Seek Inspiration In Our Founding

Everything we need is right here; we just need to find it again.

I’d originally planned a special essay for Independence Day yesterday. Unfortunately, I failed to complete it in time. I’m slightly disappointed, though I also think maybe now isn’t the best time for it. It might hold greater relevance at a Fourth of July later down the road, next year perhaps. There’s much drama to unfold in the years to come, so maybe it’ll resonate more at a later date.

For now, I want to bring your attention to the latest episode of the Art of Manliness Podcast, which I listened to on my drive home from my parents’ place the day before yesterday. The description of the episode from their website:

When Americans think back to the War of Independence, most are apt to feel that, had they lived back then, they would have been Patriots for sure. In retrospect, the decision to rebel and get out from under the thumb of British rule seems inevitable. Yet only around a third of colonists ever declared themselves as revolutionaries, and even among the country’s Founding Fathers, it wasn’t always obvious if they would stay loyal to Great Britain or become rebels, right up until the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

As H.W. Brands, historian, professor, and author of Our First Civil War explains, the decision to align with the side of the Loyalists or the Patriots was complex, and not only had to do with the kinds of policy issues we often think about in regards to the war, but also personal factors related to respect and ambition. He talks about how George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were actually very unlikely Patriots and what ultimately got them to embrace the revolutionary cause, and why Franklin’s son chose differently and remained a Loyalist. We also discuss why John Adams threw in his lot with the Patriots, and why Benedict Arnold flipped sides.

If you’re interested in the American Revolution - as Americans, we should all be - I hope you give this episode a listen. You learn a lot about the personalities who led our struggle for independence; I for one found I shared a lot of personality traits with them, making me feel a special kinship with our Founders. H.W. Brands emphasizes that many of those key players, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in particular, weren’t sure what side they were on until it came time to sign the Declaration of Independence. Their decision came down not merely to politics, but to personal circumstances.

For example, Franklin was an enthusiastic supporter of the British Empire and not only lived in London for a time, but had intended to reside there permanently. His wife, however, preferred not to relocate, influencing Franklin to stay in America. The implication is that had Franklin been in London on July 4, 1776, he would’ve sided with Britain and against the revolutionaries.

Brands’ characterization of the Revolutionary War as a “civil war” makes perfect sense, given the two sides were, in his words, virtually indistinguishable from each other, even throughout much of the war. The Patriots and Loyalists were both British. The divide between the two sides wasn’t as stark as often believed; it was only after the shooting started the identities became more well-defined. There’s a lesson here for all of us.

Most Americans during the revolutionary era weren’t hardened partisans, or even partisan at all. Like Americans today, everyone had their opinions, but weren’t defined by them. As for which side they chose to stand with, it was quite fluid, often depending on whose army controlled their territory, according to Brands. When the British were in control, you were a Loyalist. When the Americans were in control, you were a Patriot. The reality of life is that most people side with those who hold power. None of us are truly as committed to challenging authority as we think, especially when that authority has the power to take everything away from you.

When I think about what the revolutionary times were really like and think where we are today, it forces me ask: are we so different today? I’ve mentioned before that politics are skin-deep for most Americans. Social media, Twitter in particular, makes it seem like we’re all hardened partisans. There are certainly times where our divisions are more stark, but those aren’t really normal times. Sure, there are lots of partisans out there - count me as one of them - but most people have other preoccupations. I’m not saying that everything’s fine and there’s nothing to worry about, but I’m saying that even in the worst of times, most people are still just trying to get on with life and avoid taking sides. It’s only when the shooting starts that people figure out where they stand. The American Revolution proves it.

There’s good and bad to this. I still think most people are oblivious to how dangerous our situation is becoming. Longtime readers have probably figured that out by now. I also think it foolish to assume you’ll never be forced to decide whose side you’re on or that there are more than two sides you’ll be able to pick from. The world is driven by those committed to their cause; if you don’t pick a side, one will be picked for you, if only by default. You’re along for the ride, either way. At the same time, it’s not the worst thing in the world for so many people to be disengaged. If all 300 million people in this country were partisans, we’d probably be waging a civil war right now. Apathy is bad, but it can also be better than the alternative.

I guess what I’m saying is that just as we shouldn’t assume the U.S. is headed for civil war, we shouldn’t assume what those two sides will be. Not only am I convinced we’re not as divided as we seem, I also don’t think the the two sides we would divide ourselves into if things ever came to blows are as apparent as they seem. It’s easy to think it’d be Democrats versus Republicans, but it could just as easily be cosmopolitan elites versus commoners. The fact is, nobody can really say for certain where that line in the sand is. Until that becomes more clear, I doubt we’re anywhere close to a civil war.

Of course, a low-intensity conflict doesn’t require the explicit presence of two sides. It can involve many sides and many lines in the sand. Consolidation tends to happen in a civil war because it’s much easier to fight as a large group than it is to fight solo. But in a low-intensity conflict, it’s easier to wage your own little war because the same kind of pressure from your adversary isn’t there. Regardless, as divided as we seem, we’re not at a point where we’re willing to fully commit ourselves to one of two causes. By the way, other countries are deeply polarized also - see Brazil - but civil war is nowhere in sight. Nobody’s going to tell me we’re worse off than Brazil, even if we might be headed their way.

It may seem like circular reasoning, but until the shooting starts, things are probably not going to escalate and you’re not going to find out where people really stand. That’s just how things are in real life and our own founding proves it. At some point, America could and probably will become a powder keg for a more serious conflict, but for now, things are more stable than they sometimes appear.

I wish I’d been able to say all this yesterday; clearly, meeting deadlines isn’t my thing. Then again, I’m sure you all had better things to do than to read my musings. It’s not a bad idea to contemplate our dark future on another day. What struck me about this latest Independence Day is how tranquil it all feels. It’s like the calm before the storm that’s certain to be 2024, an election year. It’s hard to say how bad it’ll get, but I can’t imagine it’ll be any better than the last few elections. I have some dramatic predictions I’ll get into in future posts, but I also believe, no matter how bad it does get next year, eventually, things will go back to something resembling some kind of normal, before it all ramps up again. Life goes on.

Speaking of dramatic predictions, Douglas MacGregor thinks we may not even have an election in 2024 (here’s a video):

I don't think we'll ever get to the 2024 election.

I think things are going to implode in Washington before then.

I think our economic Financial condition is fragile - it's going to come home to roost in ugly ways.

Now I will tell you I don't know exactly how it will happen, but I think we're going to end up in a situation where we find out the banks are closed for two or three weeks, and nobody can get into them.

I think we're going to run into something like that.

I also think that the levels of violence and criminality in our cities is so high that it's going to spill over into other places in society.

People that normally think they can live remote from the problem are now beginning to be touched by the problem.

Then I look at this thing in Ukraine.

I think Ukraine is going to lose catastrophically - it's going to be a complete collapse and that too is going to have an effect here at home because people are going to say, well, wait a minute everybody told us Ukraine was winning, everybody told us X Y and Z.

I mean sort of the the Russian hoax on steroids.

All of those things are going to come together or converge in some way that's going to prevent us from reaching you know the status quo. Oh. another election... Oh, another set of campaigns... And so forth...

If his prediction holds, then this year’s Independence Day is most definitely a calm before the storm. I say enjoy 2023 either way, because there’s no certainty about what’s coming up the road. I personally don’t think it’ll be as dramatic as some of us anticipate, though I also believe things will get worse.

For now, I think it’s apt to reflect on our founding, our first civil war, and consider what it means for our future. I’d also contemplate on what we’ve overcome, what we’ve survived, and hopefully conclude that no matter how bad things do get, we’ll make it through the storm and keep on living.

I know it’s hard to believe right now. But America has been tried and tested in ways most of us can’t imagine. We’re still here. Nor are we a country without a heritage or an identity. Both were forged on July 4, 1776 and it’s never left us. Some people try hard to make us forget, but they cannot make us forget what’s in our hearts. Everything we need is right here; we just need to find it again.

During times of trouble, we look to what inspires us. We look to who made us, who breathed life into our home, to those who shed blood so we could have a home. Remember who we are, where we came from, and may it always guide us through the hard times.

Max Remington is a defense, military, and foreign policy writer. Follow him on Twitter at @AgentMax90.

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