The men of the Declaration of Independence operated covertly for some time before the writing of the document. There were representatives from 13 states already decided when it was written. The assembly of these men had their own interests to protect in each state before consenting to the document.
The majority were Masons and shared many, many spiritual identities.
Mackey's Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1966) clearly shows that Washington's membership in the order was more than token. (click here)
The differences are obvious. The men of the Declaration of Independence had their ancestry in the British Isles. Their learning institutions within the knowledge base of the British and Christianity. The church in Great Britain is The Church of England and it was that god and savior Jesus Christ which dominated the thinking of these men. However, they were able to identify the very similar, if not exactly the same, desire for self-governance and allegiance to a nation and not a god separate from each other. They identified 'the king' or 'the ruling god' as a sincere problem to individual freedoms and pursuits of happiness.
The people of Egypt have a very different spiritual identity from the Freemasons of the USA heritage. However, they do believe in their own self-determination and freedom to pursue happiness. The spiritual basis of the burgeoning independence movement is Muslim. There is nothing wrong with that. It was the way they were educated, found each other and found strength to stand up for their desired freedoms.
Egypt is a very sophisticated in many ways. The way in which this movement emerged was by a woman on a street corner using an electronic devise. Very different, but, not exactly different as one if land and two if by sea. The underpinnings of the desire for freedom was there when the tweets went out. Others understood all too clearly and it was she that was the most vulnerable, a woman in a Muslim demeanor, whom called on her men to be men and move them all forward. It may have well been Paul Revere.
The picture above is by John Trumbull. His reporting of the event parallels other painters of the day. They are no different than sketch artists of today's courtroom. They were the photographers of the day. State of the art, literally. Just because the methods and speed of communication has changed doesn't change the desires of the people. People longing to be free and able to carry on their lives as others in other nations do.
Egypt is in transition in a highly turbulent part of the world known to have young men that seek jihad as a method to anger. To say the up-spring revolution has problems is an understatement. The ability to maintain stability of their nation while surviving the instability inherent to the Middle East is important to consider. The Egyptian Revolution has been successful and has come a long way, it is not finished and still seeks definition among the leadership.
If I may be as so bold as to state, the leadership of the Egyptian opposition parties are 'not tried' on international venues of real power and might. The idea there needs to be more sophistication of those most able to lead is real. Their exposure to other nations are important. Egypt is not South Ossetia. It is already a major nation in the world, with economy and international relationships and leadership. Egypt has allies facing their own doubts about the dynamics of the Middle East, so there is potential for instability beyond what most realize.
I am sure the election announcement today will be benevolent. It will not return Mubarak to power or instill the old regime, the people won't allow it and neither will allies wishing a greater freedom for the them. So, there is a road ahead. The opposition leadership needs to be elected into places where they are exposed to the entire dynamics of Egypt. The fact there has been such a lengthy dictatorship in Egypt has handicapped the people.
When the USA won their war, a literal war, the British left, there was an ocean between the then two separate countries. The analogy between Egypt and the USA has its limits. I look forward to the burgeoning democracy in Egypt, let it be long lived.
