The Cowardly Lie of America's 'Original Sin'

 

The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy!

 

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy, 1926

 

Cowardice is an interesting paradigm. It needs to inflict fear in others, while never exhibiting courage itself. It survives on creating lies to justify its own existence. It will protect itself at any and all costs, regardless of the cost to others.

Following this model, it is undeniable that those on the political left who are espousing the belief that America was borne with original sin, and thus must be torn down and recreated into a funhouse image of democracy, are cowards.

The limitations of time and format preclude a detailed point by point rebuttal, but there are several bullet points that must be brought into the discussion.

In these times of general silliness, we must first acknowledge that almost everybody on the planet abhors the concept and usage of slavery. The thought of subjugating any human being to the horrors of slavery is anathema to the mind of a free people. That statement being made, it must also be said that slavery is still a very prosperous enterprise in todays world. One only look to the cartels on the United States southern border who traffic in the selling of human beings as property to see the practice of slavery is active. 

Those issues must be resolved, today, but the focus of this post is to reject the spreading cowardice that America can never be a ‘good’ nation because of its founding included slavery.

In some ways, that statement is akin to a house that was built in the 1970’s. It has an excellent foundation, has weathered countless storms, provided safety and security for generations, but is dismissed by 2021 house buyers as a useless artifact that should be torn down and replaced with something new. The basis for their belief is that despite all of its critical excellence, it has shag carpeting.

America may have some lead paint, leaky windows and paneling in the basement, but those who wish to tear it down seem to have never read the preamble to the United States Constitution. “In order to form a more perfect union”. The founders and the framers had no illusions that they created a masterpiece of a nation. They built in the processes for future generations to change and alter it as they saw fit. Of course, that process does not include setting fire to federal courts, firebombing small businesses, changing status by presidential fiat, or forcing the rules to change because they are in the way of radical, unconstitutional change.

There is a singular category for all who would demand change by such actions.

Coward.

 

Consider:

 

The 1619 Project attempts to say that when the first slave ships arrived in the continental United States, specifically the shore of Virginia, that such an act stained America as a hateful nation. Query: given that those slaves were bought as property, who was it that sold them?

Slavery as evil has already been acknowledged. The issue is that from 1619 until 1776, this land was a British colony, governed by British law. Before howls of protest begin that such a statement is evidence of white supremacy passing the buck, deflecting blame and avoiding responsibility, take a deep breath and read onward.

The history of slavery is the history of human civilization.  From the earliest establishment of a society, if that group did battle with another group and won, the vanquished were either killed or taken as slaves to do as the victors chose. When the pharaohs of ancient Egypt went on a pyramid building binge, the craftsmen were Egyptians pressed into service by the pharaoh. Those doing the back-breaking menial toil were slaves. The same holds for every cibilization. It causes one to ponder why there are not reparation movements against the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and so on and so on.

 

Holding a small group of men for the history of, and evils of, slavery seems to be the work of cowards.

 

When discussing the Constitution, the ignorant point to the fact that black folks were only considered to be 3/5^th of a person. By any 2021 metric, this is of course heinous. The Constitution, however, was written in the late 1780’s. In that single description, the framers and founders declared that slaves, who throughout human history were merely property, were in fact people. The founders were attempting to change the track of history, doing what no other society had ever undertaken. The 3/5^th is  more than half. In 2021, that is vile. In 1789, it was heretical.

 

This nation spilled blood in a war to finally end slavery. Todays political left seems comfortable ignoring that from the Civil War onwards, the KKK, Jim Crow, and objections to the Civil Rights laws of the 1960’s emanated from a single political party.

The Democrats.

 

Hatred and ignorance are part of the human condition. For those who may doubt that, do a search on James Byrd Jr and find a reasoned explanation as to why it happened. Open and honest discussions for any issue is the way to educate each other and find common ground. We will never eradicate racisim, and any politician who claims that this or that policy or law will do so is a coward. Talking reparations seems to be a way to buy off the supposed 400 years of oppression. Is that what comes from those who dreamed that their children would have their equality of standing? It says something, something cowardly, that people can sell their dignity for the right price.

We must hold fast that America is the greatest nation that has ever existed. All we need to maintain that status is to together as a people to pick up a paintbrush, help each other pull up that shag carpet and pull down the paneling. It is our birthright and our responsibility.

Because we are not a nation of cowards.

We are Americans.