Coming to terms with America’s original sin of genocide and slavery
Why is our nation so divided, split in half, as it were? Some cannot understand why almost half the country cannot see the evils of racism and bigotry. Others cannot understand why some people don’t have the common sense to keep things the way they are. Why don’t those people want to live up to our ideals? Why are these people tearing at the fabric of our society?
The problem may be intrinsic to our system. Our founding
fathers were white men of European descent who said, “Let’s build a great
country based upon the noble ideals of justice, liberty, freedom, and
democracy. All we need to do is to displace the native population and use the labors of enslaved black people of African descent to build our shining city set upon a hill. And God be with
us.”
They didn’t hear the cries of “God help us,” from the brown
people being driven from their native lands. They didn’t listen to the pleas of “Have
mercy” on the lips of the black people under the whip of progress. Today, we
are living in a time of increased political polarization. We are faced with our
own cries of God help us and Lord, have mercy.
Did the nation’s conflicted beginnings bring us to our current dilemma? We need not forsake our truly noble ideals, but we must acknowledge the evil fires that forged our nation. While privileged school children have been taught about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," and about how "we the people" came together "to form a more perfect union," black, brown, and Native American children have been systematically excluded from that grand vision.
Is it any wonder that we
find ourselves facing such conflict? We have promoted democratic ideals and humanitarian values while standing upon a legacy of genocide and slavery. Given such a tangled history, pat answers and motivational speeches will
probably not get us through. Facing the questions, along with some difficult
work, may help us to move forward.
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Image: "Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention" at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Medium: Oil on canvas
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