Heroes of the Republic

Some people see heroes as saviors. People who are willing to sacrifice their lives to rescue those in need of it. But heroes are not just those who have to explicitly “save” people. Heroes are the ones who touch the lives of others in many different ways and produce unfathomable results for the betterment of our world. A hero illustrates what we should be as humans and what we should do as humans. Heroes create societies, heroes work with each other, and many of them are unfortunately unrecognized by their efforts.

After winning a hard-fought eight-year war to break away from the chains of tyranny, the pride of the newly created nation did not last. Continued refusal to recognize its existence from other nations, the impossible to pay debts and the constant chaos in the debates caused tension in this new nation. The government was weak and confused, with no ability to act. No-one could get the people to work together within the nation with people putting their own states and towns as priorities rather than working as one unified nation. It seemed that this nation would soon fall into obscurity and into the long list of nations that failed to break through their stages of infancy. To make matters worse, other more powerful and power-hungry nations sought to conquer it. With an entire nation in peril, it needed heroes. The likes of not one but many have to work together to unite it. And with the brilliant minds who bravely volunteered to solve this long-standing issue, a country on the cusp of falling soon turned into the greatest in the world. America.

The hurdle of breaking through the initial stage would prove a difficult challenge among the people. All who were chosen as delegates had to work together to succeed in their goal of saving their entire nation. There was no fine foundation or structure to copy, nor was there a chance that all the states would agree on the change. So then came one of the greatest meetings in modern history: the Constitutional Convention.

Rather than to have the minds of a few to sort it out the Convention welcomed fifty-five delegates from all over the states. These men participated not for their own benefit but for the betterment of their family, their friends, the entire nation. They were true patriots, and they wanted America to rise to glory. They knew they were not just going to give up their freedom and give up their newly created nation just because their people did not get along. They put their other matters out of the way in an attempt to reunite a nation. Many of these men worked day in and day out proposing ideas that would help create the best society possible. They worked in the sweltering Philadelphia heat for hours and hours in the span of over three months writing hundreds and hundreds of pages.

These people were not afraid to communicate and support their own ideas or give criticism on someone else’s idea. Brilliant ideas came from this convention such as the thought of three branches and checks and balances from Hamilton, the Bill of Rights from Madison and Jefferson, the advocation for a stronger union from Washington. These are only a few examples of brilliant ideas albeit from the most notable people from the convention. But, these are not the only people who were at the convention. More obscure heroes of the convention include Governor Morris who created our preamble, Roger Sherman who advocated for a bicameral legislature, John Jay who had a great influence in the Federalist Papers. These ideas all relatively attempted to accomplish a single goal: to reconnect a broken society.

But different ideas mean contradiction. Different views on dozens of different topics and arguments over ideas had to be held together by compromise. A compromise was necessary to fulfill the needs of all the people especially in a time of dire need for better government. These people tried to work together and tried their hardest to come to an agreement. They wanted to shape society as they would envision it best. Great people are open to compromise and do not put their ideas higher than others. Rather than being egoistic and selfish, these men showed how they were willing to accept how their ideas were not perfect and how they could improve. Exceptional ideas came from these compromises made. The idea of a Senate and a House of Representatives, and after the convention the idea of the Bill of Rights all came from compromise. After months of hard work from these men, the constitution was finally ratified years later on June 21, 1788.

The influence of these people and their creation continues on to this day. Although the constitution has been added too and changed a few times the foundation is still there. America is now a nation with the utmost ability, helping other nations in need through humanitarian efforts, inspiring entire nations with its influence, and although it has its issues, it still provides its own people with a number of opportunities and luxury. To think that such a foundation for a nation would survive over two hundred and forty years of economic issues, world wars, civil wars, and potential nuclear wars is incredible. Without the heroic efforts of the people who met years and years ago, such a great nation could not have possibly existed.

This idea of teamwork, achieving greatness and putting the needs of others first is heroism, and this is the case in not just this event but ones from all over history. The battles where nobody surrenders despite the worst of odds, the famines where people had to work together to survive, the coming together of thousands to fight for a cause all show that people are not invincible when they work alone, but are when they work together. Give a man ball and he’ll win the game. Give a man a team and he’ll win the championship.