The following was written by Convention of States California volunteer William Grill.
With the writing of the United States Constitution, Washington, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, Mason, and the rest of the Founders foresaw a land free of tyrannical rule.
They were determined to set up a limited system where self-governing people would decide the arrangement of their lives and prosper freely, without government interference.
Representatives of the people would be elected to ensure the interests from all of America’s various communities would be heard and considered.
Much listening and collaborative effort would be required of these representatives. They would need to put aside self-interest and do what is in the best interest of the people of the United States. This means a conflict in ideology requires compromise in order to come to a bipartisan agreement.
When this process fails, the people have the power of self-governance in Article V of the Constitution. They can exercise this power by petitioning their state legislatures to call a Convention of States and propose amendments designed to fix problems within our republic.
Self-Governance is what makes our constitutional republic the envy of countries around the world. Under our Constitution, the United States government works for the people, not the other way around.
Today, we have come to a crossroads in the history of our nation. A venomous onslaught of socialism and the deceptive centralization of power now threatens our constitutional republic.
The freedom won by the Founders and generations of pioneers, former slaves, and immigrants is in danger of being lost. Too many in America are ignorant or hostile to the concepts of self-determination, one nation under God, and free markets.
In these times, we need to remember our roots and seek the wisdom of the Founders for guidance. That guidance is in the writings they left us and in the history of how America became a nation of self-governing people!
George Washington said, “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” The Constitution gave the man known as the “Father of Our Country” his unbreakable faith in our system of self-governance.
In his farewell address, Washington said, “The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local distinctions.” Meaning, no matter what cultural background you have, you are above all American.
The passion for liberty, and passing liberty on to future generations, is evident in the writings of the Founders. All of them mention posterity and the responsibility of current generations to pass on the passion for liberty to those just born.
Even the preamble to the Constitution mentions posterity. The future occupied the Founders’ minds. What would they say to us today? What wisdom could they give us to inspire us to fight for the America they envisioned?
I believe they would say something like this:
We sacrificed so that tyranny would no longer oppress freedom-loving Americans. We are now, and forever will be, a people of immense conviction in our vision of life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
No matter how big or small the struggle, Americans have always met all challenges with resolve and courage. And despite the odds, we have always persevered and overcome adversity.
Today we see the system we left you has become dysfunctional. Knowing that one day this could become an issue, we left you the tools to overcome this challenge. We wrote into the Constitution the path back to self-governance: Article V.Use this tool with the resolve and courage that Americans have in abundance. Tell those you have elected that this country is yours and you don’t like the way they are doing the job. It is every American’s right to question their elected representatives.
No worthwhile endeavor is without sacrifice. Americans have always been willing to make those sacrifices to achieve their desires. You are being called by your country to do everything in your power to make sure liberty lives on for generations to come.
Our friend and fellow Founder John Adams once said, “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it.”
God bless you, and may God bless and preserve the United States of America!
