TEA PARTY - Planning the 2nd Enlightenment (Part 1 of 3)

Our USA Constitution and Bill of Rights were born out of the philosophies and reasoning developed during a period of World History known as "The Enlightenment"
[ http://digg.com/d31Wtni?t  ]. Many of our Founding Father's are noted as important figures in the Enlightenment Movement.
( Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Paine
[ http://digg.com/d31Wu82?t  ] ) And these same Founding Fathers incorporated many
of the principles developed during The Enlightenment into our Constitution and Bill
of Rights.  Among these then radical thoughts were "Natural Law" , "Uncircumscribed Rational Thought", "Consent of the Governed", "Equality of Citizens and Sovereigns", "Self-Determination",  "Public Sphere (Opinion)", "Property Rights" and "Absolute Truth". [ http://digg.com/d31WvPy?t  ] [  http://digg.com/d31WyrS?t  ]

The Enlightenment, also known as the "Age of Reason",  was period of time in World history extending from approximately 1650AD to 1800AD.  This Age of Reason was a sprawling intellectual, philosophical, cultural, and social movement that spread through England, France, Germany, other parts of Europe and, the then, "New World". [ http://digg.com/d31Wtni?t ] This Movement made its mark on many aspects of society including religion, the sciences and the arts but our primary emphasis for this article shall be its impact upon culture and politics. Please note that the American Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights come near the end of the Movement and represent the fruit of more than 150 years of enlightened thought.

What was the Age of Enlightenment? With the benefit of time and perspective, Professor Dorinda Outram provided a standard, intellectual definition of the Enlightenment:

"Enlightenment was a desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition, or revelation; a belief in the power of human reason to change society and liberate the individual from the restraints of custom or arbitrary authority; all backed up by a world view increasingly validated by science rather than by religion or tradition." [ http://amzn.to/93qVP4 ]

Prior to the Enlightenment, rational thought was circumscribed by the dogma of the Sacred Circle  http://digg.com/d31a3Qv?t of King, Church and religious texts. In short, during the enlightenment, individuals decided they could think for themselves rather than, voluntarily or by force,  view the world through perceptions espoused and/or imposed by Monarchs, tradition, Superstition and/or Religion.

BOOKS, COFFEEHOUSES, DEBATING CLUBS AND UNIVERSAL LIBRARIES

During this time, more avenues of transmitting ideas and attitudes became available to a much larger portion of the general public.  Books, pamphlets, newspapers and journals became more available and economical.  And a number of 'Universal' Libraries open to the general public were formed.  And finally there was the phenomenon of Coffeehouses and Debating clubs [ http://digg.com/d31Wu82?t ] that became inexpensive alternatives to more costly higher education.  And with that, the monopoly on information and the debate of ideas that the Monarchs, aristocracies and their respective bureaucracies had used to their advantage in controlling the general public for centuries was broken.  And this opened the floodgates of human intellectual development in a wide variety of human pursuits.

NATURAL LAW

 Natural law theory eventually gave rise to a concept of "natural rights." John Locke argued that human beings in the state of nature are free and equal, yet insecure in their freedom. When they enter society they surrender only such rights as are necessary for their security and for the common good. Each individual retains fundamental prerogatives drawn from natural law relating to the integrity of person and property (natural rights). This natural rights theory provided a philosophical basis for both the American and French revolutions.  [ http://digg.com/d31WyyR?t  ] 

Restated, people are born free and equal with the only rules necessary being those required to allow us to live in harmony with one another.

SELF-DETERMINATION AND PROPERTY RIGHTS

As importantly, the principles of The Enlightenment were altering the relationship between subjects/citizens with their Sovereigns / Governments.  Before the enlightenment, many people were considered property.  They were bound to the land and could not move freely without the consent of the powers that be.  There were no individual rights but rather permissions, or privilages that could be granted and revoked for any reason by the Monarchs and the ruling class. Further, most persons could not own property.  The Enlightenment brought with it the concepts of self-determination and private property rights. And the monarchs and aristocracies that benefited most with the previous arrangement, adamantly opposed changing the status quo.

STATUS QUO VS CHANGE

Eventually the social pressure caused by the concepts of "enlightenment of the individual" and "Private Property Rights" became very disconcerting to the Monarchs, Aristocracies and Religious leaders of the time. The General Public was freely discussing, debating and demanding the implementation of the then radical values of The Enlightenment.  By way of example, Alexis de Tocqueville described the struggle in these approximate terms: 

....the French Revolution (1789-1799) was the inevitable result of the radical opposition created in the eighteenth century between the monarchy and the authoritative figures of the Enlightenment. These authoritative figures of the Enlightenment constituted a sort of “substitute aristocracy that was both all-powerful and without real power”. This perception of their power came from the rise of “public opinion”, born when rigid ruling elites  resisted adapting to principles of the Enlightenment and removed the nobility and the middle class from having input into the political sphere. This resulted in literature being published that promoted a discourse of equality (equality between Citizen and Sovereign) which most of the Monarchs of Europe opposed and resisted until removed by force.

Restated, the Monarchs and the Aristocracies of Europe refused to adapt to the Principles of Natural Law that evolved out of the Enlightenment. Instead, the ruling class resorted to punishment of and inquisitions http://digg.com/d31a0n9?t for those who dare speak against the established order and/or committed "heresy" against the church. And they excluded greater numbers of nobility and the middle class in a vain attempt to maintain the status quo. Excluded from the political process, the literature of the masses turned to questioning the authority of the Monarchs and Aristocrats (Public Opinion).  And this in turn, usually led to violent revolution.

in 1776 our Founding Father's embraced the values of the Enlightenment and cast off the European Aristocratic status Quo in penning our Declaration of Independence [ http://digg.com/d31VrW4?t ]

Upon winning the war, General George Washington magnanimously declined the offer to be made King. 

And after some short-lived alternatives, the United State of America Crafted its Constitution and Bill of rights.  [ http://digg.com/d31X1oM?t ] In so doing, our Founding Father's embraced the values of the Enlightenment and incorporated them into these documents.  They cast off the more traditional, repressive forms of government that they had came to America to escape and began the Great American Experiment. [ http://digg.com/d31X1lg?t ]

 And with that foundation laid, in Part 2 of 3 we will discuss the.....

PARALLELS TO THE SITUATION IN PRESENT DAY AMERICA

Those were my thoughts.

Don Mashak

The Cyncial Patriot\

http://twitter.com/dmashak