The American Way of Life (Part 3 of 28)
Part 3: of a 28-part series
2) The second idea in the American way of life, or way of living (how we are living our lives), is that in this country we are actually demonstrating something to the world, without even realizing it. Were demonstrating the positive alternative, or answer, to despotism. And when we get there, there are only two kinds of governments in history. Despotism is one of them.
Now, what is despotism? Its government by the absolute or arbitrary power of one or the few. The Declaration of Independence identified what America is all about: When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism . So we are a nation that lives in rejection of despotism.
Now, thats a new deal. We reject it. It is and this is what we claim for ourselves it is their right, it is their duty, obligation. They owe it to themselves, to throw off such government. This is not violence. Throw off here does not mean physical violence. It just means to remove yourself, to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security.
So the people will take charge of their own security. You owe it to yourself. Despotism is unlawful. And so theyre not submitting to unlawful authority.
There are two kinds of authority, I might inject here: lawful and unlawful. And the Boston Tea Party was simply denying unlawful authority: to tax them without being represented. So, we dont just go throw off tea, but theres a principle behind it. Understand what the principle behind it is. Its not just the random destruction of tea. It was really a legal, constitutional act of a demonstration, which is in the British custom.
To be continued...
2) The second idea in the American way of life, or way of living (how we are living our lives), is that in this country we are actually demonstrating something to the world, without even realizing it. Were demonstrating the positive alternative, or answer, to despotism. And when we get there, there are only two kinds of governments in history. Despotism is one of them.
Now, what is despotism? Its government by the absolute or arbitrary power of one or the few. The Declaration of Independence identified what America is all about: When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism . So we are a nation that lives in rejection of despotism.
Now, thats a new deal. We reject it. It is and this is what we claim for ourselves it is their right, it is their duty, obligation. They owe it to themselves, to throw off such government. This is not violence. Throw off here does not mean physical violence. It just means to remove yourself, to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security.
So the people will take charge of their own security. You owe it to yourself. Despotism is unlawful. And so theyre not submitting to unlawful authority.
There are two kinds of authority, I might inject here: lawful and unlawful. And the Boston Tea Party was simply denying unlawful authority: to tax them without being represented. So, we dont just go throw off tea, but theres a principle behind it. Understand what the principle behind it is. Its not just the random destruction of tea. It was really a legal, constitutional act of a demonstration, which is in the British custom.
To be continued...
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