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A Historical Case For Objective Morality
- ckippley19
- 3 days ago
- 18 min read
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
-Benjamin Franklin, responding to a question about what sort of government the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had created
INTRODUCTION
In August 2023, state legislators in California introduced a bill making it a crime to create a “substantial disturbance” at a school board meeting supposedly open to the public. It is anyone’s guess as to what constitutes a “substantial disturbance,” as the proposed bill does not define the phrase. The sponsors of the bill claim it is intended solely to protect school board members. In reality, there is little doubt that the law is designed to discourage parents from expressing their concerns about the education of their own children by essentially criminalizing free speech. Not that long ago, such laws would never see the light of day in a free country.
This is merely one symptom of the crisis of conscience we face in America. It is truly frightening to contemplate but far too many people will not understand or appreciate the significance of such laws, while others will openly applaud them.
Our republic is in serious danger. The government is run by unelected bureaucrats and conspires with social media companies to censor what they arbitrarily label “misinformation.” Courts consistently violate the separation of powers by legislating from the bench. The House of Representatives, for pure political theater, issues not one but two sets of articles of impeachment against a President with little or no factual basis and no chance of conviction in the Senate. The media is more interested in pushing an agenda than reporting the facts. The other threats to our republic and our liberty are far too numerous to list here.
“Those who believe in nothing will fall for anything” is a time-honored quote often (perhaps
erroneously) attributed to Alexander Hamilton. Regardless of its actual source, the words ring true, more so today than ever before. How did we possibly get to this point? History will tell us if we care to listen. The Founding Fathers gave us ample warning and they were not subtle about it.
THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES
Thomas Jefferson’s immortal words in the Declaration of Independence eloquently and succinctly summarize why the Founding Fathers and the soldiers of the Continental Army risked their lives and fortunes for our independence.
Jefferson wrote that all men are not only created equal but are also “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness.” In order to secure those unalienable rights, the Founders laid the foundation for a new nation and crafted one of the most influential documents in history – the United States Constitution. Beyond their political accomplishments, these men embodied a deep commitment to the values and virtues that have shaped American society. Their understanding of the importance of character, morality, and personal responsibility guided their actions and served as a compass for the new nation.
First and foremost, the Founders believed that the rights of the people would only be secure if the power of government was limited. They said as much in the Preamble to the Constitution, which states that the Constitution created a federal government to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…” In other words, the role of the federal government was to be limited, and the placing of the phrase “secure the Blessings of Liberty” at the end of the clause was no accident.
To the Founders, the government’s primary role was to protect the liberty of the citizens.
Contrary to popular conception, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not create a democracy. Instead, they created a republic, a form of government in which political power rests with the people but is exercised through elected representatives.
In a republic, unlike a monarchy, the representative government is based on the consent of the governed. The Founders strongly believed that a republican form of government was best suited to safeguard individual liberties and prevent the concentration of power that would threaten those liberties.
The Founders’ notion of liberty has sometimes been conceived of as consisting of both “positive liberty” and “negative liberty.” Negative liberty is freedom from the interference of others such as neighbors or the government; positive liberty is the right to take action to fulfill one’s purpose and includes the right to speak freely and practice one’s chosen religion.
To the Founders, positive liberty or freedom was inextricably linked with personal responsibility as well as obligations to others and the common good. The Founders adopted additional concepts deemed necessary to secure and preserve the republic, including federalism (dividing power and authority between federal, state, and local governments),
separation of powers and checks and balances, equality under the law, and the rule of law.
In addition to the republican form of government and its supporting concepts, the Founders’ vision for the country was prefaced on objective morality guiding the actions of the citizens and their representatives. The Founders knew that with liberty and self-government comes great responsibility. They placed their faith in the citizens and their elected representatives to do the right things and act in accordance with generally accepted and objective moral principles, such as hard work, personal responsibility, public-mindedness, selflessness, and a commitment to the common good over personal interests. They firmly believed in the connection between virtue and a flourishing society, the importance of individual character, and the need for moral leadership in pursuit of the common good.
To the Founders, the ability of citizens to govern themselves depends on their individual and collective moral character. Put another way, in order to govern themselves collectively, citizens must govern themselves individually.
Drawing inspiration from the Bible and Western tradition, the Founders believed that virtuous citizens were essential for the proper functioning of republican government and the preservation of liberty. By embracing virtues like responsibility and self-reliance, the Founders created a nation built on the solid bedrock of ethical conduct. They understood that strong objective public morality was the cornerstone of the new nation and was essential if the nation was to survive, let alone thrive and prosper.
America’s foundation thus rests on three inseparable pillars: our unalienable rights, a limited republican government protecting those rights, and a moral and virtuous citizenry capable of self-government and jealously guarding its rights. Without all three the republic cannot stand.
THE CONCEPT OF OBJECTIVE MORALITY
By definition, morality must be either objective or subjective; it cannot be both. Historically, morality and virtue were most often seen as objective, being derived from natural law and closely related to the inherent rights of all men.
From the ancient Greeks to the time of the Founding Fathers, Western thought and culture was predicated on objective principles and virtues. Today, moral relativism seems to be far more prevalent in our country and its institutions. This moral relativism is the cause of many, if not most, of the problems we face in this country.
What do we mean by objective morality? Essentially, objective morality holds that certain moral concepts and principles are universal and not open to interpretation. Actions and beliefs are inherently right or wrong regardless of who you are, where or when you are living, or changes in cultural norms.
Our republic was founded on specific moral principles and ideas that the Founders believed were not only universal and beyond debate, but absolutely essential to the survival of our republic and the preservation of our liberties. As Ronald Reagan famously said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.”
THE FOUNDERS AND WESTERN TRADITION
“Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private (virtue), and public virtue is the only foundation of republics.” -John Adams
“Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities (virtue, intelligence, and patriotism) in a higher degree than any other form.” -Alexander Hamilton
At first blush, liberty and objective morality may seem like opposing forces. However, the truth is that one cannot exist without the other. Without liberty there is no choice or free will, which is necessary to think and act virtuously. Without virtue, liberty will inevitably be lost.
The citizens must exercise their liberty subject to moral standards and the rule of law, elect virtuous leaders who will protect that liberty, and hold those leaders accountable to those same moral standards.
The Founders were Englishmen before they were Americans, and their views of government and society were shaped by their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as Englishmen. Like their fellow Englishmen, their principles were developed and shaped by Western tradition and philosophy. In fact, the Founders did not necessarily see themselves as political or ideological revolutionaries. In their writings and through their deeds, they promoted a set of first principles developed from their study of the Bible and Western philosophy and political tradition. These principles were absolutely rooted in objective morality.
Jefferson himself stated “I did not consider it any part of my charge to invent new ideas.” In Jefferson’s words, the purpose of the Declaration of Independence was “not to find new principles…” but instead to “place before mankind the common sense of the subject” and to provide “an expression of the American mind…harmonizing sentiments of the day.”
These sentiments referred to by Jefferson came from three primary sources, the Bible and
Christian teachings, ancient philosophy, and the Enlightenment.
OBJECTIVE MORALITY IN WESTERN TRADITION
The Founders understood that morality and virtue were indispensable if the republic was to survive and preserve and secure our liberty. They knew this because they were students of Western philosophy and political tradition.
Regardless of one’s personal beliefs, it is indisputable that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. This should not be a controversial statement, although some have argued that the Founders were essentially Deists or even agnostics, or at least were not particularly religious men. On the contrary, the Founders, like the majority of the new nation’s citizens, were Christians who not only read the Bible and were familiar with its teachings but also often made references to God in their speeches and writings.
For Christians such as the Founders, the Bible was and is the primary source of morality and its influence on the Founders cannot be denied. Some have even estimated that nearly one quarter of the volume of political thought in the decade of the 1770’s originated with revolutionary ministers and their sermons. Jefferson and others argued for a separation of church and state not because they were anti-religion but instead to avoid issues that could arise from the establishment of a national religion. Jefferson himself was the primary drafter of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which he began by noting that “Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall
remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint…” On October 3, 1789, President Washington issued the first proclamation of national thanksgiving, “to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor…”The Founders were tolerant of religious diversity, but they were Christians living in a predominately Christian nation and were greatly influenced by the Bible and its moral teachings.
The Founders took additional inspiration from classic Western philosophy. The Greek philosophers originally debated the concepts of objective and subjective morality. The Founders were familiar with two of the giants of Greek philosophy, Aristotle and Epicurus. While they differed somewhat in their views, both philosophers stressed the importance of living a virtuous life. Aristotle believed that virtuous action, in-and-of itself, was the goal of life. According to Aristotle, if one leads a virtuous life and strives to improve himself, happiness will follow. For him, the ideal man is self-sufficient and performs virtuous acts for their own sake, not for the sake of obtaining pleasure or happiness.
Epicurus also stressed the importance of virtue but his philosophy differed subtly from that of Aristotle. Most of what we know about Epicurus’ philosophy comes from the Roman Lucretius. Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, read Lucretius and considered himself an Epicurean. Essentially, Epicurus believed that happiness itself was the goal of life. However, he also declared that “[i]t is not possible to live pleasantly without living prudently, and honestly and justly,” and that “the man who does not possess a virtuous life cannot possibly live pleasantly.” For Epicurus, virtue was thus a prerequisite to man’s ultimate goal, living a happy life.
The Founders were also heavily influenced by the Enlightenment, particularly the concepts of natural law and the social contract. The ancient Greek philosophers had explored the concept of natural law, which was later adopted and expanded by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke.
Essentially, natural law means objective moral law that comes from a higher power and is universal, applying to all people in all places, times, and situations. According to natural law, every individual, by virtue of their humanity, possesses natural and inherent rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While these rights do not come from men or government, it is the duty of men and their government to protect these rights. Conversely, these rights can be curtailed by a government that becomes too large and too powerful or is run by men and women who lack the requisite moral compass.
All of the political thinkers and philosophers of the American Revolution agreed on the existence and primacy of natural law. Jefferson’s use of the phrase “pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence can be traced in part to Epicurus, but he also borrowed the notion from another founder: George Mason.
Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, issued shortly before the Declaration of Independence. Mason’s work was clearly influenced by the concept of natural law and natural rights. In his Declaration, Mason wrote that “all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights,” including “the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” He goes on to stress the importance of virtue to the people and their government, noting that “no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue.”
Therefore, as early as 1776, the concepts of freedom and virtue were inextricably linked in the minds of the men who founded the nation. In the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”
PRESERVING MORALITY, VIRTUE, AND LIBERTY
The Founders were also keenly aware of the importance of education and the need to teach each new generation about virtue and the blessings of liberty. They understood that education begins in the home, with the family.
In a letter to his wife Abigail dated April 15, 1776, John Adams wrote regarding
his two sons: “Take care that they don’t go astray. Cultivate their minds, inspire their little
hearts, raise their wishes. Fix their attention on great and glorious objects. Root out every little thing. Weed out every meanness. Make them great and manly. Teach them to scorn injustice, ingratitude, cowardice, and falsehood. Let them revere nothing but religion, morality, and freedom.”
The Founders also believed that schools should be part of a proper education in freedom and virtue. As Jefferson wrote to Adams, “No government can continue good but under control of the people; and… their minds are to be informed by education what is right and what wrong; to be encouraged in habits of virtue and to be deterred from those of vice…These are the inculcations necessary to render the people a sure basis for the structure
and order of government.”
Franklin stressed that good character should be a primary goal of education: “I think with you, that nothing is of more importance for the public weal, than to form and train up youth in
wisdom and virtue…wise and good men are in my opinion, the strength of the state; more so
than riches or arms…”
The Founders clearly believed in eternal, objective virtues and morality that were not subject to change based on individual feelings or shifts in societal norms. These virtues and morality were to guide the lives of America’s citizens and the representative they elected. It was the
responsibility of all citizens to live according to these virtues and to elect leaders that would
reflect those same virtues in order to preserve liberty and the republic. It was also the
responsibility of society to educate each new generation about virtue and the blessings of their liberty.
THE VALUES OF THE FOUNDERS
What did the Founders mean when referencing virtue and morality? The Founders spoke of both public virtue and private virtue. Public virtue is the willingness to sacrifice some personal want or advantage for the good of one’s neighbors, society, or country. Private virtue is the character needed to govern oneself according to objective moral law. In other words, virtue needs to be practiced in both our public and private lives.
Listing all virtues important to the Founders is outside of the scope of this article. However, it is clear that several of the most important of those virtues have been under attack in this country, threatening our very liberty and freedom. When these virtues do not govern our actions and those of our representatives, we end up with a bloated government that can’t pay its debts, corrupt career politicians, an out-of-control and ever-expanding welfare state, endless wars and military interventions, an imperial presidency, courts that ignore the rule of law and the separation of powers, and a citizenry and press engaged in partisan political warfare.
-Hard Work and Self-Reliance
The Founders adamantly believed in hard work and self-reliance, sometimes referred to as
“rugged individualism.” While the inherent value of these concepts should be self-evident, we
not only fail to teach and promote them, we also actively discourage them in many instances.
As dedicated proponents of limited government, the Founders would be appalled by the size
and scope of government today.
The government designed by the Founders was not intended to solve all our individual problems, but to protect our freedom so we could solve them
ourselves. Welfare has become a way of life for many American families. Far too many Americans today rely on the government for handouts, and we have essentially created a permanent underclass of citizens who cannot care for themselves without government support.
Since 1965, around the beginning of America’s so-called “War on Poverty,” welfare spending in the U.S. has increased 800% in real terms. Today, four out of every 10 U.S. families receive support from at least one means-tested program. At the state and local levels, $791 billion was spent on public welfare in 2020, representing 23% of all direct general expenditures. In 2020, Wisconsin spent between $2,000 and $2,500 per capita on public welfare benefits.
Aside from the cost of these programs to the taxpayers, welfare programs discourage work and rob people of their sense of self-worth and responsibility, to the point that employers are now having difficulty finding workers to fill vacant jobs. As of March 2023, the Job Center of Wisconsin listed 105,000 available jobs, but only 35,000 posted resumes. Wisconsin’s population has grown by 13% over the past 25 years, but the number of employed in the state has only grown 5% over that same period despite low unemployment numbers.
These disturbing trends indicate that two of America’s most cherished values, hard work and self-reliance, are in short supply today. Without some reform and a return to rugged individualism, we will continue to condemn future generations to lives of perpetual poverty and government dependency.
-Responsibility for Oneself and Others
The Founders knew that individual and communal responsibility were essential to the survival and success of the republic. Today, it would be accurate to say that Americans live in a culture of irresponsibility.
While many Americans fail to take responsibility even for their own livelihood, too many others refuse to accept responsibility on other fronts as well. From abortion on demand to free birth control and failure to prosecute criminals, Americans have been taught that they are not and should not be responsible for their own decisions and actions. Americans have also been taught that their country and its institutions are inherently racist, sexist, homophobic, etc., which supposedly explains why they are unable to improve their lives despite all the freedoms they enjoy.
Americans today also lack a sense of communal responsibility, being obsessed with their personal lives while neglecting their duty to society. Those communal responsibilities include not only helping their fellow citizens through acts of charity, but also electing good and virtuous leaders.
The staggering growth of the federal government in the last 100 years has contributed significantly to this problem. The Founders adopted federalist principles because they wanted to keep political authority close to home, at state and local levels, with citizens actively participating in the functions of government in their cities, towns, villages, and community organizations. In the words of W. David Stedman and La Vaughn G. Lewis, “The increase in the scale of society and the size of government has bewildered many Americans, inducing them to think that the individual can accomplish little or nothing in a responsible way, engulfed as he seems to be by the overwhelmingness of it all.” Why take responsibility for one’s own actions, or for one’s own community, when the federal
government has assumed nearly all responsibility itself?
Alexis de Tocqueville, an avid admirer of America, once said that “Democracy in the United States will endure until those in power learn that they can perpetuate themselves through taxation.” To the Founders, the primary purpose of government was to protect the liberty of the citizens, not to solve all of their problems. To them, government was a necessary evil, not a charitable organization or cure-all panacea taxing its citizens to death and redistributing their wealth.
We must understand that every time government grows bigger or passes new legislation, we the people lose a little more of our freedom.
-Integrity
The Cambridge English Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.” That is a fitting description for the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first President, George Washington. It was not only his military experience but his reputation for honesty and sound judgment that led to his appointment as commander-in-chief and later his election as President.
The faith that American placed in him was amply rewarded when he stepped down from office after two terms as President, setting a precedent that would be followed until Franklin Delano Roosevelt served four consecutive terms and would later be enshrined in an amendment to the Constitution.
The reason that the Constitution did not impose term limits on the President or members of Congress was because the Founders did not believe they would be necessary. The very concept of a “career politician” was so foreign to the Founders and their concept of public integrity that despite their wisdom and foresight they failed to anticipate the harm that would come from not imposing them.
When incumbent legislators have little fear of losing elections and can accumulate inordinate amounts of power by virtue of their longevity in office, they have little incentive to tell the truth, keep their promises, or do what is in the common good. The only check on their partisanship and avarice may be their own integrity, which is far too often in short supply.
-Statesmanship
Closely related to integrity is the concept of statesmanship. Statesmanship may be defined as skill and wisdom in managing public affairs while promoting the public good over personal gain. This is precisely what the Founders meant when they spoke of public virtue.
Who are the great statesmen of our generation? Where are the Washingtons, the Hamiltons, the Lincolns?
While it may be unfair to hold today’s politicians to such lofty standards, is it too much to ask
that they actually serve the common good and their constituents instead of enriching themselves at their constituents’ expense?
The Founders were not oblivious to the dangers of partisan politics and corruption. Jefferson himself said “When once a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.” They envisioned that citizens would answer the call to serve out of a sense of duty and patriotism, not partisanship, arrogance, or self-aggrandizement.
The Founders understood that a systems in which virtuous citizens elect virtuous representatives was a crucial component of the republic as founded. Can anyone today argue with a straight face that we have not failed miserably to live up to this responsibility?
-Patriotism
The Founders were clearly patriots who loved their country. While they did not always agree on matters of policy, they collectively risked their very lives and fortunes to gain our independence and then worked to secure and protect that independence.
Today patriotism has become a four-letter word in America. Contrary to popular belief, someone can still love his or her country while trying to change it for the better. In fact, it is our duty as citizens to serve the collective good by always seeking to improve ourselves and our nation while at the same time jealously guarding our liberty and our freedom.
As Franklin famously said, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” This is precisely why the very country that so many activists seem to despise gives them freedoms of thought, dissent, and speech in the first place.
Unfortunately, activists on both sides of the political spectrum often fail to appreciate or even recognize what they have and would prefer to shut down any opposition to their particular set of beliefs. Some would even go so far as to use the government itself, whose primary role is to protect liberty, to take that liberty away from their fellow citizens.
Our schools have failed miserably when it comes to teaching children about the foundation of our republic, their liberty, and what it takes to preserve that liberty. Without reform, future generations will not even understand what freedom means, let alone appreciate it. John Adam said that “a constitution of government once changed from freedom can never be restored” because “liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” It is high time that Americans learn to appreciate and love the blessings of liberty and the
nation that has secured those blessings.
CONCLUSION
America is at a crossroads. We as a nation can either continue down our current path of moral relativism or we can take the better path, guided by our traditions of republicanism and virtue and our heritage of liberty.
As a self-governing people the choice is ours, assuming the choice is still open to us.
If we do not believe in objective morality and virtue, we will not demand it from ourselves or our representatives. Without morality and virtue to guide us, our republic will not stand. If the republic falls our rights and freedoms will surely be gone.
Abraham Lincoln once said that America is a test of “the capability of a people to govern themselves.” Sadly, we are failing that test. If something is not done soon, it may be too late to save our glorious republic and the very freedoms it was meant to protect and preserve.
1 Kristine Parks, “Critics warn California Bill Protecting School Officials would Punish Parents who Speak Out at
Board Meetings,” Fox News, https://www.foxnews.com/media/critics-warn-california-bill-protecting-school-
officials-would-punish-parents-speak-out-board-meetings.
2 Ronald Reagan, January 5, 1967 Inaugural Address as Governor of California,
3 John Adams, “Thoughts on Government,” (1776).
4 Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 57 (1788).
5 Casey Chalk, “America was Founded on Tradition and Self-Reliance, not Racism, The American Conservative,
August 7, 2019, https://www.theamericanconservative.com/america-was-founded-on-tradition-and-self-reliance-
not-racism/
6 Ibid.
7 Howard Trivers, “Universalism in the Thought of the Founding Fathers,” Virginia Quarterly Review, Summer 1976,
fathers#:~:text=When%20the%20argumentation%20of%20the,and%20linguistic%20backgrounds%20could%20be
8 Epicurus, Principal Doctrines V, in Whitney J. Oates, ed., The Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers, New York: Modern
Library 1940, p. 30, cited in Timothy Sandefur, “The Greeks and America’s Founding Fathers,” The Objective
Standard, p. 10, available at https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/The-Greeks-
and-America%E2%80%99s-Founding-Fathers.pdf.
9 Ibid. at p. 16, citing the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), ¶ 1.
10 Ibid., citing the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), ¶ 15.
11 Letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1819.
12 Benjamin Franklin, “The Works of Benjamin Franklin: Containing Several Political and Historical Tracts Not
Included in Any Former Ed., and Many Letters Official and Private, Not Hitherto Published; with Notes and a Life of
the Author,” p. 48 (1838).
13 Patrick Fagan, “The Real Root Causes of Violent Crime” The Breakdown of Marriage, Family, and the
Community,” The Heritage Foundation, March 17, 1995, https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/the-
real-root-causes-violent-crime-the-breakdown-marriage-family-and
14 Willis Krumholz, “Family Breakdown and America’s Welfare System,” Institute for Family Studies, October 7,
15 Public Welfare Expenditures, Urban Institute, https://www.urban.org/policy-centers/cross-center-
initiatives/state-and-local-finance-initiative/state-and-local-backgrounders/public-, citing data from the US Census
Bureau Annual Survey of State and Local Government Financing, 1977-2020.
16 Ibid.
17 “The Future of Welfare and Work in Wisconsin,” MacIver Institute, March 8, 2023,
18 Ibid.
19 “Our Ageless Constitution,” W. David Stedman and La Vaughn G. Lewis, editors, Part VII 1987,
20 Cambridge English Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/integrity
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