Yesterday in my Political Science: American Political Thought class, we were asked about the Founding Fathers and their roles as the main actors in our country's beginning. Starting in Kindergarten we are told the story of how our country began and of the great men that made up our Founding Fathers. We were asked would it matter if F.F. was f.f? In other words, if a deeper look into history showed us that men such as George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson, were really just normal citizens with problems and faults like everyone else; would this fact alter our perception of America and make the story less impressive?
My answer was no. I believe it would make the founding of America even more spectacular. The basic ideology of our nation is one made up of free citizens, large or small, white or black, young or old, who can come together and change the world in extraordinary ways. A tale of a select group of ordinary citizens who stood above the rest to lead a nation into its induction appeals to one's hero persona even more.
The fact that Washington may have not been the most intelligent commander, but an insightful politician, or that Jefferson really might not have been as respectable or heroic than once thought, only adds to the American Story. They were regular men who were destined to realize their time and place in history early enough to act on their intuition and change history.
We are not a democracy assembled by aristocrats the with the intention to belittle the people, we are a democracy built by the people for the people. And it is not until we lower our Founders Fathers from their aristocratic standing will we be able to understand their true intention. There is no disrespect in turning F.F. to f.f., as it is only the utmost salute to our founding fathers greatest dreams.
Extraordinary events and circumstances turn ordinary men into great men. For this assumption to be true though, it would mean that great circumstances can create great men in any era. We have the opportunity in any era or generation, including this one, to do great things that can rival anything in our past. We just gota do it.
My answer was no. I believe it would make the founding of America even more spectacular. The basic ideology of our nation is one made up of free citizens, large or small, white or black, young or old, who can come together and change the world in extraordinary ways. A tale of a select group of ordinary citizens who stood above the rest to lead a nation into its induction appeals to one's hero persona even more.
The fact that Washington may have not been the most intelligent commander, but an insightful politician, or that Jefferson really might not have been as respectable or heroic than once thought, only adds to the American Story. They were regular men who were destined to realize their time and place in history early enough to act on their intuition and change history.
We are not a democracy assembled by aristocrats the with the intention to belittle the people, we are a democracy built by the people for the people. And it is not until we lower our Founders Fathers from their aristocratic standing will we be able to understand their true intention. There is no disrespect in turning F.F. to f.f., as it is only the utmost salute to our founding fathers greatest dreams.
Extraordinary events and circumstances turn ordinary men into great men. For this assumption to be true though, it would mean that great circumstances can create great men in any era. We have the opportunity in any era or generation, including this one, to do great things that can rival anything in our past. We just gota do it.
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