Writings on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution

A collection of links to some of my previous writings on these topics, which I think remain relevant today.

George Washington Crosses the Delaware. Famous Revolutionary War painting by Emanuel Leutze (1851). (NA)

 

Over the years, I have written a number of posts on the American Revolution and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.. Some have obvious continuing relevance to such issues as identity politics, nationalism, immigration, the role of slavery in American history, and others.

In this post, which is an expansion of last year's similar compendium, I compile what I hope will be a useful list of links to those works. Enjoy!

"The Declaration of Independence and the Case for Non-Ethnic Secession," July 4, 2009.

"The Declaration of Independence and the Case for a Polity Based on Universal Principles," July 4, 2017.

"The Universalist Principles of the Declaration of Independence," July 4, 2019. Why it matters that the Declaration elevates universal liberal principles over racial, ethnic, and cultural particularism.

"The Case Against the Case Against the American Revolution," July 4, 2019. A rebuttal to longstanding claims - advanced by critics on both right and left - that the Revolution did more harm than good.

"Slavery, the Declaration of Independence and Frederick Douglass' 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'", July 4, 2020. Douglass's famous speech sheds light on some of America's greatest evils - but also on the great good done by the Revolution and Founding.

"Juneteenth and the Universalist Principles of the American Revolution," June 19, 2021. Why there is no inconsistency in celebrating both July 4 and the abolition of slavery. Indeed, the two are mutually reinforcing.

"Immigration and the Principles of the Declaration of Independence," July 4, 2021.

"Juneteenth Celebrates a Great American Achievement," June 19, 2023. An extension of some of the key points made in my 2021 Juneteenth post, linked above.

"The Declaration of Independence Promotes Individual Liberty More than Collective Self-Determination," July 4, 2023.

Comments

[Theendoftheleft]

Remember the Nakba of ’76.

But cherish your basic liberties, including the freedoms of speech and thought, which Somin the Tankie and his totalitarian fellow travelers (liberal-progressives, including a a great many so-called 'libertarians') now wishes to destroy and deny to others. Defend your basic liberties with every weapon you can muster, and have the courage to act too.

From your cold dead hands, till the bitter end if needs be.

[Roger S]

I prefers writings by Americans.

[Sarcastr0]

Americans refers to American citizens. Somin is a citizen. It’s one of our exceptional qualities.

You continue to try and gatekeep based on viewpoint and nativist bigotry. Be a better American.

[Theendoftheleft]

Pretty sure he meant how you’re a Russian subversive who, despite presenting himself as a libertarian and American patriot, is fully on board with a comprehensive social re-engineering project, ie, policing thought and speech to advance a DEI future in order to create a new American man.

You know? Just as the Jacobins aspired to create a new French man. Just as the Soviets aspired to design a new man. Just as the socialist Zionists wanted to design a new Jew. (All without empirically grounded and tested knowledge, techniques, or skills).

Question for you Tankie, and for your fellow pseudo-libertarians: given that you put stock in spontaneous ordering, why not do so when it comes to moral and social norms? Why not permit a spontaneous ordering of social values in the USA? Since you’re keen on dumping millions of people into the country from all over the place, why not just sit back and see what kind of culture arises? Don’t try to police language and thought at all, don’t demand inclusivity, multiculturalism, tolerance, etc. Instead, just sit back and see what arises.

For example, you might get a racist society (with a new hierarchy). You might get new forms of cultural/social/ethnic division and exclusions. You might get an entirely anti-science culture. Why not be open to any such possibilities, rather than try to ‘plan’ a new society and new morality to replace the existing one(s)?

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

I prefers writings by Americans.

What is your view of Eugene Volokh, John Eastman, Ted Cruz, and the January 6 insurrectionists?

The perspective of deplorable right-wing bigots is always a treat . . . and a staple at a white, male, faux libertarian, bigot-hugging, right-wing blog.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Speaking of disgraced, un-American asshole (and Volokh Conspiracy dreamboy) John Eastman . . .

[Roger S]

Eastman is not disgraced. The California Trump-haters are trying to disbar him for expressing a legal opinion. With that logic, maybe every lawyer on the losing side of a case should be disbarred.

[Sarcastr0]

A legal opinion that the election should be overturned. After which he asked to be on the pardon list.

You're continuing to be a very bad member of our Republic. Can't deal with your fellow citizens having other opinions, calling them not American and supporting those who tried to overturn their votes.

[Roger S]

He can have any opinion he wants. I am pointing out that he was not born in America, and he does not even pretend to have pro-American opinions. All his opinions have some purpose other than benefiting America.

[Sarcastr0]

he was not born in America. That’s not what makes someone American.

[H]e does not even pretend to have pro-American opinions. You’re a pretty bad American yourself, in my opinion. You don’t even pretend to be able to understand what makes our nationalism exceptional.

Your the reason why the Civil Rights Act included national origin as a protected class.
But you’re still an American bigot. That’s how this works.

[Theendoftheleft]

It's not nationalism: America is not a nation, and so does not have a nation-state.

Murphy J in Korematsu (1944) was thus slightly confused when he wrote: 'All residents of this nation are kin in some way by blood or culture to a foreign land. Yet they are primarily and necessarily a part of the new and distinct civilization of the United States'. (Murphy, correct about the USA being a new, distinct form of civilization, ought to have used the word 'state' instead of 'nation'.)

That's why, today, many 'progressive' Americans run around bemoaning and denouncing nation-states as illegitimate and passé -- as if the world should give a fuck what these little totalitarians think about how they should associate or live. As if China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Africa, South America, etc, are ever going to listen to the USA again...

That's also where YOU yourself get off on advancing your ulterior, comprehensive social re-engineering agenda. You think it's just a natural extension of America's not being a nation.

It's taken the average American a hell of a long time to wake up to this ulterior -- totalitarian, comprehensive, anti-democratic -- progressive scheme. But they're finally doing so. They not only now see the dire socio-economic implications for their own children, but how it has committed their country to be engaged in countless misadventures across the globe in order to advance the same agenda FOR the globe. The results of this realization are going to be ugly...

[Theendoftheleft]

Cut the shit, Tankie. You want a post-American, globalized culture. You were permitted to come from the Soviet Union, therefore America should bring everybody too? American should be the world, and the world should be America.

Your cult doesn’t merely include the false dogma that all cultures, values, and beliefs are basically equal and congruent, it’s the insane, groundless conceit that progressive America (which includes libertarians) has the tried-and-tested knowledge and skills to craft a new post-religious and post-ethnic culture and society by dumping millions of people into the country and using them as clay to be molded into something new.

Again, however, you don’t want, and won’t permit, a spontaneous ordering of new social or moral norms for America. Instead, the process must be heavily policed and controlled (by liberal-progressive value-holders exclusively, of course). You want to help socially engineer a new post-Protestant, post-white, post-‘national’ America, made up of the world’s religions and cultures. Your real aim is to subvert and destroy ALL those religions and cultures within the USA, and elsewhere). This pan-cultural genocide is part of the reason why America has alienated so much of the world, and why it will wane in global power quickly now. This is also why you’re a tankie; the libertarianism is a veneer for uses of power that no real libertarian would respect or condone.

To be sure, certain Americans have been saying that same sort of nonsense as you since the 19th century, if not before. In addition to being unrepresentative of Americans’ values, like you, they were zealots and hubristic little shits, ones who regularly confused and misrepresented their normative aspirations with knowledge and skills. It is also betrayal of the American constitution and the rule of law, ie, a government of the people, by the people, for the people, where the people — particularly the working and middles classes — are ALL thrown under the bus in the name of population replacement and a more ‘inclusive’, ‘diverse’, America, let alone world.

Go back to Russia.

[Roger S]

Well put.Russia is not a great source of political opinions. He pretends to be American, but his opinions are anti-American.

Eugene Volokh is Russian-American also, but he usually gives pro-American opinions on subjects like free speech and guns. Ted Cruz is Canadian-American, and also takes pro-America positions.

[David Nieporent]

Go back to Russia.

But then he might run into you, Vlad.

[Theendoftheleft]

Are you using that as code because you really believe that I'm Chinese but are too afraid to call me Xi/say something racist?

Just kidding: I don't care what you think.

[David Nieporent]

The Chinese have better things to do than troll online. You're a Russian operative.

[Theendoftheleft]

Cut the crap and just call me a 'chink' already or something, you racist piece of shit. Don't hide behind the Russian stuff.

[Theendoftheleft]

How about all those Hispanics in California who regularly advocate for the state to join Mexico? Are they insurrectionists, AIDS?

How about the growing numbers of New Left and communists who want to subvert your constitutional republic? Are they insurrectionists-to-be?

The perspective of mindlessly hypocritical Americans who talk about liberty and equality whilst advocating global imperialism and the suppression of viewpoints, cultures, and speech at home would be amusing were their views and aspirations not something George Orwell warned the world about.

Carry on, AIDS, till those American deplorables get your family.

Where do your grandkids go to school again?

[Dan Schiavetta]

Posting an ahistorical painting does not help you.

[Sarcastr0]

Myths are real and meaningful.

[Dan Schiavetta]

Ok but Ilya is trying to dispel some myths.

https://youtu.be/qzMfzPFcvJU

[Theendoftheleft]

Queenie, we’ve been through this before. You’re an unequal and unworthy interlocutor. This is the last time I shall tell you that you do not deserve engagement. Regarding the Tankie, the man obviously supports comprehensive social re-engineering projects, as I noted in a comment below. This is obvious to thinking people, which by definition excludes mindless ideologies such as yourself.

Now, go prattle on in a dress and a raspy voice or something and pretend that you count for anything. Goodbye.

[Ed Grinberg]

Prof. Somin spent much of his career fighting Obamacare and Affirmative Action? Are you sure you've got the right VC blogger?

[Theendoftheleft]

See, this is why you're never worthwhile, Queenie. That's literally the best you can do. Have a good night.

[Magister]

Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager and less charismatic brother of Darth Vader, would mock theendoftheleft as a loser.