Our government is founded upon the intelligence of the people. I

"Our government is founded upon the intelligence of the people. I for one do not despair of the republic. I have great confidence in the virtue of the great majority of the people, and I cannot fear the result." Thus spoke Andrew Jackson, the soldier-president, the man of the frontier who rose from humble soil to lead a nation. In this declaration, forged in the spirit of the early American republic, lies a faith deeper than politics — a faith in the People, in their intelligence, their virtue, and their enduring ability to guard liberty through wisdom and courage. Jackson’s words are not those of a dreamer, but of one who believed that the destiny of a nation rests not in the brilliance of its rulers, but in the moral strength of its citizens.

Jackson, born amid hardship and tempered by battle, knew both the strength and the folly of men. He had seen the wilderness turn to cities, the colonies rise into a republic, and the people — plain farmers, craftsmen, and soldiers — shoulder the weight of freedom with dignity. When he said that our government is founded upon the intelligence of the people, he meant that the true power of democracy flows not from the marble halls of authority, but from the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens. In the republic he defended, wisdom was not the privilege of the learned few, but the shared inheritance of all who lived by conscience and labor.

In his time, the young nation faced storms that might have shaken the faith of weaker spirits. Banks and politicians schemed for power; the wounds of class and region deepened; and voices of despair claimed that democracy would devour itself. Yet Jackson stood firm and declared, "I do not despair of the republic." He believed that so long as the people remained vigilant and virtuous, no corruption, no institution, no elite could enslave them. For the republic, he said, was not a fragile experiment — it was the living proof of human dignity. To despair of it was to despair of mankind itself.

Consider the Revolutionary generation that came before him — farmers who laid down their plows to face the greatest empire of their age. They were not born of privilege or trained in the arts of governance, yet they conceived a system that changed the course of the world. Their strength came not from wealth or birth, but from intelligence joined with virtue — the intelligence to discern justice from tyranny, and the virtue to act upon it even at great cost. Jackson’s faith in the people was an echo of theirs, for he knew that freedom is not preserved by perfection, but by perseverance — by a people who learn from error and rise stronger with each trial.

Yet his words also carry a warning for the generations that followed. A government founded on the intelligence of the people cannot endure if that intelligence grows dim. A republic cannot live where virtue is forgotten, or where citizens trade thought for comfort. Confidence in the people is no excuse for complacency; it is a summons to education, to reflection, and to moral courage. For democracy is not sustained by the mere act of voting, but by the daily exercise of conscience — by citizens who think deeply, act justly, and judge wisely.

In every age, this truth must be renewed. When voices of cynicism claim that corruption rules all, remember Jackson’s defiance: "I have great confidence in the virtue of the great majority of the people." For while evil may rise for a time, it cannot take root where the people remain awake and honorable. The destiny of the republic, then, lies not in its institutions, but in the hearts of its citizens. When they are true, the nation stands unshaken; when they falter, no law can save it.

The lesson is clear and enduring: the strength of a government is the reflection of its people. Let no citizen say, “I am too small to matter,” for the republic itself is built upon the sum of their thoughts and deeds. Cultivate intelligence — through learning, dialogue, and truth. Cultivate virtue — through honesty, service, and compassion. Stand against corruption not with despair, but with faith that the light of reason will outlast the shadows of deceit.

So remember the wisdom of Andrew Jackson: the republic is not sustained by rulers, but by the people — by their intelligence, their virtue, and their courage. Do not despair when the nation trembles, for it is in such moments that character is tested and renewed. Have confidence in the good that dwells in the many, and act to awaken it in yourself and others. For as long as the people remain wise and virtuous, the republic will endure — and no power on earth can bring it to ruin.