Promoting American Character
By Dr. Joseph P. Crawford, ASCF Chairman
The American identity is in a time of crisis. Her friends and Allies abroad question who we are and where we stand as a nation. Can we be counted on in times of peril? This country is deeply divided along philosophical and political lines that paralyzes our attempts to solve the most basic problems of public safety, economic strength, and moral leadership. What we like and what we think have become more important than who we are and what we stand for. Dark forces with dubious agendas have caused us to doubt our purpose, our identity and even our history. The foundational building blocks of what constitutes an American citizen have been blurred or eroded by those who would have us become a federation of tribes and commune rather than a united, responsible nation based on individual freedoms, liberties, and the pursuit of opportunities for all.
We must never forget why the founding fathers chose democracy and specifically developed American egalitarianism as a new model to escape the ravages of failed governmental experiments. America was built by generations of refugees. Initially, they were religious, escaping persecution. These were followed by those sold into bondage, succeed by those looking for liberty and opportunity for themselves and their families. The aristocracy, tribalism, and social casts of the Old Worlds, (European, African, and Asian) were to be left behind. Imperfect options including autocracy, constitutional monarchy, or socialism (along with its permutations: communism and fascism) were discarded in favor of a destiny of everyone’s individual creation.
The architects of the Constitution saw that Americans needed to prioritize the legacies of freedom and opportunity for future generations. They realized that our liberties and “pursuit of happiness” could only be secured when our citizens individually and collectively incorporated the concepts of duty, courage, honor, family, and country. This character needed to be developed and nurtured in our homes, places of worship and schools such that it was ingrained within our culture so, when challenged, it would be respected by our friends and feared by our enemies. It became paramount that these attributes of our character superseded considerations of color, creed, or politics. By being inclusive of all our citizens, we reject the constraints of castes, hereditary title, or tribal systems. Allies and enemies could change like the river of time, but the bedrock of American character was to be set in stone.
In this way, when our collective fortitude has and will be tested, we compete and fight for not just our family and friends, but for all Americans, their hopes, aspirations, and prayers. The people’s reality is invested in their minds, hearts, and devout souls; not in some supreme council invested with a monopoly of power. Our representatives must embody these ideals, principles, and personal qualities. Theirs must be a time -limited stewardship which builds upon the past and provides a foundation for future public servants. In this way, our representative government remains fresh and relevant to current generations and not an anachronism of days gone by.
By encouraging active participation of all eligible citizens, we seek to minimize the corruptions and stagnation of entrenched professional politicians whose main activities seem limited to attending endless hearings, producing partisan vitriol against their political opponents, and raising money for their next campaign. If we are to grow as a nation, we must demand better. We must select public servants who will exude optimism, energy, and enthusiasm as those who will be stalwart protectors of our national heritage while expanding opportunities for all Americans.
America’s most vital strength has not been her natural resources, nor her economic and military strength, but rather, her people’s character and the code of conduct she expects from her patriotic citizen. In our lifetime, we will experience the exploration and probable settlement of new worlds.
Will future generations of Americans be up to the task to maintain liberty and opportunity at home and in these new worlds? If we establish and instruct our children in the tenets of the American character that has sustained democracy for the past 246 years, it is possible. If successful, we will have fulfilled our highest responsibility as Americans.
The American Security Council Foundation is comprised of and supported by American patriots who believe in the American Republic and concepts of liberty for all her citizens. Our mission is to support national security, economic strength, moral leadership, and the education of future generations to preserve the rights and privileges conceived, codified, ratified, and protected by our ancestors so that future generations could enjoy these freedoms. We humbly request your support in this vital effort.
