The world changed forever on July 4, 1776. I will not attempt to argue that it changed for the better, but it certainly changed: dramatically and unalterably. Certainly, the ideas that were infused into the document signed that day had been around before, but on this day they became reality. Suddenly there was a model for the humanistic nation. When you look at the over-arching storyline of history, it is not surprising that the United States of America currently has the oldest active constitution in the world. It is not surprising that in 1776, the fledgling nation formed the first modern democracy of its kind. America did not get something right, or stumble upon some great secret. The truth is, it could not have happened before this. America’s Revolutionary War was the first opportunity for the ideas which were becoming more and more popular among the intelligentsia to become actualized. On that hot summer day in Philadelphia, a group of brave men brought those ideas the final few steps to their realization.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
So it was that humanism found its vessel, the humanism that was to become the bedrock of modern society. It is no wonder that America proved such a dominant power and overwhelming culture in the modern age when you consider that it is founded on the very principles which define modernity. There are many, especially in the religious right, who will point to the above lines and vigorously assert that here is proof that America was founded on God and Christian principles, rather than on the atheistic materialism and self-indulgent humanism that now prevail in western culture. At some point, a flag will start waving behind them while “God Bless America” is sung, and a bald eagle flies over head. After this, I would kindly disagree with them. Certainly, there is some Christian truth to be found in these lines. After all, they even mention a Creator. I am not going to enter into a debate as to whether the founding fathers of America were true Christians, were Christians only in name, or were actually some strange amalgam of these through the common belief of Deism. What I will argue instead is that the ideas put forth in the Declaration of Independence are primarily humanistic in nature, not necessarily Christian. Organized Christianity may have provided a catalyst to the growth of these ideas, but by the late eighteenth century, they were a force of their own. The ideals of freedom, independence, and even the inherent value of human beings as individuals were all relatively new.
This is why there were no other democracies at the time. This is why America as we know it could not have existed much earlier in history. Democracy could not have come to be if there was not first the widespread view that people are inherently valuable as individuals. The world would not have been ready for it. Indeed, the French Revolution was proof that some parts of the world still were not ready for it. Perhaps the natural separation America had from Europe allowed these values to foster more quickly or more effectively. Regardless, these newer beliefs and ideals were the prime motivation in the revolution and formation of America. People often forget (I myself as well sometimes) that the primary cause of the Revolutionary War was taxation without representation. People just wanted to have value. It is not that they opposed the idea of a king, though this role was already beginning to lose its significance. Indeed, some early Americans would have been quite willing to appoint a King George of their own. However, Washington appears to have had the insight to see that such a position could no longer exist. Things had changed. Even if he had been appointed king, it could not have lasted for very long in a world with a rising belief in the equality of men. Once all men had value by nature as individuals, it became impossible to argue that there could be an inherently supreme nobility. In the modern world which was stabilizing, if people wanted supremacy, they had to gain it for themselves.
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