The Founding Fathers Explain Conservatism
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January 19, 2008, 5:22 am
Filed under: Domestic Policy, Foreign Policy, History, Politics, The Constitution | Tags: Congress, History, Republicans, The Constitution
Filed under: Domestic Policy, Foreign Policy, History, Politics, The Constitution | Tags: Congress, History, Republicans, The Constitution
The brilliant Mark Levin lays out the bedrock principles of conservatism using the founders’ own words. It is no coincidence that they are the exact same principles our nation was built upon. These are the exact same principles that made America great, they are the exact same principles that liberty depends upon, and they are the exact same principles that liberalism seeks to destroy:
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare but only those specifically enumerated.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“[T]he powers of the federal government are enumerated; it can only operate in certain cases; it has legislative powers on defined and limited objects, beyond which it cannot extend its jurisdiction.”
~ James Madison
“…[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.”
~ James Madison
“…the opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
“No nation was ever ruined by trade, even seemingly the most disadvantageous.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
“Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.”
~ Thomas Paine
“They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
~ Thomas Paine
“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If ‘Thou shalt not covet’ and ‘Thou shalt not steal’ were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.”
~ John Adams
“To be prepared for war, is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”
~ George Washington
“One single object. . . [will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
~ John Adams
“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
” I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
“The majority, oppressing an individual, is guilty of a crime, abuses its strength, and by acting on the law of the strongest breaks up the foundations of society.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
“[The purpose of a written constitution is] to bind up the several branches of government by certain laws, which, when they transgress, their acts shall become nullities; to render unnecessary an appeal to the people, or in other words a rebellion, on every infraction of their rights, on the peril that their acquiescence shall be construed into an intention to surrender those rights.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
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Pingback by Pages tagged "elephant" January 20, 2008 @ 4:00 am[…] what it is today? American Elephant at American Elephants allows them to speak for themselves in this excellent post. When I read these quotations from Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Adams, et al., I wonder how we […]
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Pingback by Modern America and the Vision of the Founders « Significant Pursuit by Renaissance Guy January 22, 2008 @ 9:34 pm[…] forwarded a popular e-mail to myself and many other friends from my church entitled “The Founding Fathers Explain Conservatism.” This message is credited to talk radio host Mark Levin, who is known for witty, balanced […]
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Pingback by c. scott andreas » Blog » Political Philosophy and Historical Revisionism November 1, 2008 @ 2:04 pmYou are a very misguided person. This is a very limited view of the Founding Fathers. This country is not under attack by the Liberal Left any more than it is under attack by the Conservative Right. We are under attack by both sides. Why because the true Founding Father Principles have been split between the two parties. The rest of the two parties agenda is fluff and unconstitutional.
The first statement above is a great example of how the right is very much against the Founding Fathers.
1: I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences of too much liberty than to those of attending to little of it—-your mere attack of the left as unpatriotic because they have a different view than you is an example of this. The right dictates that if you don’t agree with them then you are unpatriotic and unconstitutional. Your mere use of it this statement is offensive.
The fourth statement.
2: The government of the united states is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative government.—–This statement speaks of the upside down view the founding fathers had of government (as you go down, the government gets stronger); however, the conservative right wing – thru the actions of the supreme court have already newtered the state and local governments. The liberal left is using the only means at it’s disposal to enforce the Founding Fathers views of government serving the common good. (the federal government)
Oh I love the tenth statement.
3: They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.—–This is the rallying call against the Conservative Right and it’s build up of the military and police state. I have a few more statements along this line for you. This one is from James Madison. “Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people…. [There is also an] inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and … degeneracy of manners and of morals…. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” Here’s another one from James Madison, “A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst. foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.” Not enough for you how about John Adams, “America “does not go abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.” More and more people are finally recognizing that the anger and hatred that foreigners have for the United States is rooted in morally bankrupt, deadly, and destructive foreign policies — policies that have been enforced by America’s enormous standing military force. The resulting blow-back in terms of terrorist attacks, such as those on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001, have been used as the excuse for waging more wars thousands of miles away, and those wars have produced even more anger and hatred, with the concomitant threat of even more terrorist counter-responses. All that, in turn, has provided the excuse for more foreign interventions, ever-increasing military budgets, consolidation of power, increasing taxes, and massive infringements on the civil liberties of the American people. This perpetuated by the right more than the left. Let’s move on.
Ahhh statement number eleven.
4: Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men undergo the fatigues of supporting it. This statement also goes with the first statement i mentioned earlier. i would rather be exposed to the inconveniences of too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. Do you see how they go together? This is good on many levels. The Conservative Right grows government thru military and by making laws to make people follow their way of thinking; rather than the Founding Fathers belief of each and every person goes his own way (this includes religion, choice of sex partners and a many host of other things). Just because people live or think differently, doesn’t mean they are unpatriotic or dangerous, it just means they are different. The Liberal Left must put up with your ignorant Conservative Right and you must put up with the ignorant Liberal Left and I must put up with both of your ignorant asses. Contrary to popular belief, the Founding Fathers didn’t agree on everything but they still corresponded, were friends and came together, rather than pointing fingers and blaming the others for trying to take down the country. That is what those two statements are all about. The fifteenth statement is a continuation of these two. The Founding Fathers understood that people like you exist in great numbers. People who are untolerant of truth and opposing views, hence the fifteenth statement.
5: Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not murder itself. Do you see how it ties in to statements 1 and 11 yet? Another point about this statement. It is not a statement in favor of democracy, in fact the Founding Fathers feared the power of democracy. Democracy is the power of the many to kill the few. That is why the Founding Fathers instituted a Democratic Republic. Wow! The local governments – being the ones closest to the people; hence the seat of power, were democracies (serving the common good) but the Federal Government was a republic – the check and balance to the local democracies, ensuring they did not trample the rights of the few. Wow! see how that works. But your conservative Right already demolished the part of government that was suppose to be the most powerful part that serves the common good. See how that fits in with statement number 4?
I will tackle the sixteenth and the seventeenth statements together.
6: To take from one because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers have acquired too much in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry or skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee of free enterprise and the fruits acquired by it. next statement: I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in the opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good for the poor, is not making them easy in poverty. but leading or driving them out of it.——–These two statements are taken out of context of the big picture by the conservative right so often. You forget or just don’t know that Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were also against the economic systems of Europe (Corporations and Businesses that lived off the back of hardworking people). They were agrarians (farmers) and into self employment. Self employment for everyone (all electricians, plumbers, mechanics or whatever – work for themselves)They didn’t just fear large federal government, they feared anything that became large (including business) because it became corrupt and lived off the backs of hardworking people. Here’s a few more statements for you. Jefferson:
“The mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs,nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately,
by the grace of God.”
“Merchants have no country.”
The following is from a letter to James Madison from Thomas Jefferson. “I sincerely rejoice at the acceptance of our new constitution by nine States. It is a good canvas, on which some strokes only want retouching. What these are, I think are sufficiently manifested by the general voice from north to south, which calls for a bill of rights. It seems pretty generally understood, that this should go to juries, habeas corpus, standing armies, printing, religion and monopolies.””The saying there shall be no monopolies, lessens the incitements to ingenuity, which is spurred on by the hope of a monopoly for a limited time, as of fourteen years; but the benefit even of limited monopolies is too doubtful, to be opposed to that of their general suppression.” Next is James Madison’s response. “With regard to monopolies, they are justly classed among the greatest nuisances in Government. But is it clear that, as encouragements to literary works and ingenious discoveries, they are not too valuable to be wholly renounced? Would it not suffice to reserve in all cases a right to the public to abolish the privilege, at a price to be specified in the grant of it? Is there not, also, infinitely less danger of this abuse in our Governments than in most others? Monopolies are sacrifices of the many to the few. Where the power is in the few, it is natural for them to sacrifice the many to their own partialities and corruptions. Where the power, as with us, is in the many, not in the few, the danger can not be very great that the few will be thus favored.”Trade-dominance by the East India Company aroused the greatest passions of America’s Founders – every schoolboy knows how they dumped the Company’s tea into Boston harbour. At the time in Britain virtually all members of parliament were stockholders, a tenth had made their fortunes through the Company, and the Company funded parliamentary elections generously. Parallels with US political life today are hard to miss and the Founders must be weeping in their graves.
After independence, corporations received their charters from states and the charters were for a limited period, like 20 or 30 years, not in perpetuity. They were only allowed to deal in one commodity, they could not hold stock in other corporations, their property holdings were limited to what was necessary for their business, their headquarters had to be located in the state of their principle business, monopolies had their charges regulated by the state, and all corporate documents were open to the legislature. Any political contribution by a corporation was treated as a criminal offence. Corporations could, and often did, have their charters removed if the state considered that their activities harmed its people.
State and local governments could also dictate how much people were paid in those corporations. they understood that a corporations was a devise for a small group of people to live and consolidate wealth out of the industrious working class.
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Comment by Rashad February 21, 2013 @ 8:04 amReblogged this on kgjjg911 and commented:
Like American Elephant ; saw thus and AfterBurner W. Bill Whittle – Important! Hos to contact privately? New to WordPress; reading only 4 now! Radio Student/Follower/Admirer/FellowPatriot,Professor Mark Levin;excellent, Brilliant Scholar, Historian, Outstanding Constitutional Attorney; A Man Born In His Right Time–to the Second American Revolution. God Bless America!
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Comment by american founding fathers January 3, 2014 @ 10:10 pmWhen I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify
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Is there an easy method you are able to remove me from that service?
Appreciate it!
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Comment by The Elephant's Child March 18, 2014 @ 6:09 pmDalton, Our blog doesn’t show any other comments from you other than this one. Try un-checking the box that says “notify me of follow up comments via email.”
There are no ways for us to change the notification settings you chose. Sorry!
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Comment by American Elephant March 18, 2014 @ 7:14 pmI don’t know whether it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing problems with your site.
It appears like some of the written text on your posts are
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Kudos
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