By Dr. Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, Rasmussen Reports
As we lit sparklers and grilled burgers this Fourth of July, a new Rasmussen Reports poll provided a sobering dose of reality. Only 36% of Americans believe the Founding Fathers would see today’s America as a success. Forty-one percent (41%) think they’d view it as a failure, and the rest aren’t sure.
That’s not just political frustration speaking. It’s a warning sign that something has gone off course. The ideals that launched our republic, including liberty, limited government, and personal responsibility, seem more like museum relics than guiding principles.
Picture Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, men who risked everything on the idea that a free people could govern themselves. They didn’t agree on everything, and they weren’t saints. However, they shared a clear vision – a nation built on freedom, not control.
They weren’t just idealists lost in theory. Instead, they were realists who understood that tyranny could easily take hold, especially when people trade virtue for comfort or responsibility for handouts.
Ben Franklin summed it up nicely – those who give up liberty for security deserve neither.
The Declaration of Independence was more than just a breakup letter to the British Crown. It was a bold statement asserting that rights come from God, not from the government, and that the government exists to protect those rights, not to micromanage our lives.
After declaring independence, the Founders got to work. The Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were all created to strike a balance between freedom and stability, liberty and order.
So when today’s Americans say the Founders would be disappointed, it’s easy to understand why. The government has grown huge, accountability is waning, and our national debates are more about grievances than shared values. Government overreach, unsustainable debt, and an unaccountable, unelected administrative state are not what they envisioned.
Hamilton warned against granting too much power to the executive branch. Jefferson saw the risks of moral decline and reliance. They opposed monarchs or guardians because that was what they declared independence from. They wanted citizens capable of governing their own freedom.
But somewhere along the way, we began hiding behind red tape and blaming “systems” instead of taking responsibility. Identity politics replaced civic unity. Entitlements increased while virtue declined. That’s not progress. It’s a retreat.