The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins with, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...” 

As imperfect men, the framers of the Constitution crafted a document intended to evolve into the promise of America. To “make a more perfect Union” was an aspiration, especially in the light of slavery.

 The goal was to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” That promise started as a narrow interpretation (white landowning men), but was designed to expand as the nation grew in wisdom.

 A fundamental value of the Constitution is its elasticity and its capacity to grow with inclusion over time. This has guided the nation’s capacity for assimilation through   the generations, for more citizens to enjoy the fruits of liberty.  

These American values of liberty, equality, democracy  and the rule of law are enshrined in the Preamble:  “...Establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility...  promote the general Welfare,” are the words they used. 

The Constitution went further in encoding American values with the Bill of Rights. The right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom for people to get together peacefully, and freedom for people to send petitions to their government. It guarantees due process and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Today, all these American values are under threat.  They are being dismantled before our very eyes. None of these American values in the Constitution and Bill of Rights could have been written without empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Thomas Jefferson wrote; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

He could not have written these beautiful core American values without having empathy.  

But today there is a war on empathy. 

Elon Musk said about empathy, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” Empathy, in the opinion of our government, is now a disease to be excised. No longer are we trying to “create a more perfect union,” as the framers intended. The promise of America is now only for the MAGA loyalists.  It is a bastardization of our Constitution. 

It is liberty for the few. 

The emphasis is on cruelty, not tranquility.  It is a form of terror on our citizens, especially those who do not conform to the MAGA doctrine. Blacks, women, gays, Muslims, Democrats, immigrants or those not loyal to King Trump are no longer included in the promise of America. American values are dying. 

At the precipice of the Civil War, Lincoln said, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.” 

Despite Lincoln’s pleas, they ignored him in 1861. Will we listen to Lincoln in 2025 and restore the original promise of the framers for a “more perfect union” and the core American values that make that possible? I pray we do.  

Vito DiBiasi lives in Dingman Township, PA. This is the text of a speech he gave in Narrowsburg at the We the People Forum on July 5. It has been lightly edited for clarity.