“from locke to barack: who gets to be a ‘full american’?” (part two)
TRANSCRIPT
“From Locke To Barack: Who Gets To Be A ‘Full American’?”
(Part Two)
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Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America (1835)
“This is what occurred in America; when the Democratic
Party got the upper hand, it took exclusive possession of the
conduct of affairs, and from that time the laws and the customs of society have been adapted to its caprices.
At the present day the more affluent classes of society have
no influence in political affairs; and wealth, far from
conferring a right, is rather a cause of unpopularity than a means
of attaining power… They submit to this state of things
as an irremediable evil, but they are careful not to show that
they are galled by its continuance; one often hears them
laud the advantages of a republican government and
democratic institutions when they are in public…”
Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America (1835)
“Mark, for instance, that opulent citizen, who is as anxious as
a Jew of the Middle Ages to conceal his wealth. His dress is
plain, his demeanor unassuming; but the interior of his dwelling glitters with luxury, and none but a few
chosen guests, whom he haughtily styles his equals, are
allowed to penetrate into this sanctuary… But the same
individual crosses the city… in the center of traffic, where
everyone may accost him who pleases. If he meets his cobbler on the
way, they stop and converse; the two citizens discuss the
affairs of the state and shake hands before they part…”
“Manifest Destiny”
“Democratic Journalism”
Tippecanoe & Tyler, Too
Oh, who has heard the great commotionAll the country through?It is the ball a-rolling on for Tippecanoe and Tyler, tooAnd with him we'll beat Little Van, VanVan is a used up man, and with him we'll beat Little Van
Sure, let 'em talk about hard cider and log cabins tooIt will only help to speed the ball For Tippecanoe and Tyler, tooAnd with him we'll beat Little Van, VanVan is a used up man, and with him we'll beat Little Van
Tippecanoe & Tyler, TooLike the rush of mighty waters Onward it will goAnd of course we'll bring you
through For Tippecanoe and Tyler, tooAnd with him we'll beat Little Van, VanVan is a used up manAnd with him we'll beat Little Van
James K. Polk
In 1844, the Democrats were splitThe three nominees for the presidential
candidateWere Martin Van Buren, a former president
and an abolitionist,James Buchanan, a moderateLewis Cass, a general and expansionistFrom Nashville came a dark horse riding upHe was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
James K. Polk
Austere, severe, he held few people dearHis oratory filled his foes with fearThe factions soon agreedHe's just the man we needTo bring about victoryFulfill our manifest destinyAnd annex the land the Mexicans commandAnd when the vote was cast the winner wasMister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump
James K. Polk
In four short years he met his every goalHe seized the whole southwest from MexicoMade sure the tarriffs fellAnd made the English sell the Oregon territoryHe built an independent treasuryHaving done all this he sought no second termBut precious few have mourned the passing ofMister James K. Polk, our eleventh presidentYoung Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump
The Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes…
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...”
Abolition / Voices of Slavery
Abraham Lincoln
“Our Declaration of Independence says: 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… [T]he relation of master and slave is… a total violation of this principle…”
(Abraham Lincoln, 1854)
Abraham Lincoln
“[T]he fathers of the republic eschewed and rejected [the idea of slavery]. The argument of "necessity" was the only argument they ever admitted in favor of slavery… They found the institution existing among us, which they could not help; and they cast blame upon the British king for having permitted its introduction… At the framing and adoption of the Constitution, they forbore to so much as mention the word "slave“ or "slavery" in the whole instrument… Thus the thing is hid away in the Constitution, just as an afflicted man hides away a wen or a cancer which he dares not cut out at once lest he bleed to death; with the promise, nevertheless, that the cutting may begin at a certain time...
Abraham Lincoln
But this is not all. The earliest Congress under the Constitution took the same view of slavery…
In 1794 they prohibited an outgoing slave trade… In 1798 they prohibited the bringing of slaves from
Africa into the Mississippi Territory… This was ten years before they had the authority to do the same thing as to the states existing at the adoption of the Constitution.
In 1800 they prohibited American citizens from trading in slaves between foreign countries…
Abraham Lincoln In 1803 they passed a law in aid of one or two slave-
state laws, in restraint of the internal slave trade. In 1807, in apparent hot haste, they passed the law,
nearly a year in advance, to take effect the first day of 1808—the very first day the Constitution would permit prohibiting the African slave trade by heavy pecuniary and corporal penalties.
In 1820, finding these provisions ineffectual, they declared the slave-trade piracy and annexed to it the extreme penalty of death…
Thus we see that the plain, unmistakable spirit of that age toward slavery was hostility to the principle, and toleration only by necessity.
The Gettysburg AddressAbraham Lincoln (November 19th, 1863)
• The Civil War…
• The Cemetery…
• The Ceremony...
If Democracy / American-ship Was Meant to Evolve…
Lincoln (the ‘original Republican’) was advocating a paradigm rather unfriendly to ‘conservative’ ideals.
Continues concept of land as ‘opportunity’ but weakens land as ‘credibility’ (replaced?)
‘40 Acres and a Mule’ / Education Increases Opportunity and Possibility /
Reduces Security and Clarity about who or what or how things work
The Reconstruction Amendments
Eliminates a Limitation
Eliminates a Limitation
Redefines Who Gets to be a ‘Full American’
The 14th Amendment (Section 1)
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they
reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws.
Eliminates a Limitation
Eliminates a Limitation
CollectivelyRedefine Who Gets to be
a ‘Full American’
(But notice what happens when this deal does not include land…)
“The Populists’
Trap”(Harpers Weekly, 1896)
Ponder / Predict:
What were some of the expansions of ‘democracy’ – of who gets to be a ‘Full
American’ – in the 20th Century?
What trade-offs or compromises were made for each?
[Ex: Reconstruction Amendments]
Populism & Progressives
Populism & Progressives
Beginning to Seek Increased Rather than Decreased
Government Involvement (Especially at the Federal Level).
Solve Problems Actively as ‘Equality’ & ‘Opportunity’
The Progressive Amendments
Women’s Suffrage
Amendment 19 (Ratified 8/18/1920) The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
The Great War
Temporary Pause (Constriction?): You’d BETTER talk, act, and look like a
‘Full American’.
The 1930(Paradigm Adjustment?)
The 1930s Something’s not working The American Dream
isn’t working anymore—something else is in charge.
The government needs to do more.
The system is broken, so people face poverty, inequality, etc.
We must fix the system (The New Deal)
Something’s not working The American Dream is
sound—keep working and be patient and it will pay off in the end.
The government needs to stay out of it.
People are making poor choices, so they face poverty, inequality, etc.
We must trust the system (Laissez-Faire)
The 1930s
“Negative Liberty” vs. “Positive Liberty” Apply to Opportunity / Democracy /
Equality? Leap Towards Positive Action vs.
Removing Specific Obstacles How do we remove obstacles? (NL) How do we make ‘Full American’
attainable? (PL)
World War II
The Civil Rights Movement (1950s – 1960s)
The 1960s Something’s not working The system is holding us
back / losing credibility The government is
oppressing people / too much control
The system is broken, so people face poverty, inequality, etc.
We must fix the system (Great Society)
Something’s not working The freaks are taking
over / ruining things The government is
letting things get out of control
People are behaving irrationally, so they face poverty, inequality, etc.
Enabling bad behavior More bad behavior
If Land ≠ American-Ness…What Does?
It’s “Morning in America”… Let’s give Americans some
Opportunity…
I Feel Your Pain… Let’s give Americans some
Practical Help…
Ironic?
The area in which we seem to have
made the least
overall progress…
Final Question:
In what ways is the question of ‘Who Gets To Be A Full American’ still debated today?
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