The Importance Of Free Minds

I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

~ United States Constitution, First Amendment

The above-quoted words reflect sentiments so essential to a condition of liberty that they are at the forefront of the history of American political thought. Jefferson’s quotation as well as the first of the listings in the so-called Bill of Rights, represent a theme carried over from the Revolutionary War period: minds should be free to explore and express whatever is of concern to them. If one reads the First Amendment closely, it becomes evident that this provision was intended to prohibit government intrusions upon the then-known means and settings for free thought.

Many of the central figures who helped bring British rule to an end would, upon ascending to power under the newly-created Constitution, deny these fundamental principles to Americans. This should surprise no one familiar with the nature not only of power, but of those who fancy themselves fit to exercise it. Thus, George Washington – as President – personally led federal troops into western Pennsylvania to confront leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion. This rebellion was in opposition to a federal tax on whiskey, promoted by Alexander Hamilton as a means of paying off a national debt, much of which arose from the confederacy’s issuance of all-but-worthless "Continentals." Hamilton and his friends had bought up much of this debt in expectation of the constitutional provision that would authorize the new government to pay it off at face value. (And I’ll bet you thought financial corruption in American politics didn’t arise until the 20th century!) Thus were Americans introduced to the first of an endless string of contradictions: a rebellion against a British tax on tea was an act of patriotism, while a rebellion against a federal tax on whiskey was an act of insurrection.

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