Welcome back or for the first time to Common Sense Civics and Citizenship! Always glad to have your participation here.
This week, we explore two topics that generated a ton of interest. First, I was observed and critiqued by the Institute on the Constitution to be certified as an instructor. Happy to report that I passed the teaching portion so far. You can be the judge as I share with you part of the lesson I taught called, “Who Are Your Influencers? ” We look at the Founders’ influencers and the contributions those people made to our founding documents. Next, we look at the disparity of opinions about America by simply sharing the different views of our country from media I consumed over the Independence Day holiday weekend. It’s an eye-opener. With that, let’s begin with our first article.
Who are your influencers? We hear that term a lot in conjunction with social media. I asked this same question to open my recent lecture during the instructor certification process for the Institute on the Constitution. After hearing a variety of answers, I explained that our Founders had some major influencers, too. They didn’t just sit around and come up with ideas for a Constitution over a beer. Our Founders were well-read and brought a variety of ideas to the table from contemporary and international thinkers.
I asked my class what they think of when they hear the acronym “MLB.” Of course! Major League Baseball, right? LOL The acronym is also an easy way to remember our Founders’ leading contemporary influencers- Montesquieu, Locke, and Blackstone. This is one of the hardest facts for students to retain. We should know what part of our government is influenced by these people.
Ever wonder how Articles I, II, and III came about? Baron Charles Montesquieu contributed to the idea of separate powers or branches. Our Founders named these branches of government in the Constitution as “Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.”
Remember the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God in the Declaration of Independence? Sir William Blackstone defined three types of law:
The Law of Nature
Revealed Law (the Laws of Nature’s God as in the Ten Commandments)
Municipal Law (caveat: human law should not contradict the first two types of law)
Blackstone also contributed, among other things, the concept of Judicial Restraint-the idea that judges do not make law (the legislative branch does). Instead, a judge’s job is to discover the law and apply it.
Next up is John Locke. He, too, contributed to the Founders’ application of the Laws of Nature. Here are two examples:
All human law must conform to God’s laws of nature inscribed within each person’s heart, i.e., don’t steal, covet, murder, etc. Even a toddler knows when they take another child’s toy that they have done the wrong thing. By the same token, human laws must conform to Divine law, or the law is invalid. That is the understanding with which our Constitution was written.
Along with the laws of nature, we have natural rights, i.e., life, liberty, and property (aka pursuit of happiness). Our natural rights are given to us by God, not the government.
Our Founders had other influencers besides Montesquieu, Locke, and Blackstone. They consulted the writings of international thinkers who stressed that international law must conform to the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. Our Founders also considered the works of non-Christian thinkers and those of the old Roman republic.
One thing is clear. Those who came before us understood the sinful nature of human beings and that government is necessary to keep citizens free. It’s liberty under law, not tyranny under despots. History has repeatedly shown us that the purpose of civil government is to protect our God-given rights, not give us free stuff. Our Founders studied history and human nature to find the best course of government to keep We the People free.
I enjoy the challenge of keeping my students engaged when this part of American political theory could be relatively dry 🙂 I’m happy to report that I passed the teaching portion of the certification process. Thanks for being here as we learn together.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸
