This year marks the 240th. Anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence.   We owe so much to the Founding Fathers and the courage that they and the rest of that generation that risked all for the concept of Liberty.  It is difficult to not feel distraught when thinking about the shape of and the direction that America is headed but our nation has gone through many periods of strife and uncertainty.

After beating the greatest military and economic power in the world the task of forming a nation faced these men.  It was not an easy task; just as when they declared independence they were not all of the same mind.  Our Constitution is a creature of compromise between the Federalist (those who wished for a strong central government) and the Anti-Federalist (who wanted a decentralized, state oriented government).  The adoption of our Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) which placed limits on the power of the Government ensured passage of the Constitution and put this Nation on firm ground to go forward.  Another compromise was the question of slavery.  Our Founders knew that the question of slavery had to be addressed but also realized that they had to first put the house on a firm foundation with the seeds of emancipation sewn.  There are many today who propose that because of this compromise and the fact that several of our Founders were themselves slaveholders negates the greatness and exceptionality of America.  This thinking is misguided for most and false for those who teach it for their own political ends.  In fact one of the favorite lines used by the left is that the founders were just a bunch of old white men.  Well, DUH.  Typical of the left that they play on emotions rather then reason.  Racism, sexism and ageism all in one observation!  I guess this is the ultimate leftist statement.

Let us look at the three complaints.  They were all descended from Western Europe so it is natural that they are “white”.  China’s leaders and philosophers were all Asian; African Nations were ruled by blacks with the exception of those colonized.  America was populated with what is now called “Native Americans” and these various tribes were descended from Asia.  The Europeans that settled here were no different than the  various other races.  And yes they were all men.  That was the world at that time so to deride them for their sex is quite idiotic. As for age the oldest signer if the Declaration was 81 and the youngest 26 ( an old 26  I am sure) with the average age of 44 years.  At 62 being 44 years old sounds good.  The left uses these distractions to try and diminish what was accomplished by those brave souls.

Were they perfect? Of course not!  John Adams as President resorted to the Alien and Sedition Act to quell critics of his policies.  Thomas Jefferson (probably the most intelligent man who occupied the Office of the President) almost destroyed the economy with an embargo against England and France, our largest markets!  They were not gods.  They were men who were honorable, a trait that has been genetically carved out of our so called political leaders, and they gifted us a form of government that could provide it’s citizens with a liberty not experienced before in this world.  It was not an easy act for them to perform as they were throwing away their lives and fortunes if Great Britain had won but that is what they did and we should all be grateful to God that he placed the right men in the right place at the right time.

After the Constitution ratification fight there were numerous “crisis” situations.  The English invasion in the War of 1812; numerous boom and bust economic cycles; territorial expansion and the question of slavery; the Mexican War; the War of Northern Aggression (and Southern Stupidity); Reconstruction; the rise of Progressives and the transformation of the Republic to an Empire.  History does repeat itself and it is foolish to ignore it as we do.  Our Founders based our government on the twin pillars of Rome and Greece with the knowledge of how they failed but with the hope that the American people would make it work.  Have we?

Gettysburg and Vicksburg

July 4th is also the 153rd. anniversary of the end of two major battles in our Civil War.   Many historians consider these battles as the high point of the Southern fight.  I agree that July 4, 1863 cemented the fate of the South but I believe that the South lost their quest for independence the day they fired on Fort Sumter.

Vicksburg is overshadowed by Gettysburg but it was a more important loss to the South than Gettysburg was a victory for the North.   Vicksburg, located on the Mississippi gave complete control of that vital waterway to the North and opened the door to the deep South for the Union forces.  But the most important aspect is that it propelled two Northern Generals ( who knew what it would take to beat the South and not be afraid to use it) to leadership positions.  Grant and Sherman were of the same mind.  They wished the war to be finished and developed a strategy that until recently was practiced by America.  Grant understood that manpower was the Achilles heel of the South and he would expend as much blood as necessary to spill their blood.  Grant was a bulldog who would not be deterred by losses of manpower because he knew that the North had virtually unlimited manpower.  Lincoln was upset at General Meade because though he was the victor at Gettysburg he did not follow up and allowed Lee disengage and retreat on July 4.  Grant would have been on Lee’s tail and not let him breathe had he been in Gettysburg.  The following March Lincoln replaced Meade with Grant and Sherman was placed in command of the Western Army.  Sherman is still hated in the South for the war that he brought with him.  He developed the “Total War” concept that was an anathema to the South because it took no consideration for civilian life.  His practice was effective in dispiriting the populace but it undoubtedly led to a bad peace.  Many of problems in the south well into the present day can be traced to Sherman’s march.

The actual high water mark for the Confederacy occurred exactly two months before the battle at Gettysburg at Chancellorsville.  After an audacious victory by Lee; General Lee lost his trusted fighting general when Stonewall Jackson was shot and shortly died.  Combined with the poor health of Lee there was no way the South was going to win at Gettysburg.  Jackson may not have won it for them but it would have been a very different battle as he would have taken Culp’s Hill at one end of the right flank of the Union line.  Even if they had been victorious at Gettysburg, it is doubtful that the Union would have ever negotiated a peace.   A war that was instigated by a small number of radicals on both sides of the Mason Dixon line cost the lives of approximately 650,000 Americans.  That number reflects only that which occurred during the war, the number of deaths that occurred post 1865 is unaccounted but the dislikes to outright hatred felt by many today is the result of the actions of a radical President out-witting a stupidly led group of hotheads.  On this day in 1863 the door that led to Independence for the South was nailed closed by the Northern armies.