Jayne Morris Crowther: Founders new respect for opposing views was critical to democracy

To The Daily Sun,

Over the past few years the difference between political ideologies has grown alarmingly into intense hatred. Some writers even pride themselves on their use of personal attacks and assure their opponents that they hate the others exponentially more. This flies in the face of America’s most inspirational documents that stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights… ” (Declaration of Independence) or “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” (U.S. Constitution).

These words were written by our Founders, who launched an extraordinary experiment in self-government. It was revolutionary to create a republic on such a large scale and the Founders understood this. They also understood that the key ingredient of a republic was mutual respect. If only one side of any political argument was worthy and accepted, the democracy ceased to exist and their experiment in self-government would fail. The Founders disagreed politically about how exactly to facilitate this self-government and they made mistakes but the key to their ultimate success was the respect for the diverse contributions of “we the people.”

As time went on, others understood this crucial building block and further enlarged our citizenry to all men and women, regardless of race, creed, gender or place of origin. Understanding the fundamental element of our self-government, with respect for all, led insightful leaders to endorse this idea with words like, “With malice towards none, with charity towards all…” (Abraham Lincoln) and “Remember, we have no enemies, only political opponents” (Ronald Reagan).

While not all Americans came voluntarily to this country, we nevertheless all inherited the legacy of the Founders’ words and the basic core value of respect for those with opposing viewpoints. The Founders knew this respect was paramount if their infant democracy was to survive and this legacy is a treasure. It is most unfortunate and saddens me that some cease to believe in it.

Jayne Morris Crowther

Laconia