On November 19,1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, one of the greatest political speeches in American history. The speech opened with……
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that “all men are created equal.”
The concept that “All Men are created Equal” was radical in a time of Kings and Queens.. I wish the concept was ‘all men and women were created equal”. But I guess that would be a little too radical. Anyway it took a civil war to grant many of those men and women their liberty, However, the fight to attain their equality is stilling being waged!
Yesterday, I started thinking about Donald Trump and America’s Reconstruction Era. Of course Donald wasn’t around back in the 1870s and 80s, but I do believe that he has a certain connection to the era.
Southern Democrats and Reconstruction
Think about it. Southerners faced a problem after the Civil War. Citizens that they had owned were now their political equals. Southerners felt that while African-Americans may be their political equals. They can’t possibly be their social equals. Something had to be done. The results were the Jim Crow laws. From Wikipedia:
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in states of the former Confederate States of America, starting in 1890 with a “separate but equal” status for African-Americans. Facilities for African-Americans were consistently inferior and underfunded compared to those available to European Americans; sometimes they did not exist at all. This body of law institutionalized a number of economic, educational, and social disadvantages. De jure segregation mainly applied to the Southern states, while Northern segregation was generally de facto—patterns of housing segregation enforced by private covenants, bank lending practices, and job discrimination, including discriminatory labor union practices.
The Jim Crow laws took care of the social aspects of slaves gaining their freedom. But after seeing many blacks elected to political offices. Southerners decided to limit the newly freed slaves political power, too.. Again from Wikipedia:
Blacks were still elected to local offices through the 1880s, but the establishment Democrats were passing laws to make voter registration and electoral rules more restrictive, with the result that political participation by most blacks and many poor whites began to decrease.[4][5]Between 1890 and 1910, ten of the eleven former Confederate states, starting with Mississippi, passed new constitutions or amendments that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and tens of thousands of poor whites through a combination of poll taxes, literacy and comprehension tests, and residency and record-keeping requirements.[4][5] Grandfather clauses temporarily permitted some illiterate whites to vote but gave no relief to most blacks.
Parallels to Today’s Republicans
Are we starting to see parallels between today’s Republicans and Reconstruction Democrats?. Yes, I know that they are Democrats – but the only reason they are Democrats is that a Republican President won the war. Let’s take it a little farther. In 2008, Barack Obama a black man was elected President and certain people went bat-shit crazy. Now you had a man in the most powerful position in the world who was black. How could that be?
How could a man from a race that many feel superior to, be elected President. What can we do? Well first we can try to demonize him, without making it look like we’re racists. Ok his is a Muslim,a Socialist, not really American Citizen, the Antic-Christ. Anything, but a highly intelligent, mixed race, family man who just happens to be a lot smarter than you and me!
Anyway, the Republicans decided that they would deal with the probably in two ways. First, they would do nothing! Secondly, they would do everything in their power to disenfranchise those who elected the man. Much of this disenfranchisement was done under the guise of protecting against voter fraud and to keep us safe from terrorists. Right! Oh, and they also have gerrymandered their way into power, by redrawing voting districts to assure Republican victories.
The Donald Trump Connection
Ok so where does Donald Trump fit into all of this. There is no doubt in my mind that if Mr Trump was alive in the 1870 and 1880s he would have been a card-carrying Southern Democrat. Maybe he would even have suggested giving slaves Florida and then building a wall across the state’s northern border!
In today’s world though Mr Trump doesn’t only have to deal with newly freed slaves. He also has to be a President who would need to view Latinos, women and heaven forbid Muslims as free and equal citizens. That my friends is something that he can not do.
Donald Trump’s ego is too large. In order to SERVE as President of the United States!. Isn’t always I know how to fight ISIS, I know how to bring jobs back to America. I know how to make America great again! It surprises me that he doesn’t say we need to make Trump’s America Great again!
No, I truly believe that Donald Trump, like many Southern Democrats during Reconstruction and beyond, sees himself superior to those around him. Okay maybe not other rich white males, but certainly African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims, gays, the disabled and women! That is not someone who I would want to see as the President of the United States!!
A Final Thought
As I was writing the above I though, maybe it’s not that we need to make America great again, but that we have to make the American People great again! We need to regroup and as a nation return to the vision that was laid out by our Founding Fathers and spoken about by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. We as a people need to see all Americans as EQUALS.
In my opinion,our nation, over the last several decades,.has been purposely fragmented by the Republicans, We as people have been divided and then exploited. The Republican party has pitted social group after social group against each other using so many controversial issues it isn’t funny:abortion, gay rights,unions,gun control and any other hot topic issue.
You know that old adage “divide and conquer” Well that’s just what they’ve done. They divide us, and they conquer and do nothing and then laugh all the way to the bank.
What We Must Do
As a nation we will not move forward until will realize that we are all in this together and that we should do as a country what is right for us, not for the corporate behemoths or the 1%. As a country we need to stop thinking of each other as liberals or conservatives, Muslims or Christians, and start focusing on who we are – Americans. We are a country of free people. As I stated before,our country’s strength lies in the concept that “All men are created equal”. We are equal regardless of what country we came from or which religion we practice. A Donald Trump presidency would not foster that concept. It would only serve to divide us even more.
Phil Ochs – Power and Glory
Writing this long and rambling post brought to mind Phil Ochs’ song “Power and Glory” Here is the song’s chorus and the fourth verse that never made it to his recording of the song:
Here’s a land full of power and glory Beauty that words cannot recall Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom, Her glory shall rest on us all
Yet our land is still troubled by men who have to hate They twist away our freedom and they twist away our fate Fear is their weapon and treason is their cry. We can stop them if we try……
We need to stop them all! Here’s the song! This song has always been a favorite of mine. I think it should be song right along with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land”
Thoughts About Donald Trump and Reconstruction
America’s Founding Radical Concept
On November 19,1863 President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, one of the greatest political speeches in American history. The speech opened with……
The concept that “All Men are created Equal” was radical in a time of Kings and Queens.. I wish the concept was ‘all men and women were created equal”. But I guess that would be a little too radical. Anyway it took a civil war to grant many of those men and women their liberty, However, the fight to attain their equality is stilling being waged!
Yesterday, I started thinking about Donald Trump and America’s Reconstruction Era. Of course Donald wasn’t around back in the 1870s and 80s, but I do believe that he has a certain connection to the era.
Southern Democrats and Reconstruction
Think about it. Southerners faced a problem after the Civil War. Citizens that they had owned were now their political equals. Southerners felt that while African-Americans may be their political equals. They can’t possibly be their social equals. Something had to be done. The results were the Jim Crow laws. From Wikipedia:
The Jim Crow laws took care of the social aspects of slaves gaining their freedom. But after seeing many blacks elected to political offices. Southerners decided to limit the newly freed slaves political power, too.. Again from Wikipedia:
Parallels to Today’s Republicans
Are we starting to see parallels between today’s Republicans and Reconstruction Democrats?. Yes, I know that they are Democrats – but the only reason they are Democrats is that a Republican President won the war. Let’s take it a little farther. In 2008, Barack Obama a black man was elected President and certain people went bat-shit crazy. Now you had a man in the most powerful position in the world who was black. How could that be?
How could a man from a race that many feel superior to, be elected President. What can we do? Well first we can try to demonize him, without making it look like we’re racists. Ok his is a Muslim,a Socialist, not really American Citizen, the Antic-Christ. Anything, but a highly intelligent, mixed race, family man who just happens to be a lot smarter than you and me!
Anyway, the Republicans decided that they would deal with the probably in two ways. First, they would do nothing! Secondly, they would do everything in their power to disenfranchise those who elected the man. Much of this disenfranchisement was done under the guise of protecting against voter fraud and to keep us safe from terrorists. Right! Oh, and they also have gerrymandered their way into power, by redrawing voting districts to assure Republican victories.
The Donald Trump Connection
Ok so where does Donald Trump fit into all of this. There is no doubt in my mind that if Mr Trump was alive in the 1870 and 1880s he would have been a card-carrying Southern Democrat. Maybe he would even have suggested giving slaves Florida and then building a wall across the state’s northern border!
In today’s world though Mr Trump doesn’t only have to deal with newly freed slaves. He also has to be a President who would need to view Latinos, women and heaven forbid Muslims as free and equal citizens. That my friends is something that he can not do.
Donald Trump’s ego is too large. In order to SERVE as President of the United States!. Isn’t always I know how to fight ISIS, I know how to bring jobs back to America. I know how to make America great again! It surprises me that he doesn’t say we need to make Trump’s America Great again!
No, I truly believe that Donald Trump, like many Southern Democrats during Reconstruction and beyond, sees himself superior to those around him. Okay maybe not other rich white males, but certainly African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims, gays, the disabled and women! That is not someone who I would want to see as the President of the United States!!
A Final Thought
As I was writing the above I though, maybe it’s not that we need to make America great again, but that we have to make the American People great again! We need to regroup and as a nation return to the vision that was laid out by our Founding Fathers and spoken about by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. We as a people need to see all Americans as EQUALS.
In my opinion,our nation, over the last several decades,.has been purposely fragmented by the Republicans, We as people have been divided and then exploited. The Republican party has pitted social group after social group against each other using so many controversial issues it isn’t funny:abortion, gay rights,unions,gun control and any other hot topic issue.
You know that old adage “divide and conquer” Well that’s just what they’ve done. They divide us, and they conquer and do nothing and then laugh all the way to the bank.
What We Must Do
As a nation we will not move forward until will realize that we are all in this together and that we should do as a country what is right for us, not for the corporate behemoths or the 1%. As a country we need to stop thinking of each other as liberals or conservatives, Muslims or Christians, and start focusing on who we are – Americans. We are a country of free people. As I stated before,our country’s strength lies in the concept that “All men are created equal”. We are equal regardless of what country we came from or which religion we practice. A Donald Trump presidency would not foster that concept. It would only serve to divide us even more.
Phil Ochs – Power and Glory
Writing this long and rambling post brought to mind Phil Ochs’ song “Power and Glory” Here is the song’s chorus and the fourth verse that never made it to his recording of the song:
Here’s a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom,
Her glory shall rest on us all
Yet our land is still troubled by men who have to hate
They twist away our freedom and they twist away our fate
Fear is their weapon and treason is their cry.
We can stop them if we try……
We need to stop them all! Here’s the song! This song has always been a favorite of mine. I think it should be song right along with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land”