Fittingly, the US Constitution, designed under the influence of this second tradition, is a conservative document that funnels all government decisions through a process of compromise, negotiation, and consensus. Oh sure, voters have bleated in despair in recent years about gridlock in Washington. But gridlock is a fundamental part of the Constitution that citizens cherish. Americans love the system's frustrating compromise. When Western Senators can hold unrelated legislation hostage until they get their way on grazing rights, Americans feel comforted.
Life is slow and deliberate.
America is a conservative country that adores the status quo. We treat the Constitution as though it's a holy counterpart to the Bible. Our reverence for our constitutional scriptures reveals a national ancestor worship that is practically Oriental in its intensity. So most Americans are too conservative to celebrate the radical doctrine that undergirds Independence Day. And again this year, in speeches and benedictions around the country, the words of Jefferson and Paine will be replaced by the images of Washington and Hamilton.