Legacy of the Founding Documents and Ideals

During this freedom week I have written about Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  These documents were a turning point in world history. At the time of their writing the European Powers had created a powerful European Hegemony over the rest of the world, based on military might.  At the same time Enlightenment thinkers were developing new ideas of freedom, about the role of government and it's relationship to it's citizens, and about the rights of women.  These two opposite forces saw a struggle emerge in Europe between traditional powers and new ideas.

In the United states this struggle resulted in the American Revolution and the creation of a new government based on the ideals of the Enlightenment.  This was not the fulfillment of the promises of the Enlightenment, but an important step along the road to achieving what European philosophers envisioned.

The most apparent failure of the Constitution to fulfill the  ideals of the Enlightenment was it's inclusion of slavery in the United States.  The idea that one man could own another was at odds with the idea that all men are created equal, a fact that was not lost on many of the founding fathers.  The abolitionist movement began long before the founding of the United States, and would take over 75 years, a civil war, the Emancipation Proclamation from Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in the rebelling states, and finally an Amendment to the Constitution before slavery was ended in the United Stats with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Women were another group that were overlooked by the ideals of the founding documents.  While the Constitution did not bar women from voting and participating in government, it did not guarantee those rights.  The fight for women's right to vote was another long and hard fought journey to live up to the ideals our country was founded on.  While several western states allowed women to vote and hold office, it wasn't until after World War I that the 19th Amendment was passed guaranteeing women the right to vote.

The Declaration of Independence the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights did not instantly transform the United States into a Utopian society where everything is perfect.  These documents do, however, serve as the backbone of a society that is constantly striving to get better and live up to the ideals of the as laid out in these documents.  While it is important to acknowledge when we have fallen short of the ideals of these documents, it does not diminish the importance of these documents and the men who wrote them as guide as we constantly strive to insure the promise of these ideals are guaranteed for all groups and peoples.