As some of you are aware, I recently got married, right here on Cato’s roofdeck, overseen by the eagle of liberty. I’ll spare you the details – there were plenty of “constitutional moments,” including personalized pocket constitutions as one of our wedding favors – other than to highlight my sometime co-author Josh Blackman’s excellent reading on the Framers and love:
We can look to the same patriots that gave us our Constitution to glean some lessons about love, liberty, and forming more perfect unions.
A successful marriage is not that much different from a successful republic. Both require the union of different parties to utilize their comparative advantages more efficiently. Both require a federalist system that structures powers and rights. And most importantly, both must aspire to a higher charter to bond them into one. For the United States it is our Constitution. For Kristin and Ilya, it is their vows.
First, we look to Federalist 51, Ilya’s favorite, where Madison wrote that if men were angels, we would not need government. Alas, neither husband nor wife is always an angel, so both Kristin and Ilya will need to structure a government for themselves to promote their happiness.
Second, to avoid any strife, we should heed Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence, for mere “light and transient” causes are not enough. They must maintain tranquility, as they “mutually pledge to each other their Lives, their Fortunes and their sacred Honor.”
Third, we turn to the father of our country, General George Washington, whose eternal love for his wife Martha carried him towards victory. In one of the rare letters, which Martha did not burn at George’s death, the General wrote to her, “I retain an unalterable affection for you, which neither time nor distance can change.” May the two of you always be in such love, no matter where you are.
May the passion our framers had for our Constitution and Republic, mirror the love you have for each other. And as the history of our nation has witnessed, despite the dividing difficulties, insurmountable challenges, and specters of oppression, the union shall always prevail. As you pursue happiness together, may Kristin and Ilya always cherish their life, and liberty–and hopefully accumulate vast amounts of property, both personal and real. And that way, they can “secure the Blessings of Liberty to their many Posterity.”
If you’re curious about the rest of the ceremony, including Josh’s presentation, you can view it here (the audio is patchy at first, but kicks in before the vows). Yes, I got permission from my wife to post that and, yes, we’ll be going on honeymoon soon – but, like most couples, we’re waiting for the end of the Supreme Court term before getting away.