What America Was Really Meant to Be

In arguing for a policy that they want (or against one that they don't want), people will often state that we must (or mustn't) make the change in question because America is "supposed to be" a certain way. For example, if the issue at hand is whether or not to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in a government building, you might hear it stated that "America was founded as a Christian nation" to bolster their pro-display point of view. Or in argument against progressive policies, you might hear "America wasn't meant to be a socialist country".

Upon closer examination, most of these statements don't hold up, and there are two reasons for this. First, the founders gave us the ability to pass laws and even amend the Constitution should we choose. What America is "supposed to be" is whatever its citizens decide. So if we want to move away from free-market capitalism and toward socialism, we can collectively make that choice. In fact, even the basic rights defined in the Bill of Rights can be amended or repealed, since they themselves are simply Constitutional amendments. Not that I'm advocating we do that, nor do I think it would be likely to succeed if attempted. But the fact that we could do it shows just how much control Americans have over the form of their government.

Second, it's fallacious to make nearly any categorical statement about what the Founding Fathers' intentions were, because they were men like any others with opinions that varied, sometimes greatly. In cases where we today debate the meaning of a particular phrase or passage in the foundational documents of our nation, I'm sure there was contention among those in Congress at the time it was adopted as well. And from that time such differences of opinion have polarized us. In fact, no sooner was the government established than the tug-of-war began between those with different visions for the nation. Very quickly these visions became the basis for the first political parties, the Federalists advocating a strong central government and the Democratic-Republicans fighting to keep power in the hands of the states. And with only very brief exceptions, such factions have continued to battle over our direction ever since.

We have always disagreed over what America should be. That such differences can exist among the citizens of our nation and not tear us apart is a testament to the system of government the Founding Fathers gave us. They made us a nation of laws and through those laws created the mechanism through which we can, collectively, determine what the Unites States of America really is.