Turn to the Founders to Remind Ourselves of What We Stand to Lose Let’s read The Federalist Papers from now until Election Day. By Robert Curry
In just about 70 days, you and I will be called upon to decide the fate of the American Republic. Make no mistake, this is no ordinary election. American voters have not faced such a momentous choice since an earlier generation was presented with the Constitution and called upon to decide its fate. The vote to ratify the Constitution established a new regime, the amazingly successful American Republic, which showed the world new possibilities for liberty and prosperity and set a standard still unmatched by any country in the history of the world.
A vote for the Democratic Party this time is a vote for regime change as surely as the original vote for the Constitution was a vote for regime change.
The Democrats have abandoned pretense. They no longer even pretend to embrace the Constitution or the American way of life. They are promoting rioting and political violence, they are wrecking the economy with their fraudulent COVID-19 lockdowns, and they are gearing up to control the outcome of this election by hook and crook.
Winning this one is urgently personal for those denizens of the deep state who committed crimes during the attempted coup against President Trump. If Joe Biden wins, standing indictments will be ignored and new indictments will cease, teaching the Left that it can get away with—and even be rewarded for—committing some of the worst political crimes in American history.
We need to remind ourselves of what we stand to lose in this election.
A friend suggested that Americans ought to read the essays that make up The Federalist Papers between now and Election Day. Indeed, why not turn to Alexander Hamilton and James Madison and John Jay at such a time? The beauty of the idea is that each Federalist number is brief. Number 1 is about four pages, and Number 2 is less than five. Starting now, and at the rate of one or two a day, one could read The Federalist Papers by November 3—and it would be easy and fun because Madison, Hamilton, and Jay are such good company.
I speak from personal experience. I worked on Common Sense Nation, my book on the Founding, for 15 years. The best part was spending time with the American Founders. To call writing that book a labor of love might imply that some labor was involved when in fact there was only delight.
Thomas Jefferson described The Federalist as “the best commentary on the principles of government which ever was written.” That’s still true. And here’s the best part: they are written for you to understand. They are a collection of op-eds written to persuade Americans to vote for the Constitution. Read Federalist 1 and see for yourself. You’ll find it clear and readable.
The first essay is the source of a quote of Hamilton’s that may already be familiar to many:
It seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.
The voters of that Founding generation—America’s real greatest generation—demonstrated that good government can be established by reason and choice. Yet in 2020, for the first time, American voters have a readily available opportunity to throw it all away.
There is no better way to meet the terrible disorientation of our time than to turn to the words of these great Americans—and get reoriented. Want to join me in reading and completing The Federalist Papers in time for the election? If so, we will be offering you help along the way at this site. Stay tuned. You will enjoy it, and it will also be good for you—and for our great country.
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