The Great Experiment
The aim was simple - to gain independence from the tyranny of King George III; the challenge was to create the world's first true democracy. Interestingly enough, fighting a war against the most powerful nation in the world at the time was the easy part...
The grand ironies were soon revealed. While freedom from the tyranny of Britain was accomplished, freedom eluded the Native American Indians who suffered a brutal westward campaign of state-sponsored genocide. Back in the east, the slowly congealing American government was perplexed as to just how its government ought to go about providing for an effective central authority, which would still allow the states to resist the abusive tendencies of national power. The concept of freedom turned out to be the cornerstone of America's fiercest arguments, in both Congressional debates and the public conversation alike. What did freedom mean to those who conceived America? What does it mean to Americans now?
The Consitutional Convention of 1787 was a prime example of this political high-wire maneuvering. Congressional polarization and partisanship had already dug in its heels, providing for the first, true Continental Divide. To add, the delegates in Philadelphia agreed about relatively little, once they realized that the nation was destined to expand, and that the institution of slavery was under attack. When Alexander Hamilton - with help from John Jay - presented the Federalist Papers, it became clear that the Articles of Confederation did not allow for a strong federal government that could levy taxes, apportion expenses, or regulate commerce. Modern state-building, and the practical test of American democracy, was officially underway. Thus the grand convention in Philadelphia was unofficially billed as America's first great compromise; however, both sides would secretly continue to cling to their versions of destiny, and the elephant in the room was never addressed. Three generations later, the old resentments resurfaced, came to a rolling boil, and nearly ended the experiment. While time has begun to heal America's wounds, the scars remain, and the resentments of centuries past still reverberate through the American fabric.
From The Desk of 10-18:
Hello Family! Unfortunately, your loyal editor has encountered some networking problems, but the daily article "On This Date In History" will certainly return soon. Thank-you so much for your friendship and support - we'll have this little snafu worked out and will be back online as soon as possible :)