Democracy’s Champions: Civic Virtue in America

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

The fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence made this solemn commitment before affixing their names.  They clearly pledged their liberty and lives because they were committing treason by engaging in revolution against the Crown.  For the same reason, they could expect their wealth would be seized.  But what did they mean by pledging their “sacred Honor”?

Honor was a precious possession in the eighteenth century, earnestly sought and fiercely protected.  It was accorded those with reputations for unshakeable integrity, moral courage to do the right thing and a commitment to the public good.  Their “mutual pledge” meant they would honorably work together for independence and the common good, for themselves and posterity. The word “honor” appeared over 51,000 times in the Founders Archive of documents of the founding period, much more often than “freedom” (4,900 times), signifying the extent to which it was in their thoughts.

A closely related way the founders talked about honor was to speak of public or civic virtue.  “Public Virtue  . . . is the only Foundation of Republics,” John Adams said at the dawn of declaring independence. “There must be a positive Passion for the public good, the public Interest, Honour, Power, and Glory, established in the Minds of the People, or there can be no Republican Government, nor any real Liberty,” Civic virtue was essential not just for leaders but for all citizens of the new republic.

Attention to “honor” and “civic virtue” is far less prevalent in public discourse today.  Even by the early nineteenth century, as historian Gordon Wood once put it, virtue “at times seemed to mean little more than female chastity.”  Yet the need for civic virtue in Americans’ personal and public lives needs to be recaptured and rewarded.  That is the focus of my new book, Democracy’s Champions.

Civic virtue requires Americans to address today’s imbalance between individual demands for “my rights” and the need to focus as well on civic responsibilities, on public duties and obligations. Democracy’s Champions offers seven civic virtues essential for strengthening America:

·       Practice Self-discipline for the Public Good, including putting the public interest above private concerns;

·       Act Honorably, including honesty, ethical behavior, and moral courage;

·       Respect the Constitution and the Rule of Law, including understanding our charter of government, performing citizenship duties, respecting government institutions and the peaceful transition of power;

·       Understand American History and Government, including our founding period and its principles, the major institutions and mechanism of our federal system and events that have shaped national and world history;

·       Demonstrate Civility and Compassion in Public Life, including respecting the dignity of others, listening carefully to a range of views on public issues and refraining from personal attacks;

·       Participate Positively in Public Affairs, including using facts and reason in the discussion of public issues, managing emotions and biases and joining private and public associations and networks to learn about and shape issues; and

·       Foster Justice, including calling attention to injustice, protecting minority rights and working to correct moral wrongs.

In Democracy’s Champions each of the seven civic virtues and its supporting behaviors is brought to life through a series of vignettes of notable Americans who exemplify it.  Examples of the nearly sixty vignettes include “George Marshall Denies Himself the D-Day Command” (self-discipline); “Margaret Chase Smith and the Declaration of Conscience” (honor); “Thomas Jefferson Manages a Peaceful Transition of Power” (respect the Constitution); “Susan B. Anthony and the Long Arc of Justice for Women” (understand American history and government); “Robert F. Kennedy Speaks from the Heart after Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death” (civility and compassion); “Mary McLeod Bethune’s Thirst for Learning” (participate positively in public affairs); and “Cesar Chavez Fights for the Rights and Dignity of Farmworkers” (foster justice).

In January 1838, Abraham Lincoln spoke in the small town of Springfield, Illinois. He had grown increasingly concerned at the violence threatening the republic, including a vigilante band in Mississippi that executed gamblers and the murder of Elijah Lovejoy, an abolitionist newspaper editor by a pro-slavery mob. Lincoln warned that: “[A]s a nation of freemen, we must live through all times, or die by suicide.”  The danger would be a self-inflicted wound coming from “the increasing disregard for law which pervades the country.” 

Our democracy faces dangers from within today.  Polarization, the lack of mutual trust, rampant individualism and disdain for core institutions are just some of the symptoms of our fragile experiment in self-government. We have faced such times before - and risen to the challenge. Despite the churn of negative news and talk from cable TV, talk radio, social media and the halls of power, there are bright spots in our past and today. They come from such exemplars of civic virtue as Democracy’s Champions offers. 

Former President Bill Clinton said: “[T]here is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”  There is much that is right with America.  The stories in Democracy’s Champions give us hope.