When Elon Musk declared, “Free speech is the bedrock
of a functioning democracy,” and finalized his purchase of Twitter, the Left in
America experienced a meltdown. The internet lit up with outrage, accusations, crying, and predictions of doom and gloom.
But
why? And why did America’s Founders harbor no such fear of freedom of speech?
They were the ones, after all, who formulated the First Amendment in which they
guaranteed, not only freedom of speech, but also freedom of religion, freedom
of assembly, and freedom of the press.
The
answer to our question lies in the very different worldviews of America’s founders
and the modern Left. Here are 3 reasons America’s Founders had no fear of free
speech.
Reason #1
They Believed Truth Would Always Win on an Even Playing Field
America’s Founders did not fear free
speech because they believed in the inherent power of truth. They believed in
real, objective truth because they believed in the God of the Bible as the
Creator of all things. They, therefore, believed truth to possess inherent
power and agreed with John Milton who had said,
Let Truth and Falsehood grapple; who
ever knew Truth put to the worse in free and open encounter? She needs no
policies, nor stratagems, nor licensings to make her victorious . . . Give her
but room.
Those on the Left fear free speech
because in their atheistic worldview, objective truth does not exist. Since
their humanistic belief system contains no transcendent moral value or inherent
power, it must be maintained by force in the use of bans, censorship, and
government oversight. Their secularist worldview leads to fear of a
free and open society.
America’s Founders, on the other
hand, believed in the God of the Bible who has revealed truth to humanity in
the person of Jesus Christ and in Holy Scripture. Discovering real, transcendent
truth is the key to a prosperous and happy life, which is why James Madison
wrote,
The belief in a God All Powerful wise and
good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of
man, that arguments which enforce it cannot
be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the
different characters and capacities impressed with it (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 111).
America’s Founders had no fear of free
speech because of their Christian worldview. Thomas Jefferson clearly expressed
this when he wrote,
Truth can stand by itself. If
there be but one right religion and Christianity that one, we should wish to
see the nine hundred and ninety-nine wandering sects gathered into the fold of
truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. Reason and
persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free
inquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse
it ourselves (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, 97).
Compare this attitude to Marxist
regimes and the Big Tech, woke culture in modern America that seeks to suppress
all opposing views. It is obvious that proponents of these belief systems do
not have confidence that their ideas would fare well on a level
playing field where free speech is a reality.
Reason #2
They Believed a Virtuous People Would Use Their Freedom Wisely
The Founders, without exception, believed morality and religion to
be the basis of freedom. Without a national morality to guide the populace from
within, freedom would be turned into avarice and anarchy. This, in turn, would destroy the free Republic they had formed.
This was clearly articulated by John Adams
in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia. Adams made
clear his belief in a national Christian morality as the only hope for the
survival of the free American Republic. He declared,
We have no government armed with power capable of
contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).
For the same reason, George Washington, in his Farewell Address
after serving two terms as the nation’s first president, exhorted the new
nation to cling to “morality and religion” which he described as “indispensable
supports” for human happiness and national prosperity. He also cautioned
against the supposition that “morality can be maintained without
religion.”
When the Founders use the word “religion” they are referring to
Christianity. This is made clear throughout their writings and speeches. Thomas
Jefferson, for example, in his 1777 “Bill for Religious Freedom,” referred to
Jesus as “The Holy Author of our Religion” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 148).
Although Jefferson questioned certain points of Christian
doctrine, he too was convinced that only the teachings of Jesus could undergird a free and open society. This is why he made Washington’s Farewell Address
required reading at the University of Virginia and is why he declared, “I am a
real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 149).
Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the
Declaration of Independence, made the same point as Washington and Jefferson,
declaring,
The only foundation for a
Republic is to be laid in Religion [Christianity]. Without this there can be no
liberty, and liberty is the life and object of all republican governments
(Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 163).
Because the Left has rejected Jesus and any transcendent moral authority, their only option is to use government force to control speech. This is why the Biden administration has just established the "Disinformation Governance Board" to combat speech it considers harmful and dangerous. This is what William Penn was referring to when he said, "Those who will not be governed by God, must be ruled by tyrants."
The founders believed that a vibrant Christianity was necessary for
the ongoing success of the Republic they had formed. They were right and this
is why we must ask God to send another Divine Awakening across this land, for
as the Catholic scholar, William Novak, has said,
Far from having a hostility
toward religion, the founders counted on religion for the underlying philosophy
of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt,
1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).
Reason #3
They Believed Free Speech to be a Necessary Component for a Functioning Republic
The U.S. Constitution begins with the words, “We the people.” America’s
Founders rejected the idea of a nation being ruled by an elite aristocracy such
as Plato’s philosopher-king, or medieval Europe’s monarchs, or the Roman Church’s
monarchical bishops, or the Big Tech, woke aristocracy that has emerged in our
day wanting to control every area of our lives.
In Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, the Founders
forbade the American government from issuing honorific titles and they forbade any
government employee from receiving a title or office from a foreign power without
the consent of Congress. In other words, they banned an aristocratic, privileged
class in this nation. They were serious about a government of "we the people."
Those on the Left who are ranting against free speech are spouting Marxist and Bolshevik ideology. They despise "we the people" and in their arrogance think they should have the right and power to control speech in America. You cannot get more un-American than this!
In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln described the American government as being “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It is not a government of any elite group. It is a government of “we the people” and in such a government, the people’s voices must be heard.
Concluding Thought
Freedom of speech is an absolute necessity in a functioning
Constitutional Republic such as our Founders left us. If this free American Republic is to survive, “we the people” must arise and let our voices be heard.
This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage. These books are available on Amazon and from his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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