The Consent of the Governed: America at 250

The Consent of the Governed How have We, the People wielded Revolutionary ideas to create change?

A quarter of a millennium ago, the Declaration of Independence asserted that governments cannot be truly powerful and resilient without the consent of the governed. By this, the Founding Fathers intended to create a sharp break from Britain’s iron fist oppression over the colonies. Though the Revolutionary War took to battlefield in 1775, colonial anger over their lack of representation in Parliament had been compounding since the imposition of the Stamp Act in 1765. Patriots sneered at the British concept of virtual representation, instead advocating for the directly representative forms of government many colonies had become accustomed to. British invocation of the doctrine of sovereignty dismantled the roots of Revolutionary causes. Colonists desperate for change were confronted by a difficult choice: submit entirely to life under Britain’s thumb or declare independence. This, by necessity, centered the Declaration of Independence on a fight for liberty, representation, and independence. Furthermore, it invested the importance of representation deeply into young American politics. Having called the common man to risk their lives in the name of liberty, Founding Fathers were left to provide it. Representation could not remain an issue purely between England and the colonies – it had to be present in the new American identity. Early American revolutionaries drew upon Enlightenment ideals, such as Rousseau’s Social Contract and John Locke’s assertion of natural rights. As the intellectual movement took on an American face, it facilitated a shift in philosophy of power. The new weight of reason, science, and individualism argued established doctrines, in particular, the divine right to rule and hereditary nature of political power. Hegemony as an American concept was reshaped in a way that pervasively influenced the nation’s semiquincentennial years. This “revolutionary spirit”, however, was archaic and stubborn in many ways. Patrick Henry famously called upon the emerging generation of Americans to fight tooth-and-nail for independence in his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. But, for many, true liberty continued to be far out of reach. Foundational American documents championed freedom, representation, and equality, all the while restricting suffrage and legally permitting the enslavement of millions. The contradictions of fighting a “just” war for independence and using such power to oppress marginalized groups was not lost on Americans. Echoing the Patriots’ war call for freedom, American citizens have exercised their first amendment right to create change. While the Founding Fathers left many issues unresolved – the question of slavery, the role of the United States on a global stage, and the flexibility of judicial review – citizens have been compelled to confront the nation’s greatest triumphs, failures, and instabilities. The rugged, passionate nature of historical and current protests encapsulate Revolutionary ideas in an even better spirit than the Founding Fathers themselves. We, the People, as a picket line-nation, have created incredible change. From the Women’s Suffrage Movement to the persistent dismantling of the Jim Crow South, citizens have taken agency and created unavoidable political pressure in the name of representation. While the idealized aspirations of America’s Founding Fathers were to rule by the consent of the governed, they left the question of true representation entirely to future generations. History is riddled with discontent of the governed and their battles to right it. The foundational documents of 250 years ago created the “proper” channels to gain the consent of the governed, but when government has dragged its feet, Americans have resiliently demanded response. The Women’s Suffrage Movement spanned decades as the next generation carried on marches, picked up their pickets, and inherited hunger strikes. While the movement was markedly peaceful, members of the National Women’s Party were arrested outside of the White House in 1917. Suffragists and their empathizers, of course, responded. It was not until after their release that President Woodrow Wilson publicly endorsed women’s suffrage for the first time. A similar, steadfast dedication to demanding change is deeply tied to the Civil Rights Movement. Following sit-ins, Freedom Rides, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the 1963 March on Washington, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with Martin Luther King Jr. by his side. This is only to cite a fraction of efforts to create political pressure. It is evidenced that protests, particularly large-scale, peaceful demonstrations, are effective in catalyzing change. Eventually, when enough voices are calling for reform, it becomes impossible for policymakers to ignore. A study from the Harvard Kennedy School showed systematic evidence on the effectiveness of protests in shaping public opinion and political attitudes. The researchers drew upon a database spanning five years of protests dedicated to various causes. They found that regardless of whether the issue was environmental protection, gun control, or otherwise, online interest, policy views, and vote intentions were shaped by public demonstrations. In a digital age, physical protest has often been supplemented by raising a vague awareness through over-simplified posts. Social media has been helpful in mobilizing citizens as well, but this research from 2017 to 2022 shows its limit in altering political attitudes. The physical coming-together of a community around a common cause is crucial to the American sentiment of democracy. Showing up – marching, picketing, boycotting – these efforts display a level of commitment that social media posts cannot, contributing to greater pressure on the part of policymakers. However, many citizens find themselves afraid that a physical protest could put them in harm’s way. This anxiety has spiked since the death of George Floyd and, more recently, strict law enforcement at anti-ICE demonstrations. In the 1937 Supreme Court case, De Jonge v. Oregon, a distinction was made between peaceful protests and those that incite violence. The court ruled that the right to peacefully protest is constitutionally enshrined, but that government has a responsibility to restrict demonstrations that appear dangerous. While the ruling is an assertion that peaceful protesting is an American right, it also leaves flimsy definitions of dangerous and docile. That is to say, citizens do not give their consent to be governed only when they feel entirely represented. The cornerstone of the American Revolution was a fight for representation. It was the culmination of years of discontent and oppressive policy. Before the American government formally existed, it fought to be one empowered by the consent of the governed. While these ideals were contradictory in many ways and are still not fully realized a quarter of a millennium later, ruling with the consent of the governed is a critical aspect of American identity. As such, We the People have fought persistently – fought bone-tired and half-defeated time and time again – to be heard.

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