On September 17th, 1787, Benjamin Franklin was leaving the final session of the Constitutional Convention. As Franklin was leaving, Elizabeth Willing Powel, a prominent Philadelphia socialite and wife of the city’s mayor, said, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy? He tartly replied, “A republic… if you can keep it.” Delegate James Henry overheard it, entered it into his journal, and it was later deposited in the Library of Congress.
At 81 years old, Franklin began the day with a speech. Afflicted with gout and kidney stones, he was unable to read it, so he gave the task to Wilson from Pennsylvania. While it was addressed to Washington, the convention’s President, it was really meant for Gerry (MA), Randolph (PA), and Mason (VA), who refused to sign the Constitution or to abandon their position.
Franklin began on a note of humility. This is the speech from the National Park Service: “I confess that there are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that, the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgement, and to pay more respect to the judgement of others.
In these sentiments, sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered; and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government”.
Mason and Randolph wanted another convention, but Franklin didn’t think it would do any better than the first. Franklin then moved for the form of signing to be such: “Done in Convention by the unanimous consent of the States present, the seventeenth of September, in witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.”
It was signed, and a new Republic was born. For 250 years, this republic has survived, through wars, both on our soil and others, and through political wars almost as harmful. America has the longest-lasting Constitution in history. Most Constitutions that have been made in other lands, on average, last only 17 to 19 years! Ours is truly unique. God has blessed us with extraordinary founders, brought together by the foundation of the freedoms we now have. These men were heaven-sent; nowhere on earth have such a group of men come together to create a new nation and government that had never been tried before.
We are lucky, you and I, to be living here. There is no place better. We need to be reminded of that occasionally, and I think the World Cup is doing that. People from foreign lands have fallen in love with America, and they don’t want to leave. I get it…I wish others did too.
“A REPUBLIC….IF YOU CAN KEEP IT”, the words of our founders. Can we keep it? In all the turmoil and hatred of our country by some, and others wanting to destroy what was founded 250 years ago by men, I believe, handpicked by God, to try this experiment.
CAN WE KEEP IT? I certainly hope so, and those who choose to hate what we are can always leave or try to peacefully change our system. Other systems have tried and failed, ours endures, it endures because WE THE PEOPLE have made the choices. And, like most humans, we make mistakes, but in this country, we have the ability, no the duty, to change them.
If the Founders could see us 250 years later, would they be proud of us? I think they would. So, on this, the 250th Anniversary of this country, let’s be proud, proud of the fact that we have the freedom to disagree, complain, worship, work, vote, go to school, and become the best we can be and live in a place that allows us to do that. We are special. A REPUBLIC….THAT WE HAVE KEPT FOR 250 YEARS……HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY, EVERYONE, AND COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!
