Part II EXTRA: Identifying as the Worst of US

Part II EXTRA: Identifying as the Worst of US

Perhaps the most damaging, and warping race manipulating narrative ubiquitous among the left is that the U.S. was born a racist country, that America was built on a system dedicated to white supremacy, and slavery. Is this true? This is the same narrative of actual white supremacists. 

To scapegoat America as the cause and harborer of the evil seed of racism and slavery is inaccurate. The notion lends itself to support fringe white supremacists groups as the rightful owners of America, and also erases multicultural contributions, and revolutionary philosophies that created the U.S.A.

The United States was not created to serve white supremacy or slavery. Nor was white supremacy or slavery created by America.  If we want to find the sources of white supremacy and the Atlantic slave trade, we have to look further back in history than America's founding fathers:

Human Psychology

Racism is a behavior that has likely haunted people from the dawn of humanity. Fear of 'others', and leveraging us against them populism is ubiquitous in history from every nation and every creed. It takes a principled, conscious effort to create communities that resist these behaviors. But, even so, politicians will not let go of their most effective tool-divide and conquer.

Religion

Powerful religious politicians hugely influenced systemic racism. The stories of Ham and Ishmael, in Abrahamic religions, have programmed many to be racist against dark skinned people, and Arabs. Mixing of races is forbidden in many Abrahamic texts.

It is easy to see religious teachings mirrored in racist behaviors throughout the US, and the world. In fact, it is these religious stories that have fueled politicians to defend slavery --  interracial bans, and the exclusion of black and Arab people from the US. This mentality, seeded thousands of years ago, is still fresh in US culture today.

While the weed of racism still flourishes, so does its counterweight -- the fight against it.

Who started America, and Why?

The Founding Fathers did not ride ashore North America to an untouched land--its history was already filled with immigration, empires, international trade, and wars. The seeds of America laid in the hands of the oppressed people sent to America at the direction and control of Empires, or as refugees from tyrannical governments.

Slavery was already a strong institution before the United States existed. The Atlantic Slave Trade started in Portugal, with the help of African nations, 300 years before the founding of the US. It should not escape our judgments that, after centuries of slavery, the practice was hotly fought against immediately by America's founders. America's fight against slavery took up substantial political space, leading to a civil war where hundreds of thousands of Americans died to end it. And end it they did.

What drove Americans to sacrifice their their lives to free American slaves? It was a conscious, principled battle based on the philosophies enshrined in America's legal documents -- the inherent human dignity of all, the inherent rights of man.

What about the Founding Fathers slavery?

It is true that about half of our founding fathers owned slaves. The ones who did not were Quaker (history does not give Quakers the credit they deserve for forging philosophies of equality).

There is no denying that the culture that started this country was rife with racists, racism, and slavery, but we should not deny that it was also filled with a righteous and effective fight against these things, and that the US constitution laid the laws that gave each person the tools for protecting themselves against the tyranny of others.

What about the three-fifths law?

Why did the US label slaves as less than a whole person? This was a political compromise to the South, where slaves had been imported by the British Crown, and was an embedded institution. They wanted their slaves to count toward apportionment, so that they would have more representatives in the legislature, even thought slaves were not citizens. 

Giving the south more population by counting their slaves gave the south disproportionate political power, but Southern leaders refused to join the Union otherwise. This is how the three-fifths compromise was agreed to.

Should the founders have given the South full advantage?

Should they have said "no", and fought to free the slaves before they gained their own nation? Those who opposed slavery made the choice to fight for themselves first, but did not give up on freeing the slaves after.

There will always be oppressors

Racism has its roots in biology, religion, science, media, and politics. It is ubiquitous in history, and in modern times. There will always be oppressors.

What America was founded for, and the unique tool Americans have, is our constitution -- a set of laws written to protect individuals in a time when almost all people were subjects of unaccountable leaders and lacked human rights. The constitution laid a framework, not for what was, but for what could be and what should be. We have fought and continue to fight for those ideals.

'Liberals' narrative concerning the United States tries to force us to identify with our the worst actors in our nations history

Pushing a narrative that America was 'founded on' racism and white supremacy is false. These are not the ideals that Founding Fathers argued for. Slavery is not enshrined in our constitution. Yes, slavery and racism existed, and still exist, but it was not a driving factor for creating this country. Quite the opposite. We were founded on a fight for equality, and each generation has taken on new battles to fight.

It is important to acknowledge the racists and racism that have, and do, infiltrate our communities --but those elements are not the cause of America, nor do they define us as Americans, nor as a nation--to say so empowers white supremacy, and erases our inherent multi-cultural history. The war for independence was not fought just by 'white' people. Individuals from many backgrounds fought, including black Americans, Native Americans, and many others.

Creating conflict for our children

'Liberal' narratives identifying America as inherently racist and white supremacist creates a false identity for our children. What might happen if this is the identity they are forced to take? It is clear that we are setting up a battle for our children -- 'white' against everyone else, and especially 'white' against 'black'.

This is not who we are, but as the 'liberal' factions force this narrative into our spaces, empowering white supremacy, and leaving our children no positive identity, this is who we might become. 

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B.A., B.S., International Politics/International Agriculture