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The 250th Anniversary of the American Proposition
Source: Word on Fire |
Author: Dr. Christopher Kaczor
PART ONE: THE AMERICAN PROPOSITION
The 250th anniversary of the United States of America is almost upon us. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Its most famous sentence is what can be called the American Proposition: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
In countless and crucial times in the history of the United States, American leaders have affirmed the American Proposition. In 1863, on a bloody field in Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln affirmed, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” In 1963, on the white marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. echoed it again, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” The American Proposition is the patriotic creed of the United States.
The American Proposition is not exclusively American. It may have been born in the United States, but it is now a global citizen. As President John F. Kennedy pointed out on July 4, 1962, “Today, 186 years later, that Declaration whose yellowing parchment and fading, almost illegible lines I saw in the past week in the National Archives in Washington is still a revolutionary document. To read it today is to hear a trumpet call. For that Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs.” Since 1776, the United States and many countries have internationalized and constitutionalized the claims of human equality and inalienable rights found in the Declaration. In his book The Declaration of Independence: A Global History, David Armitage lists more than 114 different declarations of independence, including from Estonia, Singapore, Angola, Rwanda, Libya, Israel, Vietnam, Austria, Mexico, Iceland, Korea, Hungary, the Philippines, Bolivia, Brazil, and New Zealand. Despite its current global reach, the Proposition’s first national home was the United States of America, so it seems fitting to name it from its origin.
The importance of the American Proposition in the history of the United States and in the history of the world is undeniable. Historian Joseph Ellis called this phrase “the most potent and consequential words in American history.”
PART TWO: THE FAILURE TO LIVE UP TO THE PROPOSITION
Yet from the very beginning, the people of the United States, individually and collectively, have not always lived up to the American Proposition. The first draft of the Declaration was written by our third president, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s prose has a historic significance, an emotive power, and an evocative poetry that is missing from other propositions, such as in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights issued by the United Nations in 1948 and similar documents. Yet in his own person, the slave owner Jefferson embodied a spectacular failure to achieve the high ideal he articulated. These failures are also found later in Supreme Court cases such as Dred Scott (1857), which excluded Blacks from constitutional protection, and Korematsu (1944), which excluded people of Japanese descent from the West Coast Military Area. The truth of the American Proposition is almost never denied, almost always celebrated, but never perfectly embodied in practice.
PART THREE: THE QUESTIONS FOR THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY
This 250th birthday raises critical questions for our country. Do we still believe in the American Proposition? Do we believe in truth, even self-evident truth? Do we act on the principle that all human beings are created equal? Do we view our rights as endowed by our Creator? Do we respect the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of all people? Our answers and actions will determine whether, as Lincoln put it, “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
This article is the first in a series in which Dr. Kaczor will provide more insights leading up to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
PART FOUR: COMMENTARY – THE PROPOSITION AND THE CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE
Introduction: A Revolutionary Document
The Declaration of Independence is more than a historical artifact; it is a living document that continues to shape the conscience of the nation and the world. Its central claim—that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights—is not merely a political statement. It is a theological and moral proposition.
As Catholics, we recognize the resonance between the American Proposition and the natural law tradition. The idea that rights come from God, not from government, is a bulwark against tyranny. It is the foundation of human dignity. It is the reason that every person, regardless of race, religion, or status, deserves respect.
The Tension Between Ideal and Reality
The article honestly acknowledges the gap between the ideal and the reality. Jefferson, the author of the words, owned slaves. The nation that proclaimed liberty held millions in bondage. The courts that swore to uphold the Constitution issued rulings that denied humanity to entire classes of people.
This tension is not a reason to abandon the Proposition; it is a reason to strive harder to live it. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. The progress from Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act, from Korematsu to the recognition of the dignity of every person, is a testament to the power of the Proposition to critique and correct our failures.
The Role of the Church
The Catholic Church in America has a unique role to play in the next 250 years. We must be witnesses to the truth that all human beings are created equal. We must defend the right to life from conception to natural death. We must advocate for religious liberty, the freedom to worship and to live according to our beliefs. We must work for economic justice, ensuring that the pursuit of happiness is not just a slogan for the wealthy.
The Questions We Must Answer
The article poses critical questions for our country. Do we still believe in the American Proposition? Do we believe in truth? Do we act on the principle of equality? Do we view our rights as coming from God? Do we respect the inalienable rights of all people?
These questions are not merely political; they are moral and spiritual. They require not just answers but action. They require not just celebration but conversion.
The Promise of a New Birth of Freedom
Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg still echo: “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.” The 250th anniversary is an opportunity for that new birth. It is a chance to recommit to the Proposition, to repent of our failures, and to strive for a more perfect union.
DECLARATIONS BASED ON THE ARTICLE
I DECLARE that I believe in the American Proposition: all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights!
I DECLARE that I will act on the principle of equality, treating every person with dignity and respect!
I DECLARE that I view my rights as coming from God, not from government!
I DECLARE that I will defend the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people!
I DECLARE that I will not be silent when the Proposition is denied or ignored!
I DECLARE that I will strive to close the gap between the ideal and the reality!
I DECLARE that I will work for a new birth of freedom in my nation!
I DECLARE that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth!
I DECLARE that the truth of the American Proposition is self-evident, and I will live by it!
I DECLARE that I will celebrate the 250th anniversary not just with pride, but with purpose!
PRAYER FOR THE NATION
Almighty God, You are the source of all rights and the foundation of all dignity. You have created every human being in Your image and likeness, and You have endowed us with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We thank You for the American Proposition – the truth that all men are created equal. We thank You for the men and women who have sacrificed to defend this truth. We thank You for the progress we have made toward justice.
Forgive us for the times we have failed to live up to this Proposition. Forgive us for slavery, for discrimination, for the denial of rights to any of Your children. Heal our nation and guide us toward a new birth of freedom.
We pray for our leaders, that they may govern with justice and wisdom. We pray for our citizens, that we may act with compassion and courage. We pray for our nation, that it may be a beacon of liberty and a defender of dignity for all people.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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