Revisiting the Founders and Finding Myself

The recent essays about freedom, the use of police force (tasering) a student at a public speaking event, the failure of the Senate to restore habeas corpus, the continued use and sanction of torture, etc. led me to this morning’s thought process.

We have not only lost our way, but we’ve forgotten our common history.

Back to our future

and the writings and biographies of the founders.  I thought I had an average grip on US history and the way the Constitution works.  However, I didn’t, and I still don’t.

I started dabbling in history – read some of Thomas Paine’s works.  Saw John Adams’ personal library – did you know he was fluent in seven languages, and that he routinely wrote letters to Abigail so that they could use each other as debate opponents and strengthen their respective arguments?

Then I started in on Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, the wily, crafty brilliant diplomat.

I have such a long way to go to be even just barely competent in my understanding.

We have lost the common language of the founders.  And with that loss, we have lost the art of civil discourse (I know – but I’m using it in the academic sense).

We are so far away from the original debates and calls for a form of equitable representation that I weep for the fiddling we do while Rome burns.(apropos of the film set that I’m working around today – the Pope’s bedroom – Ha!)

That’s why I am so desire a group blog which focuses on developing a second blogging generation of meaty issues. 

The idea

How about a series on the relative merits of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense?  What about a Jeffersonian model critique?

My fellow Americans (how long has it been since we’ve heard THAT phrase), we have to clean up our own house before we go out into the world.

This brings me to my community questions:

First question:

If we were to take a moment or three to revisit our history, what should we revisit?

Here are my beginning selections and a link to the National Archives:

The Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence
The Articles of Confederation
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights
The Federalist Papers
The private and published papers of the founders
Works of Thomas Paine, Abigail Adams, Phyllis Wheatley
The biographies of the founders and Payne, A Adams and P Wheatley

Second question:

Is there any interest in forming an online discussion sub group where one or more DDharmas takes responsibility for guiding a discussion of a topic?

Third question:

Could Web 2.0 take this into the NextGen of blogging?  How?

Fourth question:

Would any of the Progressive Historians see this as a cross-blogging opportunity to lead as guides? (And are there any librarians who would consider a role in this endeavor?)

I think we must go back and look to our shared history, regardless of when we our ancestors or we physically arrived.  And this time, we should also include first peoples’ history (and I don’t know where or what the original source documents are and need help here) to guide our preferred future.

My fear is that people will see the word history and will flee from this essay.  My fondest wish is that this would get more interest and comments than Armando! (Saying this in a friendly, faux-competitive sense, Armando!).

We desperately need a shared reason to co-exist.   Let’s find it here and now.

Fingers crossed (making it even more difficult to type)