruption
of principles, and against this it is the duty of good citizens to be ever on
the watch, and if the gangrene is to prevail at last, let the day be kept off
as long as possible.
In Libertas,
Thomas Jefferson
A Fourth of July Message
from George Washington:
Countrymen, I bid you good tidings and hoped that you would find a nation
united, strong and free, blessed in its liberty. You may know that I was
honored to lead a “rag-tag” militia and eventually molded them into a fine
fighting force, and that I had several horses shot out from under me, and
countless musket-balls pass through my attire. I am absolutely convinced that
Providence spared me for a grand purpose. This upstart nation, with virtually
no navy, lacking in arms and ammunition- and materiel of almost every ilk and
stripe- went on to defeat the mightiest military the world had ever known. I
always tried to lead from the front and refused to accept any remuneration for
my part in this blessed battle for liberty.
What you may not know, is that my greatest fear was- and is- that the
inhabitants of this Union would one day forget why and how it came to be in the
first place. That the stupefying sacrifice my men made for nigh eight years
should ultimately prove in vain is more than I can bear for eternity. Please,
for your sake and theirs, for posterity and hope, for dignity and reason, do
not continue in your attempts to “fundamentally change this nation.” When you
fundamentally change the freest, most prosperous nation the world has ever
known, the result can only be less freedom and prosperity.
My friends, government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like
fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Can you not see this now?
With greatest sincerity,
George Washington
A Fourth of July Message
from John Adams:
I
would like to start by greeting my fellow patriots, but I fear that many
inhabiting the land now no longer think in those terms or understand fully what
it means. It doesn’t mean a dislike or disdain for other individuals or
countries, but a pride in the shared achievements and character of one’s own.
It doesn’t mean everything it does is perfect- or indeed even right in every
case, but it doesn’t mean that anything another nation does is necessarily its
equal-or better. True patriotism is attained- and laudable- when founded on
individual liberty, not entitlements; on morality, not its opposite. A people
can only stay truly free when educated, involved, vigilant- and unafraid- of
their own government. It has been some twenty dozens of years since we declared
independence. I fear that you have become soft- and content to be kept as if
livestock, as long as your “civil-servant” masters will see to your food,
shelter, “protection”… and ease. Remember what happens, in the end, to
livestock.
The happiness of society is the end of government.
Most sincerely,
John Adams
A Fourth of July Message
from James Madison:
If
you are reading this, dear citizens, perhaps there is still hope for the
Republic we bequeathed you. Our instructions for this letter were clear: it was
not to be opened until July 4th, 2024. We decided on this date, the
248th anniversary of the Declaration, as the most successful
republics have typically lasted between 200 and 250 years, and this being also
a presidential election year. I have often been referred to as the Father of
the Constitution, but, though I did write much of this unique document, I am
not its father. Ironically, tyranny and despotism were the parents of its
blessed birth. You see, without these two, there would have been no need for
their produce. The document, itself reflecting the combined wisdom of the ages,
was precisely structured to protect the citizens of this land from tyrannical
government… in perpetuity. It took the immutability of human nature and desire
into account, along with a vast knowledge of all the world’s previous types of
governments- and the results of their governance. The document, we hoped, would
lead to a happier people than any that had come before, free in their pursuit
of life, liberty and property. Please do not think that it should be
fundamentally altered or aborted now. Be ever vigilant and jealously guard your
freedoms and independence.
I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the
people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent
and sudden usurpations. I bid you take heed.
Respectfully,
James Madison
A Fourth of July Letter
from Abraham Lincoln-
Eight
score and one year ago, your forefathers engaged in a titanic clash to
determine whether a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal…could long endure. Through their
bloodshed and heartache, their sacrifice and courage, their honor and
commitment, it did. Now I ask of you: should their sacrifice have ultimately been
in vain? Will the actions you take now render their courage, bloodshed and
heartache moot? I have beseeched the Almighty. Now I beseech each and every one
of you reading this…to answer each of those questions with a distinct and
determined no!
In memory,
Abraham Lincoln
A Fourth of July Letter
from Ronald Reagan-
My
fellow Americans, we are a nation that has a government, not the other way
around.
You know, not so many years ago, I said it was “Morning in America.” And it- at
least figuratively- truly was. I also urged Mr. Gorbachev to “Take down this
wall!” Shortly thereafter, it came down, leading to a rebirth of freedom for
many souls previously trapped in servitude. Now, my fellow Americans, it is in
your charge to answer these questions: Is it still morning in America, or will
we soon be in mourning…for America? Is that shining city on a hill going to
continue to be a beacon, or will you let it slide into the yawning abyss, never
to rise again?
Your faithful servant,
Ronald Reagan
Gipper, I wish I knew the
answer.
Or maybe I don’t.
