There is ground for arguing that America has been the most successful country in the democratic system of government. This has been evident since it declared independence in 1776, marking the beginning of a quest for the pursuit of liberty and happiness for its populace. To achieve the goals of the founding fathers, which is to form a more perfect union and for America to remain prosperous in the 21st century, it should rely not solely on its revolutionary founding ideals of liberty and self-governance, but also on its evolving competence to balance moral tradition and individual freedom.

 

The Declaration of Independence demonstrates America’s radical principles of self-governance, which were globally unpopular at the time. This document, with its far-reaching ideals of individual freedom, proclaimed a union in which people have certain unalienable rights, and those rights are endowed to them by the Creator. Here, America balanced Christian moral tradition, that is, the belief that all human beings are created equal, with individual liberty. Evidently, the relationship between traditional Christian moral values and individual freedom was instrumental in the success of American independence because, as most traditions do, it unified people to fight for a common belief in their rights to sovereignty.

 

On the other hand, one may argue that the Christian moral tradition and individual freedom were not universally practiced in America at its founding. For example, slavery still existed, and therefore, the individual freedom Americans had fought for was only extended to a particular racial group rather than the whole country. Therefore, the success of the country as a democracy is questionable. In spite of that, when considering the broader trajectory of American history, it becomes clear that the aim was never to preserve slavery in the long run. For example, Abraham Lincoln unpacks the Constitution with respect to slavery. He asserts that the framers of the Constitution thought of slavery as morally wrong and intentionally structured it in a way that would allow for its eventual abolition in the future. He mentions that it was impractical for them to abolish slavery immediately since they found the whole system resting upon the importation of slave labor. The Civil War and the subsequent rebirth of America are evidence of America’s capacity to balance moral tradition with individual freedom, as they abolished a tradition that clashed with Christian moral ideals. In light of this, America’s long-enduring success can be attributed to its ideals of liberty that were set up to correct themselves over time in its quest to align with the values expressed at its founding.

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Since traditional religious beliefs played a crucial role in the shaping and betterment of American democracy, religion is increasingly becoming an obstacle rather than an advantage in the success of American democracy. From America’s founding onward, the promotion of individual liberty has led to an increasingly diverse society, with a broad variation in religious belief, moral values, and the rise of atheism. In turn, it has become impractical to incorporate traditional Christian moral values into political democratic practice. For example, Richard Rorty, in his essay Religion as a Conversation Stopper, suggests privatizing religion, proposing that it is bad taste to bring religion into discussions of public policy because it hinders rational debate among citizens who do not share the same faith. Rorty confronts a challenge to American democracy by proposing a practical solution to maintain its success. The American system of government inherently contains diverse and often opposing views on how to run the country, from the federal level to the state level, and down to the individual people. In cases like these, aside from the question of slavery, which led to the Civil War, America has been effective in nurturing its fundamental ideals of liberty through the practice of freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas. Considering this, the isolation of private faith in public deliberation, as Rorty advocates, seems to be a practical solution to the problem of religion hindering proper democratic practice. Thus, American society should learn to balance moral tradition and individual freedom to remain a successful modern-day democracy.

 

In conclusion, America’s historical and ongoing success as a democracy lies in its ability to balance the revolutionary ideals of liberty and self-governance with the evolving need to adjust moral tradition to changing social realities. The Declaration of Independence laid the foundation by asserting that all individuals possess unalienable rights given by a Creator, merging Christian moral tradition with a radical commitment to individual freedom. Though the existence of slavery at the nation’s founding revealed a serious contradiction, leaders like Abraham Lincoln recognized that the Constitution was framed to allow the gradual abolition of such injustices, affirming that the American experiment was designed to perfect itself over time. Furthermore, as American society grew more diverse in religious and philosophical outlooks, the challenge of maintaining a shared moral framework became more complex.

 

Richard Rorty’s call for the privatization of religion in public discourse, as outlined in Religion as a Conversation Stopper, reflects a practical approach to preserving democratic dialogue in an increasingly pluralistic society. His argument highlights the importance of ensuring that political debate remains accessible and logical to all citizens, regardless of their personal faith commitments. Therefore, the success of America today and into the 21st century depends not only on loyalty to its founding ideals but also on its capacity to evolve— to foster freedom while accommodating diversity, and to respect moral traditions without allowing them to undermine inclusive public reasoning. By continuing to refine its practice of liberty and moral balance, America can remain true to the spirit of its founding while securing a vibrant, democratic future for all its people and future generations as envisioned by its founding fathers.

 

 

Abraham Lincoln, ‘Speech at New Haven, Connecticut,’ in Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings, 1859– 1865 (New York, 1989), pp. 132–150. 

Abraham Lincoln, ‘Speech at New Haven, Connecticut,’ in Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings, 1859– 1865 (New York, 1989), pp. 132–150. 

Richard Rorty, ‘Religion as Conversation–Stopper,’ Common Knowledge, 1 (1994), pp. 1–6. 

Richard Rorty, ‘Religion as Conversation–Stopper,’ Common Knowledge, 1 (1994), pp. 1–6.