Reflections on yesterday's events at the US Capitol
Message from the President
“There is no grievance fit for the redress of mob law”
These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln in his address to Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, are as true today as they were almost 200 years ago.
Yesterday's events at the US Capitol were dangerous and fundamentally un-American. Our republic depends upon the rule of law that is rooted in our Constitution. The First Amendment says that people have the right to assemble “peaceably.”
Without respect for the laws and principles that unite us as Americans, Lincoln cautioned that the people, seeing nothing worthwhile “to be done in the task of building up, would set boldly to the task of tearing down."
We've witnessed such lawlessness already with the riots that have engulfed our country over the past seven months. The mob yesterday not only flouted our laws, it sought to impede a core constitutional function at the heart of our republic.
Our founders, acutely aware of the fragility of a society with no peaceful transition of power, predicated the Constitution on free and fair elections that secure a peaceful transition. History, after all, is rife with stories of great civilizations compromising principles for power.
As Lincoln foretold, the greatest danger of mob violence is that it weakens belief in the very principles that guarantee freedom, equality, and security for each and every citizen.
American democratic society relies on a knowledgeable citizenry with a shared commitment to our founding principles. Education is key.
In the words of Jack Miller, “the battle for the soul of our nation will be won or lost in the classroom.”
Students who engage with our nation’s history and founding principles emerge more thoughtful and engaged in its preservation.
The Constitution has withstood over 200 years of challenges and preserved our shared values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us use the wisdom gained from our founding documents, our history, and our shared values as a guide to move America forward.
Sincerely,
Michael Andrew, PhD
President
Jack Miller Center
[email protected] (mailto:
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About the Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to reinvigorate education in America's founding principles and history. We work to advance the teaching and study of America's history, its political and economic institutions, and the central principles, ideas and issues arising from the American and Western traditions—all of which continue to animate our national life.
We support professors and educators through programs, resources, fellowships and more to help them teach our nation's students.
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