I have been trying for months to avoid writing this post. I figured that the American people were smarter. I believed that this “Tea Party” movement would pass. I hoped that the American media would finally shrug this movement off as silly and simple and move on to more important things.
I have never been so wrong in my life. NAACP? Why bother with these guys?
You see, I think we need to get back to basics. Let’s go through a sample of our Founding Fathers and demonstrate why none of these Tea Partiers really know what they’re talking about. First, let’s hit the common threads:
-None of them agreed on the same thing
-They respected each other’s opinion (even if they hated each other)
-All were well-read and educated
-All appreciated debate and diplomacy
All right. The stage has been set…let’s go!
Alexander Hamilton:
What a character! Anyone citing that they supported all the Founding Fathers may not have known too much about this guy. First, oh dear and simple tea Partiers, Hamilton supported reducing the national debt by taxing citizens. Hamilton supported taxes. Heck, he as instrumental in creating the National Bank! Good ol’ Alex here believed in a strong central government, and thought that the states (especially Virginia and Mass) should fall in line.
Guess what Tea Baggers, it gets better- Hamilton supported a President-for-Life and Senate for life; yes, basically a King of America. Not too shabby for a graduate of Columbia University. A lover of commerce and manufacturing, Hamilton spent most of his political career fighting the likes of Jefferson, John Adams, and Aaron Burr (Burr, who finally had enough of Hamilton and fatally wounded Alex in a duel).
And to top it all off folks, Hamilton wasn’t even born in America. He was born in the British West Indies.
But, if it wasn’t for Hamilton, America as we know it wouldn’t exist. Someone had to put forth other ideas and theories to build this country, and Hamilton should not be counted lightly.
Thomas Jefferson:
TJ was a force to be reckoned with too. Jefferson was a lover of the arts, a writer, inventor, architect, and traveler. He was a graduate of the College of William and Mary and became a lawyer. He, unlike Hamilton, was a supporter of state power. He, again unlike Hamilton, supported farming and other agricultural endeavor. Later in life he founded the University of Virginia.
But did you know, Tea peeps, that he was a French sympathizer? Perhaps it was his love of wine that tipped the scale, or his hard feelings for the British. Either way, if you’re a supporter of the Founding Fathers as a whole, you need to get the facts straight.
John Jay:
The first Chief Justice of the United States, and a law scholar, John Jay was, with Hamilton, Adams and Madison, a crucial contributor to The Federalist Papers. He too was a lover of diplomacy, being sent by Congress to meet with Spain and France to discuss international matters.
Much to the dismay of Jefferson I’m sure, Jay was a fan of a centralized and balanced federal government.
James Madison:
In Madison we find another theorist and philosopher. Educated at Princeton, Madison delved into a liberal arts course of study. In The Federalist Papers, Madison explained the foundation of pluralism, favoring a large country with many parties and interests. Yet, he too wanted a limited federal government.
John Adams:
A graduate of Haaaarrrvard, Adams was a political historian, a writer and a philosopher. After graduating, this brain went into law. A second cousin of the beer-guzzling Samuel Adams (#badjoke), Johnny pioneered the seperation of powers and the benefits of the bicameral system for state and later federal government systems. Adams was a lover, not a fighter, and hence why he wasn’t a fan of Hamilton and the idea of having a large, standing army. Before being President, he served the country diplomatically, going to France and Great Britain discussing financial and territorial matters.
John Adams had his faults too. Though he and his loving wife (and 3rd cousin) Abigail abhorred slavery, he did nothing against it politically. Also, as President, he signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which gave the executive branch power to kick any foreign-lovin’, American-dissentin’ person out the Union.
Conclusion
If you made it this far, you and I are of the same cloth. Meaning, you’re more than likely not a Tea Party participant. That also means you appreciate history, facts, and/or differing opinions. Which is needed. The Founding Fathers were not some homogeneous group of folks that wanted answers quickly. Yes, they wanted liberty. But they wanted carefully thought out liberty. They wanted self-government. But what “self-government” meant to each one was different.
There’s sooo much more to be said, but let’s talk about it. Because if you’re the average American reader, I already lost you.
Now Waite a Minute! 