Page 211 - Beers With Our Founding Fathers

A Patriot’s view of the history and direction of our Country

to the government is the citizens’ check on the government.

Historically, only members of the ruling class could petition the
government, and that was limited. Empires, even with a

representative legislative body, were oppressive and either
monarchies (one central ruler – king, queen, emperor, etc.) or

oligarchies (small groups of rulers). If you were not a landowner,
you were a servant – and only landowners had rights. Not until

colonial America, with a population from all points of primarily
Europe, was the ability to own land realized by commoners. Even

the earliest settlers were indentured by their land grants, but they
did have their own land – even if indebted for the privilege.

The right to petition the government, or redress, was one of the
fundamental evolutions leading to our Founding Fathers changing

direction from desiring to stay subjects of the crown, to
independence. As most were landed gentry – colonial nobility in a

sense – they felt the right to petition the crown existed not only for
them, but for and all other colonists. The colonies were a land of

the oppressed under tyranny with no redress. When this was
continually denied and answered by more oppressive and tyrannical

acts – even aggression – and with the rooted concept class
equalities growing in the colonies, the right of the individual and

collective to petition the government was realized. There are dire
consequences in the failure of this right – only tyranny and

oppression can exist.

The right to petition the government is not only in assembly,
speech and press, and even religion, but also in the courts. The loud
voice of the populace can awaken a disrespectful and

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