Constitutional Curious — Part 1 — “The Radical Roots of the United States”

The United States was forged in war. It was born in an idea: The radical idea that men should be citizens instead of subjects, and that people have "rights endowed by their creator" rather than favors gifted to them by a monarch. In the context of the 18th century the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments) may be the most radical documents ever crafted. The heart of 21st century conservatism is a commitment to preserve the exceptional commitment to individual rights and responsibilities "enumerated" in those documents over two centuries ago.

The United States is exceptional. We are not exceptional because we are capitalist. We are not exceptional because we are rich. We are not exceptional because we are religiously diverse. We are not exceptional because we are ethnically diverse. We are not exceptional because we are a "Republic."  We are not exceptional because we have a "democratic" process. We are not exceptional because we have never really had more than two serious political parties at any one time. We are not exceptional because we rolled to victory in two bloody World Wars. We are not exceptional because we are generous --although we are a very generous country. We are not exceptional because of the Grand Canyon, John Wayne, Rock 'n Roll, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse or Hollywood. We are exceptional because of our shared ideas. We are exceptional because we believe government exists for the people, the people don't exist for the government. We are exceptional in that we believe our rights are endowed by our creator.

The Constitution may preserve the individual's rights, but it does not endow us with rights. Instead the Constitution defines the rights of Government. Our rights, as citizens, are "unalienable."

That distinction is at the heart of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America. That idea, that fragile, radical, exceptional idea, was at the heart of a rebellion that became a revolution. A revolution that gave birth to a country and a people.