The preamble’s
faction, We the People of the United States, appreciate independence and practice
good behavior; in other words, a civic people celebrate the English colonies' declaration of independence from England (1776) yet accept the power, authority, and responsibility to pursue the intended United States Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791.
Introduction
The article, “The American Revolutions of 1776”, by Vincent Phillip Muñoz, looks back 250
years. But more than 450 years is essential to his 3 revolutions: consent of
the governed, natural rights, and true worship. It’s good that Muñoz cites
colonial American thinkers. Beforehand, Europeans commented about Christian
opinion from 1530’s Geneva about 200’s Roman authority. They advance 500 year
old Protestant opinion selected from England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland,
France, Sweden, and others. Even Aristotle’s 350 BCE opinion is insufficient to
necessary goodness. Colonial America’s potential reaches both backward 5500 years to the invention of
writing and grammar with which to collaborate and forward 14 years, to December 15, 1791, when the civic faction of
14 states ratified the intended United States Constitution to "ourselves and our Posterity".
The
thesis of my writing at this time is that humankind’s purpose is to research
the laws of physics and apply the consequences to necessary goodness. Thereby,
the individual, their societies, and the majority may and can collaboratively
pursue good behavior during their generation. Something constrains the
consequences of human choices, and humankind’s duty is to avoid repeating
mistakes. Perhaps necessary good is the end of evolution, or the ultimate
humility by humankind, or something unimagined. To insist on divinity, call it “The
God”. To the extent that the Holy Bible represents necessary goodness, it is a reliable
aid to just human rule. The amendable United States Constitution expresses
intention to pursue statutory justice among fellow citizens and within the
world.
Ancient literature
In
Mesopotamia, 5500 years ago, history became possible when Sumer Civilization
invented writing and its servant, grammar. Sumerian kings opined that the gods
were too busy with other-worldly politics to take responsibility for order on
earth. The 4100 year-old Code of Ur-Nammu serves polytheism and addresses civic
concerns unresolved today, like reducing poverty and caring for widows. Mesopotamian
political philosophy is parochially expressed in Genesis 1:26-28, 31: On earth, female and male humankind has the
power, the authority, and the responsibility to rule, and that is good.
A flood
event convinced some people the world was controlled by anger. About 3900 years
ago, a Semitic-speaking people left Ur to escape the religion of killing humans
to obtain blood and meat for burning. The sacrifice was offered to bargain with
the gods. A faction wrote, in Genesis 2 to 3 an alternative story: a speaking
god and the fall of man due to his woman’s failure. These Semites continued blood
sacrifice, expecting their god mystery to grant them peace in a promised
national land. Local survivors developed traditional blood sacrifice, in order
to establish and maintain obedience. In return, their god would usurp the
people’s responsibility to behave.
Generations later, the God of
Abraham promised that Hagar’s offspring would be as numerous as the sands and
bargained with the offspring of Sarah for obedience. Male descendants of
Abraham would be distinguished by circumcision. Traditional descendants of both
Hagar and Sarah practice male circumcision today. A faction from Sarah divided
into 12 tribes, Israel. One tribe, Judah, suggested a future anointed one would
unite the 12 in an obedient kingdom. The writer of Psalm 82 thought civic
people, gods facing death, oppose wicked people.
Before, about
2500 years ago, Agathon said a god’s greatest power is to do no harm, and
Socrates asked if The God is appreciated for good behavior. About 2400 years
ago, Aristotle suggested that behavior, good or bad, may be chosen. Also,
ineluctable truth trumps friendship. Note also that ineluctable truth trumps
reason. The literature recording these stories was translated into Greek, about
2300 years ago in the Septuagint.
Therein, the patriarch Joshua is cited in Greek as Ἰησοῦς.
About
2000 years ago, Rabbi Hillel said, "Do not do unto others that which you
hate done unto yourself." In Galilee, a prodigy, Yeshua, was born to
Aramaic-speaking Yosef and Myriam. Yeshua did not write, so contemporaries were
free to imagine-and-craft stories. He reportedly said, “Be perfect” in pursuing
necessary goodness. Religious leaders convinced the civil authority to execute Yeshua.
Afterwards, entrepreneurs projected Yeshua onto prophecies and myths mentioned
in the Hebrew Bible. Consequential entities include the Word, Jesus, the Jewish
Messiah, the Christian Messiah, Christ, The Trinity, Jehovah, Isa, the good,
and more.
Yeshua’s ancient and continuing
influence to good behavior confounds if not contradicts ancient writers like
Paul, Peter, John, James, Matthew, Luke, and others. Paul promoted the executed
Yeshua as one anointed for blood sacrifice for the souls of all believers, circumcised
or not, rather than to unite the 12 tribes of Israel to a kingdom. Paul, self-styled
champion of pagans, opposed male circumcision, which separates his influence
from both Judaism and Islam, descendants of Semites.
Books about Aramaic-speaking Yeshua
are first canonized in Greek. Yeshua, translated Ἰησοῦς, obviously is not
the then ancient Joshua. The Greek New Testament, 367 CE, presents Ἰησοῦς as
the anointed one, Christou. The Roman Catholic Church published the
Vulgate translation in 414, using Iesu Christi. The
Wycliffe Bible, 1382, used Jhesu
Crist. The Coverdale Bible, 1535 used Iesus Christ. The Geneva
Bible, 1557, used Jesus Christ. Thus, “Jesus Christ” is only 468 years old. I
prefer “Yeshua”. I think Yeshua’s influence is my lord.
Sumerians took responsibility for
ordered living. Contemporary Semitic-speaking people sought to escape human
sacrifice then used animal sacrifice to obtain blood for bargaining with their
God. Their patriarch commemorated the bargain with male circumcision. His
descendants divided according to matriarch Hagar, or matriarch Sarah, and others.
A small faction of Sarah’s descendants became Israel, and the tribe of Judah
prophesied one anointed to unite the 12 tribes in obedience to Israel’s God.
Orthodox Jews await the Messiah. Peter, an apostle chosen by Yeshua,
established a Church who presumes to improve the Holy Bible’s theology – soul
salvation with incidental good behavior to the body of Christ, including
Messianic Jews. Paul, a self-styled disciple of Yeshua, established churches
predicated on communal, perhaps antinomian salvation of souls, whose persons are
elected to believe in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Yeshua told the 12
apostles they did not understand him. Adding Paul to make 13 ancient churches,
in 2025, there are 45 thousand Christian sects. There are Muslim sects, Jewish
sects, and others. It seems few individuals accept the power, authority, and
responsibility to pursue good behavior as suggested in Genesis 1:26-28, 31 and
affirmed in Psalm 82 and by Yeshua in Matthew 5:48.
Choosing a bible theology rather
than pursuing good behavior -- in humility to whatever constrains the
consequences of human action -- is a trust and commitment I cannot, will not
take. Consequently, I hold the Declaration of Independence a national and
global treasure in that it declares war against King George II, in order to
gain independence from English and religious tyranny over the colonies on the
Eastern Seaboard of North America. Thanks to France and Spain, who did not want
England to gain control of the Mississippi River, the 13 colonies became
independent states in 1783. And added colonial Vermont before ratifying the intended
United States Constitution in 1791.
Celebration of 1776 ought not
overshadow the United States constitutional republic the Revolutionary War
empowered.
Transitions to American thought, then to United States intentions
Since
before 414, Roman Catholicism has dominated Judeo-Christian politics. Intentions
were to regain Jerusalem from Muslim rule, in 1099, then to stamp out decent in
Europe. The 16th century’s Protestantism is weakened by sectarianism.
The European competition became regal as kings chose either Catholicism or
constructed a sect of Protestantism. Sir Robert Filmer (d. 1653) defended
the divine right of kings in competition with the Pope. In 1690, John
Locke wrote extensive opposition to Filmer and expressed many enduring ideas,
including “common – consent, equity, good, interest, law, practice, right,
rule, safety, sense, wealth, etc.”. Unused property is an offense against
nature. A person enters society “to preserve himself, his liberty and
property”.
Individuals in Europe sought
freedom from the local religious oppressions they suffered. When they escaped
to America, their initial debates addressed European issues. But by 1783,
independence was won, and they had been, for 70 years, focused on domestic
responsibility. George Washington urged them to let the Atlantic Ocean separate
them from European conflicts.
It is
essential to celebrate the United States promise, won on the 1776 Declaration
of Independence with the aid of France, Spain and Holland. However, its
justification developed on the global happenings since 5500 years ago and
before. And the United States intentions are recorded in the amendable, 1791-ratified
United States Constitution. I turn now to Muñoz’s article on the Declaration of
Independence.
Equality or order?
Nearly
2100 years ago, Cicero controversially said, “The wise are instructed by
reason, average minds by experience, the stupid by necessity, and the brute by
instinct.” Perhaps Cicero had not read Psalm 82, which suggests that civic
citizens may and can constrain the wicked. Verse 7’s “like every other ruler” may refer to
Genesis 1:26, “so that they may rule” in good behavior. The idea that
civic citizens may and can constrain human error is not new.
There’s
no clearer suggestion of inequality than when one citizen offends another. The
civic citizen improves Yeshua’s process for resolving human conflict, suggested
in Matthew 18:15-17. Often, the complainer learns, in Step 1, that he or she
wronged the other; on so learning he or she may make amends. Second, the
challenge of involving an uninterested third party can convince the conflicted
parties to collaborate on a solution. Third, no society arbitrarily condemns a
fellow citizen. Locke understood Matthew 18, writing, “In transgressing the law of nature,
the offender declares himself to live by another rule than that of reason and
common equity, which is that measure God has set to the actions of men, for
their mutual security.” However, there’s no humility in a writer expressing
personal opinion as characterization of God.
The government claim, “men are
created equal” is insincere, except to object to the divine right of kings and
to attempt to refuse Genesis-1’s power, authority, and responsibility to rule
to necessary goodness on earth. In 1763, Massachusetts’ James
Otis erred to claim natural rights held by all men are divinely inspired; divinity
is a human construct that may or may not correspond with actual reality.
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson asserted that King George was no more
god-facing-death (Psalm 82) than a typically responsible colonial American. Yet
he ignored both Genesis-1 command to rule on earth and practicable common sense,
in order to debate 1776 religion. And he had to write “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” instead of Locke’s phrase (above), to avoid the debate
about slaves as property. Also James Wilson’s focus on rights opposes
Aristotelian order pursued by responsibility.
Authority by consent and responsibility
Neither
being a person nor having been born/naturalized a United States citizens means
you consent to governance or commit to allegiance to the republic. Both the
laws of physics and the United States Constitution exist, and the civic citizen
pursues safety, security, and statutory justice. When the consequences of
choice is injustice, the civic citizen observes the law while aiding potential
amendment to establish and maintain justice.
Each citizen owes it to self to
comprehend and commit to the preamble to the United States Constitution, in
order to choose to participate in United-States-republican governance. I convert
the preamble’s predicate phrases to nouns and paraphrase its proposal as
follows: The civic faction, We the People of the United States, proffer &
practice six public pursuits —- integrity, justice, safety, strength,
prosperity, and responsibility, “in order to” pursue happiness “to ourselves
and our Posterity”. “Posterity” includes our children and legal
immigrants. The preamble invokes neither race nor religion. I am interested in
readers’ opinions.
We observe in Genesis 1 the
primitive opinion that female and male human being are charged to rule on
earth. In the millennia, perhaps six, since that policy was expressed,
humankind has achieved astounding discoveries, including that the laws of
physics impact if not control psychology as well as physics. The idea that a
person may and can consent to governance is laughable. Yet, happily, I voted
for President Donald J. Trump in his first primary and thereafter. I think he
reformed from any errant personal past and support his administration of the
United States republic. When a person hears that a Category 5 hurricane is on
the way, neglecting the news risks survival. On the other hand, choosing a
religion, including atheism, is futile, and consenting to one is ruinous.
I do not support Muñoz;s first
1776-revolution. I express preference for responsibility rather than rights.
Worship
Worship
and praise is an institutional contrivance rather than a discovery. It purports
to bargain for favor rather than pursue good behavior. In Sumer civilization, ziggurats
were built high, with a temple on top so the gods could and might choose to
live there. Worship and sacrifice were closely guarded by the priests. As
polytheism gave way to monotheism, religion proliferated exponentially. There’s
only one sun god in this solar system, so discovery that suns are natural
nuclear reactors lessens the gods. But imagination to invent gods has no limit.
So what does necessary goodness require? Micah 6 suggests justness, mercy, and humility.
Divinity pursues competitive
doctrine rather than the ineluctable truth. For example, one of Harvard
Divinity School’s most celebrated graduates, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said that
making Jesus divine hid necessary goodness forever, so Harvard banned Emerson
for 30 years. Today, Harvard may read about Yeshua in Wikipedia and observe in
the Complete Jewish Bible (1998) that
Yeshua commends necessary goodness. There’s no excuse for using translation and
transliteration to “Jesus” to obscure Yeshua’s civic influence. I doubt there
exists a divinity school professor who humbly pursues the ineluctable truth.
That is, truth that cannot be avoided, or changed, or resisted.
Consequences of the Revolutionary War
In 1777
wartime urgency, the 13 colonies issued the Articles of Confederation, as “The
United States of America”. They ratified it on March 1, 1781.
France, Spain, Holland, and the
contributing 13 English colonies won the war against England. Cornwallis’s army
surrendered on October 19, 1781 at Yorktown VA, to both France and the 13
colonies. Treaties were negotiated at Versailles and signed on September 3,
1783. Representatives of King George III of Great Britain signed two treaties
with each France and Spain with prior knowledge by the Dutch Republic. Then,
the Treaty of Paris was signed with representatives of the states. The Treaty
of Paris lists the 13 states by name. The Continental Congress ratified the
Treaty on January 14, 1784 in Annapolis, Maryland. Vermont remained independent
of the Confederation Congress.
The Articles of Confederation was
insufficient to domestic disputes among the 13 states. In 1786-7, Shays’
Rebellion prompted movement toward a federal government. States excepting Rhode
Island sent delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during
the summer of 1787. The majority, 39 of 55, delegates issued the draft Constitution
on September 17, 1787. The required 9 states ratified it by June 20, 1788,
provided the First Congress would amend it with a Bill of Rights modelled after
the 1689 English Bill of Rights. Congress was seated with eleven states in
March, 1789. Vermont was added, and the required representatives of 10 states
ratified the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791, completing the then intended
United States Constitution.
I celebrate the colonial war for
independence from England, marked by the 1776 Declaration of Independence. However,
it may not and cannot overshadow the importance of the United States
Constitution, by which the republic stands. No one can recall the Revolutionary
War. But every citizen may and can own and commit-to their view of the preamble
to the United States Constitution.
Conclusion
The
1776 Declaration of Independence records colonial America’s declaration to the
world to accept them as free and independent states. The Declaration was not
intended to establish a revolutionary code of law to any or all of those
states.
Copyright©2025 by Phillip R. Beaver. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the publication of all or portions of this paper as long as this complete copyright notice is included.
