July ,2020 Column: What is our History and Who Decides?
This column is about a dual question that is currently roiling our country: what is the true nature of our American history and who has a legitimate voice in defining that? My opinion is that our history has both its glories and it shames. The glory should be commemorated. The shame should be ever in our minds and we must be committing to eradicating its remnants.
In my opinion, statues of Confederate leaders should come down . Those leaders not only supported slavery but were traitors to the United States as well. After that, the issue becomes much more complicated. Let’s look at some iconic symbols in American history
George Washington: He held people in slavery and considered slaves to be property. However, that is not all he did. Washington led the Continental Army to victory over the British colonial power and was our first president. Were it not for Washington our country itself might not exist.
Thomas Jefferson: He too held people in slavery. That is a horrible fact that cannot be erased or forgiven. In the one full length book he wrote, Notes on the State of Virginia, he wrote racist things about African Americans But that is not all he wrote. According to the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia “ In Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson at one time or another criticizes most of the vested interests of his time. He attacks the assumptions and usurpation of power by the rich, the powerful, and the well born; the tyranny of the church; the dogmas of the schoolmen; the bigotry of the man on horseback; the enslavement of man by man; the injustice of racial superiority. Most importantly, Jefferson also wrote the Declaration of Independence, saying, “ 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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed “ . Jefferson was also instrumental to promoting religious liberty. In my view, Jefferson set forth aspirations for the then nascent country to achieve. In some measure we have failed but through the inspiration of the Declaration we can strive to make those ideals real.
Unfortunately, statues to both Washington and Jefferson have been torn down by “protesters” in Portland Oregon and other places.
James Madison was instrumental in the writing of our Constitution. That document contains the infamous three-fifths clause and allowed slavery. But it also contains a process for enacting amendments. The first ten of those are our Bill of Rights and three later amendments did abolish slavery.
Abraham Lincoln: He is my favorite American. However, according to the History channel Lincoln wasn’t an abolitionist and Lincoln didn’t believe black people should have the same rights as white people. According to the Abraham Lincoln Historical Society, Lincoln said this in 1854 in regard to the Kansas Nebraska Act: “If all earthly power were given me, I should not know what to do, as to the existing institution. My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia,–to their own native land. But a moment’s reflection would convince me, that whatever of high hope, (as I think there is) there may be in this, in the long run, its sudden execution is impossible”.
Looking back more than 160 years, most of us would find those sentiments appalling. But that is not all Lincoln said, wrote or did. Lincoln spoke against the moral evil of slavery even before becoming president. Lincoln preserved the Union, issue the Emancipation Proclamation and urged the nation to show “ charity for all and malice toward none” in his 1865 Second Inaugural. For me that is what makes Lincoln great. The good far outweighs the bad.
Let’s take a look now at our current national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. Its lyrics include phrases like “land of the free”. It was written by Francis Scott Key in the early 19th century. However, according to The Smithsonian magazine, Key, “…was an owner of slaves and defended in court slaveholders’ rights to own human property,…”.
Should we choose a new anthem? My Country ‘Tis of Thee might be a candidate. It was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 Andover Theological Seminary , Massachusetts. However, it contains lines that, viewed 190 years later, might be considered as favoring the native born over immigrants: “Land where my fathers died; My native country, thee…”.
God Bless America might work. However some agnostics and atheists may feel excluded by the word “God”. Some deists may believe that God doesn’t bless anything and some people would believe that America doesn’t merit a blessing in any event.
America the Beautiful includes “ God ( see above) shed His ( misogynist pronoun) grace ( a theologically significant term) on thee( archaic)”.
For me our current anthem and these three possible replacements are beautiful and uplifting. There are those who clearly disagree.. According to ClassicFM, there are calls for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ to be replaced by something “ more inclusive”. Inclusive of whom? Would a new anthem be inclusive of those who think that America is a great, democratic country ( despite President Trump), albeit with some deeply troubling history? It seems to me that any effort to change our current national anthem would be needlessly divisive and probably not produce an overall improvement.
So how should Americans proceed now? In my opinion, the future of statues and monuments on public property can be decided only by open and respectful public discussion. Any decisions must be made by duly constituted legal authorities, and not by those “protesters” who rip down statues and deface monuments. Every American voice is legitimate, not just those who have painful historical grievances. Pride in the good America has done and the great things it strives for should not be dismissed as ignorant or racist.
Statues, monument and our national anthem are part of the narrative that can draw together all Americans, irrespective of ethnic group, religion or country of birth. We can and should add plaques and other reminders on monuments that our nation’s history has its very dark sides. We should build monuments to those who have suffered slavery, expulsions and discrimination. Let us not tear symbols of those historic individuals who laid the foundations for the mostly wonderful America we live in. Rather than tear down in anger let us buildup a better America based on love for our country.