Our Founding Ideals Still Matter
The last few days have demonstrated how important our founding ideals are to making America the "shining city upon a hill." We shouldn't lose sight of why that matters for everyday Americans.
It’s been said that we have experienced several generations’ worth of life-altering events in the span of less than 30 years — from the 9/11 attacks, to the 2008 financial crisis, to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interspersed within were the election of the first African-American President of the United States; multiple significant and impactful social movements; major wars; two assassination attempts on President Trump; and so, so much more.
Much ink has been spilled elsewhere on how these events have been a major driver of populist frustrations on both the left and the right.
Those frustrations have caused people to question — or worse, outright oppose — the very cornerstones of our founding, our country, and what it means to be an American. I see it, hear it, and read it all the time from other millennials, especially.
But this past week has provided multiple instances that should underscore to every American a critical truth: that our founding ideals actually matter. More than that, they are an indispensable part of why America is the strongest, most prosperous, and most benevolent society in the history of mankind.
Freedom of speech moves America forward
I’d be remiss if I didn’t start with the murder of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, this past Wednesday. Based on what we know as I write this, it certainly seems as though Charlie was murdered for his political beliefs. Worse, he was murdered while engaging in free and open debate about those beliefs — actively using the First Amendment and providing a platform for others on a college campus, including those who disagree with him, to do so as well.
The freedom of speech not only allows ordinary citizens to criticize their government and elected officials. It also allows us to challenge entrenched interests and assumptions—to move our communities and our country forward toward new frontiers. And throughout the course of American history, it has been the least among us who have benefited the most from that pioneering spirit.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Charlie’s family and friends, and the Turning Point USA community.
The following day, Thursday, America commemorated 24 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As the years pass, I hope that this day never fades into a passing memory for those who remember it, and that for younger people, they are taught not just what happened, but why: it is precisely those fundamental, founding freedoms that make America who we are that our enemies despise. There are countries and societies still today where you can be silenced, punished, or worse for your faith or your voice. America was founded to be different, and I hope we never lose sight of that, because it is precisely our differences from the rest of the world that have made us the greatest country on earth.
Our rights do not come from government
That’s why the comments made by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) last week were so disappointing, and even more so in light of what transpired in the days since. In a Senate confirmation hearing on September 4th, Senator Kaine had this to say about Americans’ rights:
“The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government, but come from the Creator — that’s what the Iranian government believes. It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law...And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their Creator. So the statement that our rights do not come from our laws or our governments is extremely troubling.”
It was incredibly disheartening to hear this from a sitting US Senator, let alone a senator from the same Commonwealth of Virginia as Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence (“…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…”).
The idea that we are endowed with inalienable rights, meaning that they do not come from the government, was not only the defining concept at the heart of our founding. It is also the basic idea that has made possible everything else that has come after it in America: the disruptive ideas and innovations that have improved the lives not just of every single American, but of billions of people across the world who have benefited from them.
That we believe in freedom — the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — is the reason that America, not some place else, is the “shining city upon a hill.” It is the reason we are the world’s beacon of hope, opportunity, and prosperity, and particularly in our most trying moments, I hope every American remembers that about our founding principles, and recommits to upholding them however we can in our own lives.
In freedom,
Akash Chougule, President