Analysis Of Matthew Spalding's We Still Hold These Truths

Matthew Spalding’s We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, tackles the top ten principles that define America: liberty, equality, natural rights, consent of the governed, private property, the rule of law, constitutionalism, self-government, and independence. He breaks down the ten principles which our founding fathers set as a base for our country. However, over time America’s values have changed and our main goals such as equality, constitutionalism, and independence according to Spalding it needs to be relooked upon. Spalding expressed his opinion on America’s view of liberty and he believes that, “Of the many influences that shaped the American concept of liberty, the first and most formative was faith”(Spalding 12). Having God as a foundation for liberty helped form the culture and morals of the colonial citizens. Equality is another natural freedom everyone possesses under the law. However, over there has been different perspectives on what gender is actually created equal but mainly other …show more content…
Property to one was the distribution of land from the government, while to another they seen property as, “ ...the primary responsibility of government to protect life, liberties, and possessions, all of which he included under the term “property.”(69). Now for my favorite topic, the rule of law, which is constantly changing and being added to. According to the law of the land we are all accountable and protected under it. However, Spalding expresses that, “the rule of law means general rules of law that bind all people and are promulgated and enforced by a system of courts and law enforcement, not by mere discretionary authority”(84). So there is an extent to the rules of the law and certain rules everyone has to abide to, whillingly or not. The importance of the Constitution comes up in the book when Spalding brings