...Though both have been radically violent, the differences between the two is, frankly, staggering.
First, the protestors of 2020, while armed with anger, seem armed with little else. They have slogans, but they have few ideas. When the Americans began to protest as early as 1763, they had years and years—decades, even—of self-rule to reply upon. They also had the traditions of the common law and the natural law. When they fought on Lexington Green, they fought with several generations worth of finely-honed arguments—from law, from experience, and from scripture.
...Second, the ideas that the protestors of 2020 hold are those of the politically-correct, left-ish ideological visions of the 1960s: the division of all peoples into races, classes, and genders. When Thomas Jefferson and Congress declared independence in 1776, they did so by proclaiming that “all men are created equal,” each endowed, by the Creator, with life, liberty, and the ability to pursue one’s happiness....
...Third, the protestors of 2020 have no conservative element or leadership within their protest. In 1776, for every radical Samuel Adams, there were three, four, or five conservatives, such as John Adams and John Dickinson....
...Finally, the protestors of 2020 have shown almost no interest in discussion. They believe their conclusions are unassailable, and, thus, they see debate as nothing more than delay toward their inevitable future. Yet, when we look back at 1776, we see an entire population that engaged in ideas at every level....
The revolutionaries of 1776 could be just as violent as those of 2020, but they were truly a lot more intelligent and interesting.
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