Consent of the Governed | Highlights Ep.20

The American Founders believed that the principles of the Declaration and the Constitution were not simply preferences for their own day, but were truths that the sovereign and moral people of America could always rely on as guides in their pursuit of happiness. This course considers the principles of the American Founding-which are described most famously and concisely in the Declaration of Independence-as well as key features of American government based on those principles. Led by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, the course also examines the major challenges posed by Progressivism to American constitutionalism.
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Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.” It pursues the stated object of the founders: “to furnish all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex, a literary, scientific, [and] theological education” outstanding among American colleges “and to combine with this such moral and social instruction as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.” As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains “by precept and example” the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.
The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.
By training the young in the liberal arts, Hillsdale College prepares students to become leaders worthy of that legacy. By encouraging the scholarship of its faculty, it contributes to the preservation of that legacy for future generations. By publicly defending that legacy, it enlists the aid of other friends of free civilization and thus secures the conditions of its own survival and independence.

[@blackquiver]

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” ― Patrick Henry

[@chadkline4268]

It's just a piece of paper. It's federal law for federal territory that nobody is bound to. It clarifies the duties + organizational structure specified in the Articles.

[@sandycerami4695]

This should be shown to EVERY American Citizen age 12 and older as a reminder of who we TRULY are, what we BELIEVE IN and WHY this incredible country exists in the first place. We ain't perfect...perfect doesn't exist in this world, so enough with the bullsh*t about existential racism, class warfare and wokeness. We are ALL Americans and what unites us should be this principle regardless of race, gender, color, ethnicity, creed, orientation, etc. We LIVE and we LET LIVE.

[@ouiroc]

No one is as special we're all equal but a lot of people are brain deficient

[@Call_Me_Mom]

My great aunt used to say "I don't think I'm better than anybody else, but, by the same token, nobody else is better than me."

[@margaretanderson2547]

God Bless your great aunt.

[@russellgay5337]

"I won't say I'm no better than anybody else, but I'll be danged if I ain't just as good!" Aunt Eller, from the Musical Oklahoma

[@blackquiver]

“They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.” ― Patrick Henry

[@michaelkahn8903]

sobering and i thank you

[@lcruz2783]

True education, this needs to be in all schools.

[@jakeyboy8402]

Epic difference between giving one’s consent and one being forced to submit!

[@blackquiver]

To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.” ― Thomas Paine, The American Crisis

[@blackquiver]

“(45) We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or other officials, only men that know the law of the realm and are minded to keep it well.” ― Patrick Henry, 15 Documents and Speeches That Built America (Unique Classics)

[@blackquiver]

“The union of America is the foundation-stone of her independence; the rock on which it is built; and is something so sacred in her constitution, that we ought to watch every word we speak, and every thought we think, that we injure it not, even by mistake.” ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis

[@NoName-vo3nf]

MR. Arnn i thank you for what you i don't have the means to attend your fine institution but I did apply to work in its kitchen . Didn't get the job . I believe I'm equal but the world says somthing quite contrary. We stopped understanding or relationship as the people and became the governed. I'm living this horror everyday and the only way for it to change is for the people to remember that they gave their responsibility to lying politicians many years ago and for far to long . We are not governed by the people for the people .we are governed by the rich to further enrich thier power and profits

[@womanclothedinthesunq7574]

Thank you 💕 love from Albuquerque shared.

[@blackquiver]

“Later in 1776, Paine accompanied the Continental army in its retreat from New Jersey to Philadelphia. During this time, Paine began a new series of pamphlets. Eventually, these sixteen pamphlets became The American Crisis. In them, Paine comments on the American war effort and urges the colonists to keep fighting. This pamphlet, the first in the series, is perhaps the most famous. The pamphlet was read to George Washington’s troops in December 1776. Days later, these same troops crossed the Delaware River and attacked the British encampment in Trenton, New Jersey. The pamphlet opens with a familiar line: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis, #1

[@eveihlone2192]

Sure, he may be the most laughed at person ever. But in his mind, Donald will always be the epitome of a superior human. let us stand in awe of the man

[@nathanhalsey3969]

Ty guys and gals...

[@blackquiver]

“Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809) published Common Sense in January 1776. Just two years before publishing his influential pamphlet, Paine emigrated from England to America in 1774. The pamphlet was hugely influential in swaying masses of colonists to join the cause for revolution. In the pamphlet’s easy-to-understand prose, Paine articulates why the colonists should break from British rule. Paine’s argument is simple: the time for independence from British rule is now. He argues for a complete separation from England.” ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis, #1

[@blackquiver]

“[Patrick Henry] wanted the Constitution to have a Bill of Rights attached to it -- a list of powers that the government could never use against the people of the United States.” ― Patrick Henry

[@richbattaglia5350]

Brilliant analysis of the Declaration of Independence.

[@shirleyupvall9360]

Excellent

[@DavidUrbinaFitness]

Equality : the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. The foundation of individualism 🇺🇸

[@richbattaglia5350]

I enjoyed the part of A Summary of view of the Rights of British America, where Jefferson was calling out the unfair taxes from England to the colonies. This was added by how the colonists fought and built the land from the wilds. Lockean theory of natural rights had its mark on the founders and you can see this in Jefferson’s words. I’d love to see a hillsdale college clip about John Locke.

[@blackquiver]

“Will the adoption of this new plan pay our debts! This, Sir, is a plain question. It is inferred, that our grievances are to be redressed, and the evils of the existing system to be removed by the new Constitution. Let me inform the Honorable Gentleman, that no nation ever paid its debts by a change of Government, without the aid of in- dustry. You never will pay your debts but by a radical change of domestic economy...The evils that attend us, lie in extravagance and want of industry and can only be removed by assiduity and economy.” ― Patrick Henry

[@FimiliarGalaxy9]

Based.

[@proxywebs]

One thing that could be done to fix governments everywhere, would be to have anyone seeking high office or senior civil servant positions to answer this one question. The only acceptable answer to this question is a four digit number. and any other answer disqualifies you from the job. The question is this "in what year did you graduate from Hillsdale College?"

[@KathysTube]

👍👍🇺🇸

[@raphaeldepaulareisrios2156]

🇧🇷🇺🇸🇧🇷🇺🇸🇧🇷🇺🇸

[@elsmitro]

👋

[@twistoffat]

Unfortunately politicians have learned that concent is something one an buy. Concent is a fine thing if given by the informed but in an age of Instagram and realtiy TV concent is often a cheap commodity

[@mathurin7526]

Short of revolution, how do we restrain a government that no longer seems to respect, much less follow, the Constitution under which it derives it's power and authority? It is worth exploring the idea of educating those who feel the government is the power and the Constitution is not outmoded document not fit for the 21st century.

[@rodneynicholauson4566]

Vote out all politicians that don't follow the rules.

[@treenopie]

Not we---I. My consent is not up for vote.

[@dfrank5182]

There's never been consent. If not, what is the opt out clause allowing a person's right to roam free in the land of their birth? Anyone?

[@StreetN1ckel]

Guess what? The term "Consent of the Governed" is actually an OXYMORON. Allow me to walk you through it: **Definition of "Consent"** - Consent means a voluntary agreement to or approval of what is done or proposed by another. It implies a free choice made without coercion. **Definition of "Governed"** - To be governed means to be subject to the authority and control of a governing body or authority, which enforces its rules and decisions through coercive means. **The Contradiction** 1. **Coercion Inherent in Government**: - Government inherently operates through coercion. Laws, taxes, and regulations are enforced through the threat of violence or punishment (e.g., fines, imprisonment). This contradicts the notion of consent, which requires voluntary agreement free of coercion. 2. **Lack of Genuine Choice**: - For consent to be valid, individuals must have the genuine option to refuse. In the context of government, individuals cannot opt out of being governed without facing consequences. This lack of a real choice undermines the idea that their compliance is consensual. 3. **Social Contract Fallacy**: - The concept of the social contract suggests that people implicitly consent to be governed by living within a certain territory. However, implicit consent is not the same as explicit, voluntary consent. Many individuals never explicitly agree to the terms imposed by the government, and their continued presence in a territory is not necessarily an endorsement of the government’s authority. 4. **Consent of the Majority vs. Individual Consent**: - Even if a majority consents to a government, it does not mean that every individual within that society consents. True consent must be individual, not collective, and should respect the autonomy of each person. Majority rule can lead to the imposition of the will of the majority on the minority, which again contradicts the principle of voluntary consent.

[@Casmige]

Wait, wait, wait..... I give my consent so I can pursue my happiness under some sort of protective governance??. That’s pay to play and that’s not freedom.... That I as an individual cannot consent and then unconsent and withdraw from participation means that none of us are free not even in the bottom of the barrel dregs & vestiges of what we think is freedom...

[@nursevictoria3294]

In pari delicto

[@merlinwizard1000]

22nd

[@lighthousea4655]

I always hated that particular phrase.The people may give consent but it is in a mental state of false pretenses,direct lies and entrapment,so obviously it shouldn’t count as us saying okay do whatever even if it is WRONG!TOTAL B.S

[@hammer5624]

Does not sound very Christian. In scripture Jesus says we DO have obligations to each other. All authority comes from God, we have a duty to authority. It does not come from consent.. We are not all born equal in terms of our station in life. (Equal in dignity not our role or station). Some are subjects, some are in positions of authority. A leader may abuse that authority and may need to be corrected but the subjects do not rule. That becomes relativism, man becomes the rule by which all else is measured, which i see has taken hold of America.

[@chadkline4268]

No, i dont agree. American thinking on kings is derived from Locke's 1st Treatise on Govt.

[@christopherscallio2539]

I Chose To Self Govern. I Do Not Consent To Being Governed By Yours or Anyone Else' Representatives. I'll Represent Myself Thank You Very Much. Will You Allow Me To Do That? Or Will Your Enforcers Apply Force Upon Me? I Agree with the Consent of The Governed Concept as long as it's Voluntary. You May be Governed by another if You Choose. Although that is a Poor Choice. We are Equals in a State of Nature. You Have No Authority Over Me. I Have No Authority Over You. Except in the Defense of Natural Law Rights to Life Liberty or Property. If I Offend You Herein I Have Entered Under Your Authority. Trespassed into Your Self Government Jurisdiction. I Get What's Coming to Me By Your Hand. Those who Do Not Self Govern Will Be Governed By Another. So the Only Powers that Can possibly be Delegated to a Representative is the Power to Defend the Individual's Right to Life Liberty or Property. Do We Surrender Any Natural Law Rights when Entering into a Civil Government Compact? Will You Dare Enumerate Even One of these Surrendered Rights? Is it Life? Is it Liberty? Or is it Property? Civil Governments are Instituted among Men to Defend these Rights. How could it possibly Abolish these Rights? Statist are a Cult! They Ascribe Demigod like Powers that No Man has to the State. The State Does Not Exist in Nature. Only in the Mind of Men.

[@Ivan.A.Churlyuski]

This is total nonsense. The police attacking people don’t have the consent of the people they’re attacking.