I’m all for dunks like this, but people really don’t get how many (understandable) errors the Founders made, even on their own terms and, more importantly, how different the early Republic was from the antebellum mass republic most people (mis)associate with the Founding. twitter.com/imillhiser/sta
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This is perhaps the one feature of American history I wish more people appreciated---we talk about the Founders constantly, but the frame of reference for almost everyone is the post-Jacksonian nation, not the early republic, which would seem totally foreign to most folks today. twitter.com/MattGlassman31…
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Sort of; I don’t really think “the 1787 constitution is a remarkable document, especially in the age of monarchy it was written, and the Founders understandably didn’t really get all aspects of republic perfect” is a dunk.
It’s just sorta less than the reflexive veneration.
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Also, these sorts of references are more religious than political.
In these applications, “Founders” should be thought of as “the gods.” These aren’t calls to go back to the old ways as such, they’re accusations that the ruling elite have lost divine favor.
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