On July 4, 1776 The United States of America gained independence from Britain. After the American rebels rebelled from the red coats and took the land for themselves. The founding fathers had a lot in mind for our country so they started writing the constitution. After the constitution’s writing began it took approximately four months for it to be finished. Some things written in the constitution include but are not limited to The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights included the first 10 amendments. These ten amendments paved the way for what the United States are today. But the question I will be asking is would the founding fathers be content with the government and the populous today and would they think that we are still “Americans”
Many of the Founding Fathers would likely feel uneasy about the current state of the United States, both in terms of government and behavior of the United States citizens. They envisioned a republic confined to a limited federal power, strong local governance, and an engaged, informed populace. Today, the expansion of federal authority through executive orders, administrative agencies, and broad interpretations of constitutional powers may make them feel as if the constitution may have or is losing its meaning to the government and its people. They were also deeply concerned with preserving liberty by preventing political factions from becoming too dominant. The intense division and polarization seen today could be viewed as exactly the kind of factional conflict they warned against, where people are blinded by following a political party and not the policies or intentions of the party just because they grew up under a house favoring the party or were influenced by others early. This is not what they intended as they wanted the people to be independent and think for themselves instead of following as a sheep. In addition, the founders placed high value on civic virtue citizens taking responsibility for understanding issues, participating thoughtfully in public life, and prioritizing the nation’s long-term well-being. Low voter turnout in some elections, the spread of misinformation, and a tendency toward political disengagement or outrage-driven division might concern them. While the nation has evolved in ways they could not have predicted, including expansions of rights and freedoms, they might still question whether the balance between liberty, responsibility, and effective governance has been properly maintained.
I think that some if not most of the decisions made by the government and the United State’s people would align with what the founding fathers intended for us. I think that at the end of the day we are all still American and what we should truly do is to strive for a better life, to read between the lines, and think independently. The founding fathers would’ve not agreed with everything we do but they would’ve wanted us to be educated, think for ourselves, and make decisions based on the well being of ourselves and all of the American people. As that is what I think it means to be an American.