OPINION: On Constitution Day, humility and charity

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In my Constitution Day column two years ago, I wrote about the "challenge of self-government" that our founders laid out for us. They gave us a plan for government based on what Alexander Hamilton called the "science of politics," but they understood that generations of Americans would have to live up to this plan. They knew that Americans would either meet the challenge of self-government or lose the opportunity. Hence the famous story in which Benjamin Franklin, asked what sort of government the Constitution gives Americans, said: "A republic, if you can keep it."

Our founders certainly believed Americans capable of keeping their republic, but they also knew that when it comes to virtue, human nature is a mixed bag. "As there is a degree of depravity in mankind which requires a certain degree of circumspection and distrust," said James Madison, "so there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence." We ought to have confidence in our fellow citizens - and in ourselves - but we should also remember that we're all human and far from perfect.

"[W]hat is government itself," asked Madison, "but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary."

The fact that we need government in the first place demonstrates our distance from perfection.

With that in mind, reflecting on our Constitution and the honest, unflattering picture of human nature offered by our founders, we might consider two qualities or habits of mind that seem rare in our political life today: humility and charity.

Given our imperfections - given the flaws shared by even the best of us - we might leave room for doubt and error, even when we're sure that we're right. And we might listen to others in good faith, even when we're sure that they're wrong. We might temper our certainties with humility and treat our fellow citizens - imperfect, just like us - with charity.

"The spirit of liberty," said Judge Learned Hand, "is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." Maybe, in keeping with the spirit of liberty, we shouldn't be too sure, either.

After all, we're only human.

Damien K. Picariello is assistant professor of political science at USC Sumter. USC Sumter will celebrate Constitution Day with a talk by Tom O'Hare of Wilson Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m., in the Arts and Letters Lecture Hall on the USC Sumter campus. The event is free and open to the public.