I realize this is an emotional subject. However, it has become perhaps the greatest source of division in the country today. You often hear that what is needed is a frank, open discussion of the topic. I agree. However, typically this ends up being the progressive elites taking ownership of the subject and telling anyone who has a different view than their own that they are racists and have no right to speak on the subject. Even conservative black commentators, such as Candace Owens of Turning Point USA, is called a “white supremacist”. This would be laughable were it not done in such a vile, hateful and dismissive manner. If even blacks are not allowed to openly discuss their different opinions without retribution and name calling, how can a white American say anything. I think it is worth the effort.
One thing that perturbs me, as a lifelong amateur historian, is the tendency today to impose our 21st century values and norms on people from the past. For example, today we certainly can all agree that slavery is an evil practice and should never be tolerated. However, this was not the prevailing thought in the 18th century. Back then, when our country was founded, slavery of people was widespread and accepted. Prior to the Enlightenment, many people believed that slavery was part of the social makeup, that God had preordained peoples’ positions in life, including that of slaves. Of course that was inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible, but it did not stop men from believing it. Slavery has existed for all time. The Jews were slaves to the Egyptians, the Christians were slaves to the Romans, and slavery was practiced all over the world. It was hardly the invention of Americans nor was it exclusively American. Slavery was introduced by our European ancestors to the entire new world. A little known fact, slavery was even more widespread in Brazil, a territory of Portugal, then it was in the American colonies. Slavery was so common that it still exists today in parts of Africa and the Middle East and, in the form of “white slavery”, or forced prostitution, even here in the US. I am certainly not justifying slavery, particularly in the case of African Americans, but it was just not unusual 250 years ago. It is not surprising that some, but not all, of our Founding Fathers were slave owners. What is very surprising, however, is that something gave them the foresight to place in our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the tools to eventually correct the evil practice. The notions that “All men are created equal” and that “our rights are bestowed upon us by our Creator” (not man) provide the basis for this correction and improvement to our society. This is the nature of history, that societies and philosophies evolve. Thank God that our Founders placed these tools into our society to facilitate that process. I cannot imagine what our society would look like had they not and pray that we do not remove our Constitution, which some today consider to be an antiquated document.
The elimination of slavery finally came about as a result of the North, pushed mainly by evangelical Christian abolitionists, saying enough and inciting the Civil War. Roughly 620,000 soldiers lost their lives to finish this war, more US deaths than in all other wars combined, including WWII and out of a population of just over 30 million, less than a tenth of today’s population. Ours was never a country in which the majority believed in slavery and the blood of those patriots helped prove it.
I submit that the US is not systemically racist as the founding documents of our “system” do not allow it. Even the provision in the original constitution, that a slave would count as 3/5 of a person has been widely misunderstood. This was a compromise between the southern states, that wanted slaves to count 100% for the census, though not having voting rights (as only landowners back then had this right) and northern states, that abhorred the institution of slavery, and did not want the south to benefit with more congressional seats based upon it. They finally settled upon the 3/5 rule. Neither side ever said that the slaves were not humans, it was strictly a political compromise.
I don’t think any one blog should be too long, so I will continue this in other blogs soon as I have many more opinions on the subject. For now I encourage your comments as this is the dialogue that needs to occur if we are ever going to get out of the current divide we now face.