Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
Perhaps not in details, though in its essentials perhaps.
But then again, there is much about life in this country and in the world in the later half of the 20th Century and the early 21st Century that they wouldn't recognize and couldn't have imagined. As far as that goes, did they foresee the Civil War and its aftermath, which probably did more to shift the nature of the Republic than any other single event in our history?
An answer might also depend in part in exactly what aspect of the Republic one has in mind when answering the question. I think frequently what is implied in the question is "Would they recognize the expanded role of the federal government?" But I would suggest that there's more to it than that -- for example, would they recognize a Republic in which women, blacks and non-land owners can vote and hold office?
I think the relevant, if unanswerable, question is whether they would see the Republic as it exists today as a logical evolution appropriate for the context in which it exists. As to that, each speculator's mileage may differ.
More answer than you wanted to your rhetorical question, I know.  |
In my last semester of law school I had one of my most enjoyable classes, a seminar called The Founders' Constitution. We read nothing but original writings by the Founders, and I am strongly of the opinion that they would not have recognized much about our post-civil war country. Certainly not since the populist movement. There are things that we do today that everyone takes for granted as being something the Founders would have supported, when in fact, they explicitly came out against it. (And never mind that the term "Founders" in and of itself is somewhat ridiculous to use in these contexts, since they had as many different opinions about how the government should be structured as politicians do today.)
But I like your response, that if they could see the evolution as a whole, I think they would at least understand why we are where we are.
Let's make no mistake though, it's not the past four years that have made a significant difference since the founding era.
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