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[Order Daniel Greenfield’s new book, Domestic Enemies: HERE.]
July hosts two revolutions that changed the world.
On the fourth of the month, the Declaration of Independence pledged “lives”, “fortunes” and “sacred honor” under the “protection of divine Providence” to fight for the belief that government derives its consent from the governed. On the fourteenth of the month, French radical mobs stormed the Bastille prison leading to over 100 deaths in an event likely triggered by the antics of the infamous monster the Marquis de Sade. None of the 7 prisoners inside were worth liberating, but the assault on the Bastille made brutal mob violence the symbol of the revolution.
Three days earlier, a proposed French version of the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Lafayette with some input from Thomas Jefferson, languished. By the time the tangled mess of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, with its emphasis on enforced equality was approved next month, the fundamental distinctions between the two revolutions were set.
Abbe Sieyes, the former clergyman who ended up writing much of the Declaration, would turn heretic to survive during the Reign of Terror, and was instrumental in bringing Napoleon to power, while the Count of Mirabeau, the other ‘editor’ of the Declaration, had been a secret agent of the monarchy. Two years later, Lafayette was on the run from the leftist radicals running France. While the Constitution ruled in America, the Rights of Man were in shambles in France.
The sharp contrast between the Founding Fathers of the two republics is more than a matter of history. The American and French revolutions are still playing out all this time later.
When the French Revolution arrived with its promise of mandatory equality, it was highly seductive to Americans who were losing touch with their own revolution. A whole generation had come of age who had been children during the days of Bunker Hill and Valley Forge.
What they wanted was not the old American Revolution, but an exciting new French one.
In my book ‘Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers’ Fight Against The Left’, I describe the struggle for the soul of the nation that ensued between George Washington and the radicals.
Citizen Genet, an emissary of the French Revolution, had helped set up ‘Democratic Societies’ dedicated to promoting a radical revolution in America. The name would later influence the new Democratic-Republican Party which would eventually shed the Republican part of the name to become today’s Democratic Party.
“These societies were instituted by the artful & designing members (many of their body I have no doubt mean well, but know little of the real plan),” Washington wrote, “instituted by their father, Genet,” and behind them, “under popular and fascinating guises, the most diabolical attempts to destroy the best fabric of human government.”
The “popular and fascinating guises” were what we today call equity rather than equality.
Where the American Revolution had emphasized the independence of the individual from the state, the French Revolution focused on building up the state as the guarantor of freedom.
It was this distinction that confined most of the ugliness between key figures in the American Founding to nasty letters while the streets of Paris ran with the blood of political opponents. The new regime was so busy enforcing equality against everyone accused of aristocratic and reactionary tendencies that no one had any rights left against state or mob violence.
The new French radical regime promised to solve all the nation’s problems, but could not manage the economy, the food supply or much of anything else. All it could do was kill.
Increasingly radical factions mobilized mobs and blamed the failures of the past government on being insufficiently extreme. The problem was never their poor understanding of market economics and agriculture, but the inequality that could only be purged through mass murder.
During the Reign of Terror, Robespierre assured fellow radicals that it would all be worth it for, “by sealing our work with our blood, we may witness at least the dawn of universal happiness.”
There was plenty of blood, but no happiness. And yet American radicals wanted all of that here.
“We must have a revolution,” George Logan, a prominent Democratic Republican figure—who gave his name to the Logan Act after he attempted to privately negotiate an end to the Quasi-War between America and France—declared. “That alone can save us: but would you believe it, our people do not want to hear talk of it. They are already corrupted. Ah! If I were now in France, if I might see all that goes on there, how I would rejoice.”
In the streets of Philadelphia and New York, a new generation of radicals were calling for George Washington and some of the Founding Fathers to face the guillotine.
Washington understood that this could not be allowed to happen in the United States.
In ‘Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers’ Fight Against The Left’, I describe how as the violence intensified in both France and America, George Washington became the only sitting president to command troops in the field against the radicals, calling the insurrection, “the
first formidable fruit of the Democratic Societies; brought forth I believe too prematurely for their own views, which may contribute to the annihilation of them.” Here he was too optimistic.
The struggle between the French and American revolutions nearly led to civil war in this country. Long before Antifa and BLM, or Bill Ayers and The Weathermen or even anarchists detonating bombs on Wall Street, our Founding Fathers were fighting the start of the 200-year war with the Left. And they understood that what was at stake was the very definition of freedom.
“If the progress of Jacobinism is to be arrested at all, it is by fighting it,” a letter from Abigail Adams quoted. ”And if there be a Nation on Earth capable of going the necessary lengths, and making the proper Sacrifices to stop its course,—it must be one that is already possesed of substantial Liberty, that knows how to appreciate it, & how to distinguish between it, and that Sort of Liberty which France is trying to propogate throughout the World. To every other Nation & people, the french liberty is perhaps equal, if not superiour to their own.”
The leftist cause spread like a virus across Europe and much of the world because they had no defense against it. But thanks to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we did.
The war of ideas between the two revolutions and republics was always going to end here.
America was the only alternative to the Left. And the Declaration of Independence was the wellspring of our sort of liberty. The Fourth of July is the celebration of that liberty, not only from one particular mad king, but from the entire idea of the supremacy of the state.
What initially began as a revolution against a monarchy became a revolution against the Left.
When we watch fireworks burst into the sky above our cities, towns, rivers, lakes and oceans, what makes that display different from those of so many other nations is that our revolution was meant to make us free, not just as a nation, but as individuals pursuing our own destinies.
We did not fight a revolution to build a system that would make us equal by leveling everyone else. This was not a revolution of equity, but of liberty, not a scheme to control others through the state, but to liberate all of us from the state. That unfulfilled revolution is at the heart of the slow civil war in which America finds itself on the 248th anniversary of our fight for freedom.
248 years later the fight goes on.
In ‘Domestic Enemies: The Founding Fathers’ Fight Against The Left’, I tell the story of that fight, not against the British crown, but against the radical tyranny that the Left calls ‘liberation’.
The legacies of the two revolutions are still at war in our government and our society. As we celebrate the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let us do all that we can so that it is the American Revolution, and not the French Reign of Terror, that prevails here.
It appears that “what we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.”
The Left never give up their determination to turn all free nations Communist. The failures of Left nations only seems to spur the revolutionaries on to try harder.. Talk about stubborn, stupid, and evil!,
It’s their belief system.
The Leftist idea expressed briefly is that our society is fundamentally oppressive and that it must be destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. The rest is a matter of details.
And they would never stop destroying it and “build back worse,” over and over.
Catholicism has always been more inclined towards statism and social welfare programs. In countries where it has been the dominant religion (as in France) it is been more easily made a tool of leftism. The U.S. was founded upon Anglo protestantism, which makes us more inclined toward liberty.
Not all strains of Protestantism.
The Episcopalians are particularly bad.
Nah, Protestantism, and most especially Calvinism, is more inclined towards statism and leftism.
Both Marx and Engels were inspired by Calvinism, and Socialism and Feminism emerged from Calvinist sects of Christianity.
Not all Protestantism is that way. There are very many denominations.
The AMERICAN DREAM is a promise of liberty to employ our best talents to achieve our best results according to law. It is not a guarantee of equal outcomes growing from DEI clap trap.
If you’re smart, ethical, and industrious the sky is the limit.
Unless you are white, heterosexual, Christian and male. Yes, you can still succeed, but the odds are greatly stacked against you. You are expected to make the “proposition nation” succeed for every other group but your own. When darker minority groups fail, it is your fault. When they succeed, it is despite your “privilege” and must be celebrated by you. You are both the hero and oppressor in these scenarios.
In short, you have a moral duty to erase yourself, your heritage and the opportunities for yourself and your progeny in favor of the non-white hordes who will destroy your country, your culture and your people. Exercising that moral duty makes you both hero and oppressor. You are not allowed to have any other interest or to advocate on behalf of your group.
Instead of government spending to benefit the citizens in general (military protection, strong borders, roads and highways), you must, as a display of moral goodness, support government spending benefiting non-white groups in particular (in the form of government contracts, public and private job preferences, educational subsidies and grants, housing benefits, disproportionate welfare use, etc.
I upvoted you. Well written.
My only suggestion to your comment is you need to make it clear you are quoting the Leftist party line and that these are not your beliefs.
Thanks, Intrepid!
The sky CAN be the limit but there are no guarantees. Plenty of smart, ethical, and industrious people are unsuccessful while plenty of dumb, unethical and lazy people are successful – Obama for instance.
It’s definitely better to be smart, ethical and industrious, though.
Beautifully expressed article. Thank you.
Wonder if “Mickorn,’ who usually despises Daniel Greenfield’s essays, will take on this one.
He’s probably busy trying to guillotine his neighbor’s dog or busy with his two minutes MAGA hate.
lol … you must have looked him up 🙂
I searched under FPM MAGA troll.
IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT COMMUNISM YOU WOULD HOPE YOU WOULD PRAY ON YOU KNREE WE WOULD ONE DAY BECOME COMMUNISTS. Hanoi Jane to Collage Students. Some needs to remind t this Traitor from Hollywood that Communisms totally Secular/Atheists
and yet Jane has yet to move from her gated community to a Communist dictatorship
She’s like Bernout Sanders that way.
Have a wonderful Independence Day today in the UK we vote for our independence from the bureaucratic state and world government.
One has to hope.
Thanks Mo and good luck.
best of luck for a good outcome
Farage for PM! And may you guys finally leave the EU as you voted for all those years ago.
Let’s hope the British people hold their govt accountable. It appears to me everyone knows the problems but does nothing to address them. It’s not much different here in the US but GB is further along in its downfall at the hands of its spineless representatives. Good luck, Mo.
Buh Bye, Rishi Sunak, you corrupt, Establishment piece of trash! Don’t let a samosa hit you in the ass on the way out!
Illuminating history in Daniel’s book, showing the connection between the French Revolution and current troubles with the left.
I would say the constant leftist pressure to expand the size of government is a key factor and invariant. Locally they want to restrict water usage by individuals, instead of adding water storage capacity. Huge propaganda effort full of big lies going on, misleading articles full of leftist spin. Last time government focused on improving infrastructure was due to the Eisenhower Presidency.
Government officials get their power from the expansion of government. The government began expanding through the spoils system especially as Democrats began appointing their cronies to all sorts of positions.
Exactly. Thanks Daniel!!!
Yes, Ike was responsible for our highway system, the first in the world unless you consider the Roman roads.
Yet it seems every new administration wants billions for “infrastructure”. Did Charlie Brown ever wake up to Lucy and her football? It seems we haven’t.
A very good article!
Other than that you wrote “…equality rather than equality.”
I think you meant “…equity rather than equality”
thank you Victor, got it
I can’t wait for Kamala Harris to come out and declare “L’etat…………c’est moi!”.
That is after Biden drops out next Monday.
That girl dictator was… me.
Right on Daniel! Happy Independence Day.
The American revolution was for a change in government. The French revolution was for a change in society.
very good summary
July 4th is a day of reflection. My eldest was born this day 39 years ago.
It has been 48 years since the rescue at Entbbee Uganda
I think of all the Americans that have fought and died of the American ideal for the past 248 years.
Happy Independence Day everyone! May we all carry the heavy burden of liberty with light hearts and joyful mockery of left-wing idiots that seek to destroy it.
The American Left got what the wanted in Joe Biden, and now they don’t want what they got.
Happy Independence Day to all the normals.
Well said. The Left doesn’t understand that motives that are not wholesome and for the good, don’t always turn out the way they planned.
Amen Brother
Happy Fourth Of July
This is evil in all times and places. “Let us do evil that good may come”.
One of the chief lessons humans have yet to learn is that you really can’t improve your situation by doing evil. Many people refuse to believe it, even with 5000 years of history as testament
Tell that to Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, the Clintons, Charles Schwab, Putin, Xi Ping Pong, et al.
From the outset there was a stark difference. This is why the Declaration of Independence was not called the Declaration of Revolution. We wanted independence from England rather than to overthrow the English government as occurred in France.
Indeed. The Americans who sided with the French Revolution were obsessed with spreading revolution to England, e.g. Paine, and around the world.
Our parents and grandparents would never submit to the atheistic-fascist society. They loved freedom and fought for it. The New Tolerance decides what is tolerated. In America some have confused our First Amendment rights with intolerance, turning them into volatile political and social issues. The redefinition of tolerance has exerted its influence in those areas, but of equal concern are the politicians themselves, who are attempting to take this revised meaning from the secular into the sacred. Celebrate Independence with thankfulness while we have it.
We are in Days of deception. God will determine what is true or false, right or wrong, and how to understand the times.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you fautless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Jude 24-25.
Thanks great article-great book!
Happy Independence Day……even though it feels like we need to gain independence all over a gain and have another such day.
I know there are many highly educated, intelligent (and often deviously so) people on the left but I cannot help seeing the non-left as more intellectual and the concepts maybe harder to understand. The left’s chants change like fashions but seem to appeal to the low brow or those more emotional (e.g. at one time, time women marched to “take back the night” and then wore genital hats but now no one knows what a woman is and the left cries for and funds Hamas murder-rapists and lets in southern border rapists and the leftists do not seem to notice this discrepancy).
The French Revolution promised equality and collectivism while the American promised Freedom and individuality
The Paris Commune and Russian Revolution were a continuation of the French
French Jacobinism never took hold in Britain either because it was the original home of Liberty , while the American Revolution was the English Civil War continued in the colonies with Washington as Cromwell ?
Not bad. The Russian “revolution” was a naked power grab disguised as an attempt to help the proles, though. It reminds me of all those fake revolutions and attempted ones in Mexico, which were all power grabs. The only thing that changed was who was in charge.
The same thing continues to play out across the globe. The Founders were well aware of the nature of tyrants and tried to guard against them getting a foothold in America. To this day they want total control of our nation but instead of enlisting armed soldiers they call on the mush-brained and indoctrinated youth who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground.
I forgot Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his attempt to gain independence from Spain and Emperor Joseph Bonaparte. He wanted equality for Mestizos and Indians. He failed and was defrocked and executed. Shot. He meant well but was misguided because as soon as the Mestizos took over, Mexico became a shithole. Al;l the Mexican Presidents except Juarez have been Spanish Criollos but everything else is mismanaged by Mestizos and the Indians are the most abused of all. There are no Criollos in the cartels, by the way.
I’m not sure how much blame for the French Revolution can be ascribed to Sade and his free speech in the Bastille. He was certainly one of history’s most stimulating writers. But his behavior in his non-literary life is largely a matter of conjecture. The modern woke Marxists more than challenge Sade for infamous monster status–they don’t just write, they do.
Uh, you obviously haven’t read the things the Count of Sadism wrote.
Amazing insight, Daniel!
The Whigs were more of the leftist party than the Democrats. The GOP was created as a replacement for the Whigs.
The Whigs were old world statists. They supported high tariffs and taxes, government subsidies, internal improvements system (business bailouts), and a National Bank.
The early GOP was anything BUT conservative though. The Radical Republicans were certainly not conservatives. They were authoritarian and collectivist, and were definitely not pro-free market. The GOP were the big government leftists of their era.
The mainstream GOP position didn’t move to the right, the Democrats went even further to the left than they were.
Not even the Democrats of the 1870s and 1880s were all in on big government statism yet. Just ask Grover Cleveland, who in my opinion was the last great president the Democrats had.
The Dirtbagocrat party was formed as the party of slavery (slaves counted as half a person for state representation) and the Republican party was formed as the abolitionist party.
Mind you, the GOP didn’t oppose slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska act out of the goodness of their own hearts. They either didn’t want to compete with slave labor or they just didn’t wanna live around black people, period.
Lincoln’s home state of Illinois banned blacks from living there unless they paid a hefty fine up front.
No, the writing of many prominent abolitionists shows they considered slavery an evil institution, and the Industrial North was much wealthier and more successful than the rural South Competition from blacks was minimal although of course bigotry and racism existed in the North, too. It’s not like blacks were stealing cotton picking jobs in the North, because there weren’t any.
France has always been a head-scratcher for me. Despite its history of lunacy and depravity, it remains one of the most blessed places on planet Earth. It seems to be an exception to the law of the harvest. I really don’t know what to think about France.
It must be a genetic thing, in the blood. Look at Latin America for an even worse example.
The Democrat Communist Criminal Terrorist Organization of America, MUST be completely destroyed.
M.A.G.A.
“A society that places equality before freedom will get neither. A society that places freedom before equality will get s high degree of both.” –Milton Friedman–
Tocqueville warned that democracy is bound to be more tyrannical than any system of governance that man ever invented, and the collectivist homogenization of Western societies of today (everyone’s equal and has their own truth) is a testimony that democracy has evolved exactly in the direction that Tocqueville predicted. Which is why the Founders chose to establish a constitutional republic with a limited central government directly accountable to the peoples representatives instead of a “democracy.”