John Jay: Wisdom From A Founding Father

Every now and then, it seems to me, it is worth while to look back at the history of this great country of ours and consider what actions were taken by the founding fathers that set us free, and have made us the most powerful and successful nation on earth. I was reading a thing the other nite about John Jay. I'm not sure John Jay is even in our modern history books, but he should be. He is possibly best remembered today, if he is remembered at all, as one of the contributors to the series of newspaper articles which have been combined to give us the book called "The Federalist". Those writings became the foundation for American thought in the American Revolution, and most of them were penned by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.

He was very much a part of the Revolution: he served as President of the Continental Congress during part of the war; he went to Europe to negotiate with Spain; he was a commissioner (along with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams) to the peace conference between the United States and Britain. And he eventually became what we then called the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. John Jay became the first Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1777, and 10 years later President George Washington appointed him the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

He was a conservative and a leading spokesman for the American cause, even though Britain was the most powerful nation in the world at the time. And partly because he was also known as a devout Christian, the following statement, sent to the General Committee of New York, was often quoted and carried great weight in the founding of America: Said Jay: "What reason is there to expect that Heaven will help those who refuse to help themselves; or that Providence will grant liberty to those who lack courage to defend it?" In light of what is going on in our world today, it seems to me it might behoove us to listen to John Jay one more time: "What reason is there to expect that Heaven will help those who refuse to help themselves; or that Providence will grant liberty to those who lack courage to defend it?"

This is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/3/182440