Where do we go from here?

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress of the American Colonies of Great Britain adopted their Declaration of Independence stating: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The Founders declared that the equality of all was not a matter that needed to be proven or was subject to debate but was a “self-evident” truth. This equality of rights was not granted by a king or created by a constitution but was endowed by the Creator. These self-evident rights were also unalienable, meaning they were not transferable to another and could not be denied be taken away.

In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson was influenced by the English Philosopher John Locke’s enumeration of unalienable rights as “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property.” Jefferson rejected the idea that the right to property or wealth was an unalienable right but was instead a right granted by governments--not by God. Instead, the Founders chose, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" as God-given rights—rights for which governments are instituted or created to secure.

The self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence have never been fully embraced by Americans. In the Constitution of the United States, only white, male, landowners were granted the right to vote. The Civil War was fought to determine whether male, black slaves were to be freed and granted the rights of citizenship.

Some argue that the Civil War was about states’ rights rather than abolishing slavery and securing the equal rights of all men, regardless of color. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln made clear what the Civil War was about. He said, “Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” At the Gettysburg battlefield, he explained that the Civil War was “testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”

The Confederate States of America lost the war, the nation endured, and over time Americans have expanded the proposition that all are created equal to include Black men, all men of color, and finally, women and Indigenous Americans. The United States of America has been moving toward a “more perfect union,” as promised in the preamble to the Constitution.

However, as the political powers of white, male, wealth holders were diluted by the granting of full rights of citizenship of Blacks, women, and new minorities, those in positions of privilege have once again rebelled. They have persuaded others who feel alienated from the government for a variety of economic and cultural reasons to join in their rebellion.

They are advocating and supporting a radical change in the government by denying the hard-won political rights of women and minorities. They have gained sufficient control of Congress to bring governance to a halt, hoping to fuel a political revolution. They have stacked the Supreme Court with judges committed to restricting and reversing the rights affirmed by previous Courts, even granting the president the powers of a king.

The elections of 2024 are not really about the competency, programs, or even the character of the candidates. This election will determine whether the United States will resume its long history of progress in securing the equal and unalienable God-given rights of all or whether we return to a nation where the unfortunate many are ruled by a privileged few, or even to a monarchy ruled by a king. Once again, this election is testing whether this nation, or any nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all a created equal can still endure.

John Ikerd