Introduction

Fidelity is faithfulness—especially when it is challenging and unpopular—to God, one’s spouse and family, and one’s country and communities. Fidelity is not stubbornness, refusing to consider arguments and evidence that challenge one’s own beliefs. It is, rather, steadfastness to one’s commitments and convictions, even when the going gets rough.

George Washington faced many challenges when leading the American Revolution: the powerful British empire, an inefficient Continental Congress, and an impoverished patriot army. Yet, he remained faithful to the Revolution’s principles, and his fidelity was undergirded by his belief in divine providence. 

The same is true of Abraham Lincoln, who could have allowed the South to secede, preserving slavery but perhaps avoiding the bloodshed of the Civil War. Nonetheless, he made the hard decision to remain faithful to America’s founding principles, preserving the union. 

America’s greatest leaders also looked for models in the classical tradition, such as the Roman orator Cicero, who believed that republican government best guarded against tyranny as citizens pursue the common good together in fidelity to institutions.