A Legacy Worth Defending

When we look back at history, it is all too easy to relegate it to a distant, dusty past — a collection of events long since completed, no longer of relevance, relegated to the pages of textbooks or confined to the ivory towers of scholars. But this perception could not be further from the truth.

Our history is not a closed book but the ongoing narrative of a social drama in which we are active participants. In fact, as time passes, we too will become a previous act of that drama—one that future generations will look back upon. History is the living, breathing foundation upon which our present and future are built.

Yet, we often forget this. In forgetting, we risk becoming subjects to the tyranny of civilizational homelessness, disconnected from the values, struggles, and achievements that gave rise to the society we inherit. This tendency pairs delightfully well with our natural inclination toward self-interest and self-aggrandizement, which leads us to believe that we are somehow more advanced, more enlightened, and more important than those who came before us.

But the truth is, humanity has not changed.

In the thousands of years we’ve walked this Earth, our fundamental nature has remained constant. Of course, our tools have been refined, our knowledge expanded, and our technological achievements have leaped beyond what was once unimaginable. Yet, as humans, we have not changed.

This is a hard truth to accept. In severing our ties to the past, jettisoning ourselves from the ship which is our heritage, we lose sight of ourselves as we are tossed around in the waves. Believing that we can build a society without acknowledging our roots, we find ourselves lost, struggling in a Sisyphean effort.

“…like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was the fall thereof.”

Great, indeed, is the fall we now witness.

But we must not despair. We must turn our gaze to the past—not as a mere collection of forgotten events, but as a guide to understanding our present condition and our future possibilities. The events of history were not random; they were the actions and reactions of human nature, and they continue to shape our lives today. Human nature, with its potential for greatness as well as its flaws, was deeply understood by the American Founders—perhaps better understood by them than by any other political architects in history.

The Founders are often celebrated as extraordinary leaders, brilliant statesmen, and political philosophers who established the freest and most powerful nation the world has ever known. But they were all of these things because of their profound understanding of human nature. This understanding was the foundation of every action that forged and brought forth the United States of America.

Imbibing from the rich fount of history—a litany of European philosophers, the Biblical virtues and morals which underpin Western civilization, the historic rise and fall of empires, and the political inheritance of their time—the Founders crafted a system of government designed to truly serve human nature in all its complexity. They recognized that a government must not be built upon an idealized vision of humanity, but on a grounded understanding of human frailty, ambition, and self-interest.

As James Madison wisely noted, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” The Founders did not seek to design a government that worked only on paper, but one that could endure in the messy reality of human existence, with all its flaws and contradictions.

This was not an idealistic experiment, but a deliberate design, balancing the virtues of the individual with the realities of human imperfection. They acknowledged the truth of inherent human dignity and the worth of the individual. Their design was not only to empower the people but also to protect them from their own inclination towards tyranny—whether from a ruling despot or from the unchecked human passions and impulses.

Their ideas of government were not lofty ideals but grounded principles, deeply aware of how human beings act and will act, particularly in relation to power. Their wisdom remains as relevant today as it was then. Although many might not see it today, the Founders held theme to be self-evident truths.

In our modern age, the principles that animated the Founders—the belief in liberty, equality, and self-governance—remain timeless values worth defending, rediscovering, and imparting. These principles are not mere relics of a bygone era; they should be embraced as fundamental to the American identity, to our national character, and to the flourishing of human beings in a free society.

As heirs to the Founders' legacy, we bear an obligation to preserve and safeguard their vision. We must explore our inheritance of the Founder´s legacy not as merely historical figures of a specific time period, but as intellectual architects whose work has endured and continues to offer the promise of human flourishing.

Especially in our current times, these ideals transcend political divides and must be embraced as the foundation of our shared heritage. The system the Founders established is the best we have to navigate the complexities of human nature.

Tyranny—whether in the form of a king or the unchecked passions of the masses—is always lurking around the corner. But by returning to the wisdom of the Founders, by embracing the principles they enshrined in our Constitution, we ensure that our republic remains resilient. We must continue to revisit and reflect on their lessons—not only in times of political struggle but as an ongoing practice, daily reaffirming the principles that make us who we are.

This is the mission of the American Heritage Society: to protect, preserve, and promote the wisdom of our founding, and to ensure that future generations are equipped to understand the past, honor its lessons, and build upon its foundation. In so doing, we can live out the sacred oath made by our forefathers and “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”