Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.
Thurgood MarshallRead
Patriotic feelings will surely swell, prompting proud proclamations of the wisdom, foresight, and sense of justice shared by the Framers and reflected in a written document now yellowed with age . . . [F]or many Americans the bicentennial celebration will be little more than a blind pilgrimage to the shrine of the original document now stored in a vault in the National Archives. [Progressive]
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the duality of American patriotism, celebrating the founding principles while also acknowledging a blind adherence to tradition.
Thurgood Marshall's quote critiques the bicentennial celebrations of the U.S. Constitution, suggesting that many Americans engage in a superficial patriotism that overlooks the deeper issues of justice and progress represented by the Framers. He implies that while the Framers' foresight and wisdom are commendable, many only pay homage to the document itself without critically engaging with its historical context and contemporary relevance.
Themes
PatriotismConstitutionJusticeHistoryCritique
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about American values, one might reference this quote to discuss the importance of critically engaging with historical documents.
More from Thurgood Marshall
All quotes →The United States has been called the melting pot of the world. But it seems to me that the colored man either missed getting into the pot or he got melted down.
Thurgood MarshallRead
I cannot accept this invitation [to celebrate the bicentenial of the Constitution], for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever 'fixed' at the Philadelphia Convention... To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. [Progressive]
Thurgood MarshallRead
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
Thurgood MarshallRead
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.
Thurgood MarshallRead
In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.
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