Here’s When The American Founders Thought Revolution Was Justified
The American Revolution proved a people can not only overthrow an existing regime but establish a free, peaceful, and functional government of their own.
By Kevin Portteus
May 19, 2021
According to the American Declaration of Independence, people enter into political society for the sake of protecting their inalienable rights, which are otherwise insecure. The question then arises: what can the people do if the government betrays its trust, and violates their rights? The Declaration’s initial answer is “that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.”
The people create the government, but in so doing they do not forfeit their right to vindicate their own rights, even against the very government they created. Thus James Wilson asserted that the “vital principle” of America is “that the supreme or sovereign power of the society resides in the citizens at large; and that, therefore, they always retain the right of abolishing, altering, or amending their constitution.”
This right supersedes the claims of the government to the loyalty and obedience of its subjects. “Federalist No. 28” describes the right of revolution as “that original right of self-defence, which is paramount to all positive forms of government.”
This is, however, only the beginning of the story. The Declaration of Independence devotes more space to the right of revolution than to any other single concept. Equality and liberty are asserted, more or less without comment, but the right of revolution is explained in considerable detail, providing us with answers to a variety of critical questions about this “vital principle.”
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https://thefederalist.com/2021/05/19/heres-when-the-american-founders-thought-revolution-was-justified/
