Al Sharpton: "Can you imagine our reading that James Madison or Thomas Jefferson tried to overthrow the government?!"
As are too many Americans today—and 100% of Leftists—Al Sharpton knows absolutely nothing about American history. Or, if he does, he is decidedly trying to revise it to fit his Left-wing, America-hating propaganda. The above statement by Sharpton—as kindly as I can say it—is one of the stupidest I have ever read.
Well, ok, to be technically accurate, our Founders didn’t actually “overthrow” the British government. They just left it.
Secession. Now there’s a novel idea.
Incidentally, Al, nobody in America today is trying to “overthrow the government,” except for you Left-wingers who want to change it into something completely unrecognizable from what Madison and Jefferson established. Who is really trying to “overthrow” it? Madison and Jefferson initially tried to get the British government to reform their behavior, but when that didn’t work, they had no other option but to form a new one. Speaking of reading, Al, why don’t you try reading the Declaration of Independence?
But again, let me be technical here, because, in this case, it is necessary. What Madison, Jefferson, et al, did—technically—was not a coup d’état, an overthrow of government, it was an act of secession. They left the British Empire. Why did they do that? Well, let’s look at what the Declaration of Independence says and let Mr. Jefferson explain.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
All people are born with certain, God-given rights. It is this phrase, more than any other ideal, that eventually led to the abolition of slavery in America and around the world. It took awhile, but history always does. But, in the Founders’ minds, the British government was infringing upon these God-given property rights (“no taxation without representation”), thus was violating the true purpose of government. As stated by Jefferson:
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men”
Here is, in the view of America’s Founders, the purpose of government—to protect people’s rights (their property). Not to redistribute income or fight wars in unknown places, but to protect the rights of the people.
“deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Government isn’t “born” with any rights, the only “rights” it has are those given to it by the people. The people sacrifice certain of their rights to create a government that can do certain things (e.g., protect us from invasion) that we cannot individually do. But whatever rights we give the government, we can certainly take away. Government doesn’t give us our rights, we give government its rights! This is totally contrary to what Al Sharpton and every Marxist, Leftist believes. Go live in China if you want to see that in action.
Now look at the next statement in the Declaration:
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
The people created the government, the people can change it whenever they want to! It belongs to them, not visa-versa! “Abolish it,” Jefferson said. What does that mean? That means “overthrowing” it if ceases doing what the people tell it to do. Or if it denies its purpose of “securing” our “rights.” Al, you better believe Jefferson and Madison thought a government could be “overthrown,” and certainly seceded from.
However,
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
No, the people shouldn’t just “overthrow” or “secede from” the government at the drop of a hat (“light and transient causes”). “Prudence” tells us to be patient and people tend to be that way. But....
“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Please read that carefully. It is not only the RIGHT of the people to overthrow or secede from a tyrannical government, IT IS THEIR DUTY! Al, what does “throw off” mean? Could it possibly mean “overthrow”? Al, do you know who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Have you ever even read it (highly doubtful, as he was probably education in an American school). The tragedy is, how many Americans now believe the way Al Sharpton does?
I shouldn’t even have to write this article. This is America 101, the basic, cardinal foundation principles upon which our country was established. This is what America MEANS, and why countless millions came here and still want to. Destroy this foundation and you destroy the United States of America. But that is exactly what Al Sharpton, Leftists, and the Democratic Party want to do—destroy America. Sharpton is given time on national television to bloviate his anti-American heresy, and I daresay most Americans haven’t a clue what he is saying or trying to do. That is an education problem, folks, and the Left has destroyed, and continues to destroy, our educational system. No knowledgeable American would believe a word of Sharpton’s bilge. But he is paraded, on national television, as an “expert.” This is sick.
No, Al, we don’t want to “overthrow” the government, we want to prevent you from doing it.
Many more articles, as well as audio and video podcasts, on my substack: mklewis929.substack.com. Free signup. Read my western novels, Whitewater , River Bend, Return to River Bend, and Allie’s Dilemma all available on Amazon. You can follow me on Twitter: @thailandmkl. And rumble: lewandcou
Join the conversation as a VIP Member