The American Dream (Part Three)

If You Can Keep It

After months of arguments and tense negotiations, Benjamin Franklin exited Independence hall with the news of a finalized Constitution for a new American government. As the story goes, among the people who met him outside was a woman who was anxious for his report on the structure of the new government. She asked if it was a republic, or a monarchy. Franklin's simple reply: "A Republic, if you can keep it."

Let us ignore the objective portion of his response for the moment and reflect instead on the direction that follows. "If you can keep it," warned Franklin, though he spoke that not to the gathered delegates, nor to "His Excellency" George Washington, nor to authors Madison and Jefferson. Much like those famous words that began the document in question, Franklin spoke directly to We the People. "A Republic, if you can keep it." Can you hear that call? He is speaking to you. You call yourself an American? Then keep this Republic.

If you've read the previous two sections, you've seen how much power We the People can hold, if only we stand up and claim it. This is the heart of the American Dream: We aren't subjects of some king in a castle; we are masters of our own castles, and each rulers of our nation. Ruling isn't easy, and it's not often fun. There are times when we'd rather go on vacation than sit on a jury, and times we'd rather watch Monday Night Football than go to the school's open house. But those actions fly in the face of the great responsibility we have been given. This nation is ours, if, and only if, we can keep it.

How do we live up to this great charge? The first, and most basic, is simple citizenship. We must build our neighborhoods and communities. This, and all other steps, is best achieved through action. We must become involved with our neighbors, and together build and keep such a community as we see fit. But also in the command to keep our community is the responsibility of self-enforcement: we must also insure all of our neighbors are encouraged to be good citizens as well.

This method of our republic follows up the chain, from neighborhoods and communities, to cities and counties, to states, and finally our nation as a whole. Just like we cannot allow ourselves and our neighbors to be lax in keeping our communities, we especially must guard against the trap of allowing others to build and keep our local communities at greater levels simply because they can do it. We must guard our duty of self-government jealously, always insuring that we are acting with others and through our representative proxies to keep our republic as close to us as possible.

But this hard and careful work is all for naught if we do not insure that successive generations are capable of doing the same. So, not only must we be involved in our civic duties, such as upkeep of local parks and making sure all of our neighbors contribute as they can, we must also keep our civic duty as individuals in a community of educating our children to be good citizens, and maintaining the highest standards therefore. That act includes of course setting good examples, but also of setting up a system that maximizes key factors such as parental involvement and high expectations throughout.

Americans were once an engaging and industrious people, jealously keeping our right of self-determination, supporting bonds of community through agreement and disagreement alike, and maintaining a parochial attitude - proud of our towns and cities first, our states second, and the federal system that guards them all finally third. Similarly, our most important rights we keep close to us, where we can defend them most easily. These great prides of self and of community may simmer today more quietly than they once did, but I believe they are still there. To rekindle that fire, we can only take these first steps of Local Governance and Education, and Accountability for both, in faith, trusting that the American Dream still burns inside us all.

We have been given a Republic. Let Us Keep It.