Fears says America needs patriots
The framers of the U.S. Constitution had something that is lacking in America today - patriotism.
That was the message Dr. J. Rufus Fears gave to an audience of more than 300 Thursday night as the keynote speech of the 2009 Liberty Gala at the DoubleTree at Warren Place.
The event was sponsored by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative think-tank based in Oklahoma City. Fears is the David Ross Boyd professor of classics at The University of Oklahoma and holds the G.T. and Libby Blankenship chair in the history of liberty. He is a “distinguished fellow” for OCPA.
On Constitution Day, Fears described the process that brought 13 independent nations into the United States and the men who placed country above personal concerns.
“What do they have that we don’t have? Patriotism,” Fears said. “Citizenship is an obligation. It is an obligation to serve. What we are lacking right now is patriots.”
He said the U.S. Constitution is a unique document not matched anywhere in the world.
“It still gives us freedom 200 years after it was written,” he said. “It is a miracle. This same Constitution still works. That’s extraordinary.”
When 55 men came together in Philadelphia in 1787, they were facing an international financial crisis.
Banks in Boston refused to accept script that was used to pay soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
“Credit was impossible to get,” Fears said.
They came to rewrite the Articles of Confederation. During the convention, the press was excluded, Fears said. Soldiers were stationed at the doors and the windows were nailed shut.
“They took an oath not to reveal their deliberations,” he said. “These were men of honor and conviction.”
Delegate George Washington led the troops to victory in the greatest war in American history, Fears said.
America won its freedom while Canada had it given to them.
Some in the convention wanted a committee rather than a single president. Some wanted every state to have the same number of members in the House and Senate. A compromise was reached that gave every state two senators and a proportionate number of representatives.
“These were ordinary Americans with courage,” Fears said.
They discussed the fundamental questions of how to solve the debt and mortgage crisis, the Northwest territory issue and setting up a workable judiciary.
“As a result, America has the soundest economic currency in the world, Fears said. “Washington made sure they would work together.”
Fears said patriotism is what Americans must demand of Congress today.
“We will get the same kind of Congress that we are worthy of,” he said.
The nation was founded on free markets, genuine citizenship, limited government and fiscal responsibility, he said. Leaders from both political parties are challenging those values.
“They are questioning the essence of America,” Fears said of current leaders.
For more information about OCPA, visit its website at www.ocpathink.org.