The United States Has a Manifest Destiny to Be an Example and a Blessing to the Entire Human Race.
John Adams said: “I always considered the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of the grand scene in design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.”
This is quite a statement from one of our Founding Fathers, but like John Fisk said that the early arrivals to America “felt themselves to be instruments in accomplishing a kind of manifest destiny.” Their Exodus from Europe to this new land gave them a sense of mission, but it needs to be differentiated from the idea of racial superiority which brings out the idea of the role to conquer and rule.
John Adams mentioned that the mission was for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.” The words written by Emma Lazarus on the Statue of Liberty says it all: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Thomas Jefferson (referring to the freedom under the Constitution) said about America that it is “the world’s best hope.” In other words, Thomas Jefferson saw that America could be an example or the aim and imitation of other countries. Reading this it is important to understand that we live in a fallen world where sin and decay is always present, but God has given us principles to live by and when they are put into practice in a country we find that there is a measure of peace and safety as well as prosperity for the citizens. This is why I think these 28 principles are important for us to see and come back to before it is too late.
Men like John Adams and Alexander Hamilton often stressed the point that the “people of America have now the best opportunity and the greatest trust in their hands that Providence ever committed to so small a number.”
The Founding Father were scholars and they had studied every form of government up to their time and what they were putting together was something entirely different. They knew that they were moving in uncharted waters, but they also believed they were guided by Providence. In forming the Constitution and coming to a stalemate, it was Benjamin Franklin who said: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”
However, in closing this series on the 28 PRINCIPLES THAT HELPED BUILD AMERICA what do we have today in the 21st century? We have kicked God out of our public life and affairs; we have relegated the Bible to a book of fairy tales that have no use in public affairs; the oath used to include ‘so help me God,’ but that ‘help me God’ part is gone. We need to bring God back into our society and it starts with us as individuals and families, progressing into our communities, cities, states and our country.
IT CAN BE DONE; IT SHALL BE DONE!
I would like to close by saying that these same principles can help build America again. People ask me who I will vote for in the coming election, not only for the President of the U.S.A., but also the senators, congress people up for reelection, etc. My answer: those that exemplify these 28 principles the most.