During those times when I'm feeling troubled by the events of the day, and this is one of those times, I tend to look back to our history to find a perspective that will give me some grounding. The last few weeks have given us plenty to be troubled about. From my perspective we have seen our government at its worst. We have seen partisan bickering, posturing, and antagonism nearly put us over the edge of financial ruin. We have seen a small faction of the government seemingly disregard all that we have as a nation just to make a point. We have seen people so entrenched in their political dogma that would have committed suicide not only for themselves, but gladly committed the rest of us to undeniable destruction. In the end, we have seen the very nature of our Republic rocked by the tyranny of this minority.The result of this shameful charade is a solution that doesn't fix the problem or provide an ounce of justice for the working class, the poor, or the elderly of this country. Only the rich came out untouched and unaffected-again.
So, it is here I retreat into history to search for some sense to it all. In doing so, I believe I discovered a point of view that is very different from the common rhetoric of the day. Today, the media would have us believe that we have moved permanently towards more conservative political values. The latest skirmish in the political wars of Washington politics might suggest the media is correct. But, I don't think that's true- and don't think it was ever true.
Even though there are times when the pendulum seems to swing to the right, I believe that progressive values always come through in the end to move our country forward. Let's start with the very beginning of this nation. The conservatives of the mid-eighteenth century grumbled about Great Briton's colonial policies, but never moved to toward independence or liberty. Our nation was born out of the Enlightenment. Our founders were great believers in the ideas of the Enlightenment as it came out of Europe. The great thinkers and philosophers of this period valued reason, human liberty and the common good for mankind. It was the progressive movement of the century. Some of our political leaders today misquote and misinterpret the Founders- but there is no mistaking that they were the liberals of their time and they created this country.
The next great movement was the formation of our government. You will remember that our current form of government was not our first form of government. We tried smaller, decentralized government as some suggest we should have today. Our first constitution was called The Articles of Confederation. It was vastly different that today's constitution- but very similar to what a number of conservatives are calling for again. It failed because smaller decentralized government could not regulate trade or currency, provide common justice under law, or provide for the general welfare. Our current constitution created the stronger central national government we have today because it was necessary in order to have a nation. The progressives of the late 1780's created our current Constitution.
Our nation struggled against its own ideals over the existence of slavery. In the 1850's a new political party was born to stand against slavery. It was the Republican party. You would not know it by today's definition, but the Republican party of the mid-nineteenth century was the progressive party of its day (the liberal/ abolitionist party) and it remained so until the first decade of the twentieth century. The election of Lincoln, the progressive candidate, led to the rebellion in the southern states, and the civil war that ended slavery and eventually preserved the nation. The election of Lincoln is perhaps the greatest example of how progressive policies have shaped our nation. They turned out to be tragically painful because of the war that resulted, but undeniably the most important event in American history.
In the early twentieth century (after a shameful period of westward expansion at the expense of the American Indian) we saw the suffrage movement intended to make women full-fledged citizens. This worldwide movement was the result of progressive (enlightened) efforts towards economic and social reform. The movement's introduction to the U.S. was seen as extremely liberal, even to the point of being called "subversive", by the social and political conservatives of the day. Progressive values won the day,and every woman needs to understand it was the progressives who brought about this change.
After the conservative Republican policies of Coolidge and Hoover drove us into a horrible Great Depression, the progressive policies of the Roosevelt administration turned the economic fate of the country around. The programs instituted during the Roosevelt years form the basic framework of social safety net today. Yet there are those who would have us move in a backward direction. Ask any elderly person today if they would give up the programs we have today-social security from the liberal Roosevelt, medicare from the social liberal Johnson- and I would guess they would not. That's why they call it "security". These are progressive ideals.
It was the young liberals and the progressive movers who fought against racial segregation in the fifties and sixties; who fought against the Viet Nam war in the sixties and the seventies; who fought for equal rights for women, and now fight for human rights in on many different fronts.
Each time America has taken a step forward toward our true ideals of justice, equality, and economic security, progressive thought and progressive political action has been the driving force. Inevitably though we become complacent and allow, for a time, the forces of greed to push us backward toward a reduction in our freedoms, or halting the advancement of the people. But this look back at our history gives me renewed hope that we will rise up as a people and move forward again. I suppose we only move forward when we have become fed up with injustice, the tyranny of corruption, and the greed of the privileged few- only then we do listen to "the better angels of our nature", as Abraham Lincoln called on us to do.
Thanks for looking in.
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