"Securing the Blessings of Liberty" is a term that appears in part six of the USA preamble which refers to the establishment of a small federal government, a community that values virtue, stable communities, and a thriving civil society based on free markets (Greenberg 10). As a result, the term refers not only to safeguarding what the people have as a republic but also to safeguarding what the nation has as citizens. Such security guarantees that assurances made in the past are kept and that the legislation and original inspirations for founding the United States of America continue to remain within the history of the people who live in the region. It further means protecting an individual’s natural rights and freedoms within boundaries that do not interfere with others.
Relation of Securing the Blessing of Liberty with Government Role
Liberty is different from freedom in that there are potential obligations, boundaries and need to intermingle with other people. In this regard, the responsibility of “securing the blessing of liberty” is for the government and not the people. Securing blessings involves creating rules while maintaining the liberty entails enforcing these restrictions both of which are duties of government. The America’s founding fathers intended creating a popular government that ensured freedom for its people. That aim suggests that a government in US is made “by people, for the people and of the people” as stated by Abraham Lincoln (Greenberg, 12). In other words, people choose their representatives in legislature who in turn create laws that allow citizens to have liberty based on people’s needs and issues affecting them within that period. A good example of government safeguarding the blessing of freedom is when slavery became a controversial problem in the 1850s. It took the initiative of securing liberty by creating the 13th amendment which allowed African Americans more freedom and eliminate slavery.
Similarly after the amendment when the blacks needed civil liberties equal to those of whites, the government stepped in and created Civil Rights Act of 1964 which gave African- American more civil rights. Such liberties would have been impossible to gain if the government did not take the initiative to make or amend the law. Nonetheless, establishing legislation that gives people equal liberty is not the only foundation of the government rather it has the mandate of ensuring that all citizens abide and follow the law. It also should enforce the laws created in the effort of “securing the blessings of liberty” for every citizen, which according to the structure set up by the founding father, is the responsibility of judicial branch. As US citizens, most Americans are willing within the legal boundaries so long as their freedoms are guaranteed. However, the government must enforce the law to ensure that those individuals who fail to respect these limits and seek complete freedom are brought to book.
The Political and Cultural Roots of “Securing the Blessings of Liberty”
America was established on the grounds of the quest for freedom. However, during fighting for independence from the British rule, the founding fathers realized that it is impossible to have true liberty in a civilized society (Greenberg, 34). In other words, they firmly believed that human being is predictable, fallible and inclined to do evil by nature. In this regard, when given power without checks and balances, man can abuse or misuse it at the expense of others. As a result, they crafted a constitution that introduced a government whose power was evenly distributed to make and implement liberty, an objective type of freedom.
The government composed of three branches namely legislative branch for making law, an executive for approving laws made and judicial for enforcing and interpreting the law. All the leaders were to be chosen by the people to ensure that liberty of citizens is maintained and implemented to assist avoiding disorder caused by real freedom (Greenberg, 37). Liberty and the blessing that comes from the freedom are significant as part of American society. From the past generation, forefathers established a culture that values fruit of liberty, which is the ability to pursue happiness, and ensures that this is passed to the next generation. In other words, they introduced a society that believes people can know whether they lived up to the responsibility of “securing the blessing of liberty” by seeing descendants enjoying the liberty fruits.
Arguably, structures available cannot guarantee that next generation will enjoy and reap the blessings of liberty. Although founders were busy securing the independence of the fledgling nation, they never gave an outright answer on how people should preserve this freedom for generations. However, they laid down four pillars that sustain the US republic that define the meaning of the phrase as stated above (Greenberg, 46). In particular, by limiting scope and size of government, the public allow civil society and families to flourish while enhancing the government to perform all critical duties. On the other hand, sustaining a culture that promotes virtues befitting a free people, enable individuals to find and pursue happiness. This fits the founders’ vision that was to establish a constitutional government undergirding a vibrant civil society consisting of voluntary associations and strong families that are guided by a moral compass.Works Cited
Greenberg, Edward S. Struggle for Democracy. 12th ed. Denver: Pearson, 2017. Print.
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