A Successful Revolution?

In a few weeks, Americans across the country will mark the nation’s 250 th birthday. A time of celebration, yes, but also a time to reflect on the founders’ contributions and how their work informs us today. To this end, AEI inaugurated the “We Hold These Truths: America at 250” initiative , with symposia and volumes of essays on important aspects of America’s revolutionary heritage. As part of this initiative, AEI is also releasing a new public opinion survey on how Americans view our history and what our nation stands for. This is the fourth in a series of five blog posts with highlights from the survey. See the full report here. In 1973, Irving Kristol gave a lecture on the American founding at St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C. The talk was part of a series of lectures AEI sponsored between 1973 and 1974 to mark the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. Kristol’s lecture on “ The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution ” explored themes that we are examining again 50 years later. “The most fascinating aspect of the American Revolution,” he said, “is the severe way it kept questioning itself about the meaning of what it was doing.” While most Americans are unlikely to be studying deeply the philosophical debates the founders had as they set up our system of government, AEI’s new America at 250 survey shows they are still thinking about the meaning of the founders’ ideas. 81 percent of respondents agreed that studying the founders’ political principles could help inform decisions today. 75 percent agreed that in order to understand the founders’ impact on modern America, we need to examine their tolerance of slavery alongside their many contributions. 68 percent said society has to actively teach kids what it means to be an American, while three-in-ten said this is something that happens naturally.  Americans have internalized many of the basic tenets of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 82 percent of survey respondents said equal opportunity for all was essential to them. 79 percent gave that response about individuals’ right to their religious beliefs. 66 percent said it was absolutely essential for people to be able to criticize and protest the government without fear of punishment. An imperfect nation still aspires to live up to the founders’ ideals. See the full report here. The post A Successful Revolution? appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .