A Review of: "The 5000 Year Leap"

A Review of the Book “The 5000 Year Leap” – a miracle that changed the world” by W. Cleon Skousen

 

Preface: Why is it important to study the Founders’ success formula today? Why had someone not taken the time and trouble to catalog the ingredients of the Founding Fathers’ phenomenal success formula so that it would be less complex and easier to digest? The many books on the Constitution don’t portray a philosophical comprehension on why it was supposed to be so great.

The Founders’ monumental task: structuring the government with all power in the people. Measuring people and issues in terms of political parties has turned out to be philosophically totally misleading. The Founders did not see politics as “left” and “right”. They considered the two extremes to be anarchy on the one hand - with no government, no law, no systematic control and no government power - and tyranny – where there is too much government control, too much political oppression, too much government - on the other.

The object of the Founders was to discover the “balanced center” between these two extremes. What they wanted to establish was a system of “People’s Law” where the government is kept under the control of the people with enough government to maintain security, justice and good order.

Their first attempt at constitutional writing was the “Articles of Confederation”. But it was soon seen that that this gave too much power to the people toward anarchy and not enough power to the federal government.

Thus a new Constitution was needed with a “balanced center”.

The new “Constitution” became based on the Founders’ 28 basic principles:

 

1. The genius of Natural Law – the only reliable basis for a sound government and just human relations is “Natural Law” from a Creator.

Cicero recognized and identified the “rules of right conduct” with the laws of the Supreme Creator of the universe.
The reasonings of the mind given us by the Creator will generally lead to common sense conclusions.

 

2. A virtuous and moral people – a free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong. A corrupt and selfish people could never make the Constitution work properly. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.

 

3. Virtuous and moral leaders – the most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders. Public officials should not be chosen if they lack experience, training, proven virtue and demonstrated wisdom. A political process should be developed through which these good virtues can be precipitated to the surface and elected to public office.

4. The role of religion – without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained. Basic religion must be taught in schools. This is basic religion:

a. There exists a Creator who made all things and mankind should recognize and worship him.

b. The Creator has revealed a moral code of behavior for happy living which distinguishes right from wrong.

c. The Creator hold mankind responsible for the way they treat each other.

d. All mankind live beyond this life.

e. In the next live mankind are judged for their conduct in this one.

These basic tenets do not conflict with any religious doctrines and should be taught in all schools.

The Founders wanted the Federal government excluded from all problems relating to religion and churches.

 

5. The role of the Creator – All things were created by God, therefore upon him all mankind are equally dependent and to him are equally responsible. The attitude of the Founders toward God’s law (both natural and revealed) gave early Americans a very high regard for the Law as a social institution. Most of the Founders continually petitioned God in fervent prayers, both public and private, and looked upon his divine intervention in their daily lives as a blessing. The Founders were not indulging in any idle gesture when they adopted the motto, “In God We Trust.”

 

6. All men are created equal – but only in three ways: in the sight of God, in the sight of the Law, and in the protection of their rights.

 

7. Equal rights, not equal things – the proper role of government is to provide equal right but not try to provide equal things to everyone – not take from the “haves” and give to the “have nots”. It was realized the some would prosper more than others – that is inevitable as long as there is liberty. Government provision for the poor should not encourage idleness. The Founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor for the federal government to be involved in public welfare and gave no Constitutional authority to it.

 

8. Man’s unalienable rights – these rights are endowed by their Creator. These rights did not originate from any social compact, king, emperor, or governmental authority. There can also be vested rights which are created by the community, state or nation for out protection and well-being. However, these can be changed anytime the lawmakers feel like it.

In general, our unalienable rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

9. The role of revealed Law: to protect man’s rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine Law. The ten commandments are the general form of this Law. But this Law endows man with unalienable duties as well as unalienable rights – public morality and private morality.

 

10. Sovereignty of the people – the God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people. No “divine right of kings”. Rulers are servants of the people.

 

11. Who can alter the government – the majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical. There is no right of revolt in a minority.

 

12. Advantage of a republic and not a democracy – a democracy requires the full participation of the masses of the people in the legislative or decision making processes of government. But people become so occupied with their daily tasks that they will not properly study the issues, nor will they take the time to participate in extensive hearings before the vote is taken. A democracy becomes increasingly unwieldy and inefficient as the population grows. A republic is a scheme of representation.

 

13. Protection against human frailty – a constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers. They felt the greatest danger arises when a leader is so completely trusted that the people feel no anxiety to watch him. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

 

14. Property rights essential to liberty – life and liberty are secure only whey property rights are secure. If there were no such thing as ownership of property, there would be no “subduing” or extensive development of the resources of the earth.

 

15. Free market economics – the highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free market economy and a minimum of government regulations. No government interference in production, prices or wages. Prices are regulated by competition on the basis of supply and demand. Profits make production worthwhile. Freedom to try, freedom to buy, freedom to sell and freedom to fail.

 

16. The separation of powers – the government should be separated into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. Monarchy (executive power) could easily become tyranny; aristocracy (the senate power) could sink into oppressive government by a few rich families; democracy (the house of representatives power) could turn into mob rule. It was decided then decided for a judicial system to watch over the actions of the President, the Senate and the House.

 

17. Checks and balances – in order to prevent the abuse of power. The trick was to separate the powers of the three branches and then delicately lace them back together again as a balanced unit.

 

18. Importance of a written Constitution – it is most likely to preserve the unalienable rights of the people. Much of ancient common law was unwritten and thus could easily be destroyed and replaced. The Founders considered it wise to use the wisdom and experience of many delegates assembled in a convention rather than leaving it to the genius of one individual. There is a tremendous advantage in having a completely written document for reference rather than a number of scattered statutes.

 

19. Limiting and carefully defining the powers of government – all other powers being retained in the people. The first ten amendments were added to include the unalienable rights of men so there could be no question as to the strictly limited authority the people were conferring on their central government. The federal government was supreme in all matters relating to its responsibility, but it was specifically restricted from invading the independence and sovereign authority reserved to the States.

 

20. Majority rule and minority rights – efficiency requires government to operate according to the will of the majority, but Constitutional provision must be made to protect the rights of the minority. Delaying action until it has the unanimous approval of all can be disastrous in a time of emergency and it even inhibits healthy progress in normal times.

 

21. Strong self-government – the keystone to preserving human freedom is strong local self-government. The centralization of political power always destroys liberty by removing the decision making function from the people on the local level and transferring to the officers of the central government. The people lose their will to solve their own problems. The federal government should remain relatively small.

 

22. Government by law and not by men – to be governed by the whims of men is to be subject to the ever-changing capriciousness of those in power. Law is to be as binding on the ruling authority as it is upon the people. Law should be understandable and stable.

 

23. Importance of an educated electorate – there must be a broad program of general education. No nation had ever before attempted the educating of the whole people. In Europe, at the writing of the Constitution, only 2% of the people could read and write.

There must be good local school boards. Education must include morality and politics with even young children trained in the Constitution and the Bible.

 

24. Peace through strength – a free people in a civilized society always tend toward prosperity. But covetous predatory nations can be attracted. The nation must be adequately armed for defense. The way to secure peace is to be prepared for war. We should not become dependent on other nations for essentials.

 

25. Avoid entangling alliances – we should strive for peace, commerce and honest friendship with other nations but alliances with none – not “isolationism” but “separatism”. But we must be careful about passionately favoring one nation over another. Extend commercial relations to other nations but have as little political connection as possible.

 

26. Protecting the role of the family – the core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family. Therefore the government should foster and protect its integrity. The tie of marriage must be respected. There is complete interdependence between a husband and wife for their mutual happiness. The State must not interfere with legitimate family relations.

 

27. Avoiding the burden of debt – the burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest. The Founders knew that borrowing can be an honorable procedure in a time of crisis but they deplored it just the same. They looked upon it as a temporary handicap which should be alleviated at the earliest possible moment.

It borders on criminality for one generation to impose its debt on the next generation.

 

28. The Founders’ sense of Manifest Destiny – The United States was to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race. There was a sense of mission, a conviction that they were taking part and were instruments of divine design which would shower its blessing on all mankind. The steadfast faith in an unseen ruler and guide was to them of great moral value. This was not a spirit of perverted chauvinism associated with the idea of “racial superiority”. Thomas Jefferson looked upon the development of freedom under our Constitution as “the world’s best hope”.

 

Conclusion

The Founders knew they were sailing into uncharted waters, and they knew their ship of state was entirely different from anything else on the face of the earth. True, they had examined every kind of political operation known to man, and they had abstracted from history every lesson and precaution they could learn, but their own product was unique, bold, and filled with the promise of a better day.

Happily for America,  happily we trust for the whole human race, they pursued a new and more noble course. They accomplished a revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society. They pieced together the fabrics of government which have no model on the face of the globe. They formed the design of a great nation which it is incumbent on their successors to improve and perpetuate.

 [Review by Lou Hodapp]