Reply #69: I agree but we also need to know our history and its sources, which are amazing... [View All]

The founders had a great gift fo generating a conservative constitution, which is a good starting point. We need to remember one of the rights they protected was the right to own slaves.

Lets go back further than the founders, to Bacon's Rebellion - small farmers of all races united to fight the colonial governor of Virginia. Blacks and whites rallied to Nathaniel Bacon who was fed up with Governor Berkeley allowing his trading partners, who happened to be native Americans, to pillage the farms of settlers without consequence. Bacons army overthrew the British government of Virginia, occupied Jamestown for two years, and issued a declaration condemning the oligarch, Berkeley:

Bacon's Declaration in the Name of the People
July 30, 1676
The Declaracon of the People.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5800

1. For haveing upon specious pretences of publiqe works raised greate unjust taxes upon the Comonality for the advancement of private favorites and other sinister ends, but noe visible effects in any measure adequate, For not haveing dureing this long time of his Gouvernement in any measure advanced this hopefull Colony either by fortificacons Townes or Trade.
2. For haveing abused and rendred contemptable the Magistrates of Justice, by advanceing to places of Judicature, scandalous and Ignorant favorites.
3. For haveing wronged his Majesties prerogative and interest, by assumeing Monopoly of the Beaver trade, and for haveing in that unjust gaine betrayed and sold his Majesties Country and the lives of his loyall subjects, to the barbarous heathen.

This rebellion was crushed and Berkeley, seeing blacks and whites fighting side by side, created racist policies to make sure that never happened again.

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Better yet, lets go back to the English Civil War. Now this is amazing. The army of Parlaiment (fighting Charles I and the aristocrats) issued a declaration DEMANDING DEMOCRACY FOR ENGLAND! The American Revolution drew much from these anti authoritarian revolutionaries who threw out the king. The Levelers and Diggers produced the following declaration.


AN AGREEMENT OF THE PEOPLE FOR
A firme and present Peace, upon grounds of common-right and freedome;
As it was proposed by the Agents of the five regiments of Horse;
and since by the general approbation of the Army,
offered to the joynt concurrence of all the free COMMONS of ENGLAND.

The Names of the Regiments which have already appeared for
The Case of the Army truly stated,
and for this present Agreement A.D. 1647
http://www.constitution.org/lev/eng_lev_07.htm

I. That the people of England, being at this day very unequally distributed by Counties, Cities, and Boroughs, for the election of their deputies in Parliament, ought to be more indifferently proportioned, according to the number of the inhabitants; the circumstances whereof, for number, place, and manner, are to be set down before the end of this present Parliament.(1) (real democracy, no geographic representation)

IV. That the power of this, and all future Representatives of this nation is inferior only to theirs who choose them, and doth extend, without the consent or concurrence of any other person or persons, to the enacting, altering, and repealing of laws; to the erecting and abolishing of Offices and Courts; to the appointing, removing, and calling to account Magistrates and officers of all degrees; to the making War and peace; to the treating with foreign States; and generally to whatsoever is not expressly or impliedly reserved by the represented to themselves.(2) (rulers inferior to the people)

Which are as followeth:

1. That matters of Religion, and the ways of God's Worship, are not at all entrusted by us to any human power, because therein we cannot remit or exceed a tittle of what our Consciences dictate to be the mind of God, without willful sin; nevertheless the public way of instructing the Nation (so it be not compulsive) is referred to their discretion. (freedom of worship)

2. That the matter of impressing and constraining any of us to serve in the wars is against our freedom, and therefore we do not allow it in our Representatives; the rather, because money (the sinews of war) being always at their disposal, they can never want numbers of men apt enough to engage in any just cause. (no forced drafting of soldiers)

3. That after the dissolution of this present Parliament, no person be at any time questioned for anything said or done in reference to the late public differences, otherwise than in execution of the judgments of the present Representatives, or House of Commons.(3)

4. That in all Laws made, or to be made, every person may be bound alike, and that no tenure, estate, charter, degree, birth, or place, do confer any exemption from the ordinary course of legal proceedings, whereunto others are subjected. (no one is above the law)

5. That as the laws ought to be equal, so they must be good, and not evidently destructive to the safety and well-being of the people.(4)

These things we declare to be our native Rights, and therefore are agreed and resolved to maintain them with our utmost possibilities against all opposition whatsoever, being compelled thereunto not only by the examples of our Ancestors, whose blood was often spent in vain for the recovery of their Freedoms, suffering themselves, through fraudulent accommodations, to be still deluded of the fruit of their victories, but also by our own woeful experience, who, having long expected, and dearly earned, the establishment of these certain rules of government, are yet made to depend for the settlement of our Peace and Freedom upon him that intended our bondage and brought a cruel war upon us.