This is the second entry in the Founding Principles series. This series is based on a book titled The 5000 Year Leap. The title stems from the fact that before America was founded, technology and society hadn't changed a whole lot over the course of 5,000 years, but since the founding of America we humans have enjoyed an explosion of technology and innovation that until now has been completely unheard of. This was possible through the efforts of the founding fathers and the 28 principles that they adhered to when building the United States. Periodically I will be posting an article about some of these principles to give readers a better idea of how our great country was originally intended to be ran.
Founding Principle#2: Citizens Must Remain Moral and Virtuous to Retain Their Freedom
To understand this principle, you’ll have to consider the fact that the majority of the citizens of a country need to possess strong morals and a virtuous nature to remain free. This makes sense considering
the officials who are in power are elected by the people. If the citizens are corrupt and devoid of morals, then what problem would they have with electing people who have the same types of beliefs?
Probably the largest difference between the Americans of 1776 and the Americans of today is that the original Americans doubted whether they could sustain a self-governed nation, they doubted their capacity to remain moral and virtuous. Today that doubt is not considered by the general population.
In their definition of being moral and virtuous, the founding fathers included things such as being involved in your government, staying informed on current events, possessing a sense of patriotism and community, and a commitment to liberty.
The founding fathers also had what seemed to be a curious fear of British extravagance and luxury, believing that if these things took hold in the colonies, then the industrious and virtuous nature of the American settlers would be in grave danger.
