The Revolutionary War was a success for the British North
American colonists in gaining their independence. Radical politics created a divide between
entities leading to the philosophical change from English Law to Natural
Law. Thomas Jefferson was designated as
the lead writer of the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Peter Van Cleave from Arizona State
University explains that due to his skill in writing, being a Virginian, and
the general annoyance of John Adams that Jefferson was designated the lead
writer of the Declaration. Yet, the
Declaration’s usage of “all men are created equal” can be seen as ironic as the
colonists’ economy depended on the institution of slavery. The Declaration was a validation of slavery
in the United States.
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| Thomas Jefferson Author of Declaration of Independence |
The evidence of slavery being a core aspect of colonial
success and a cemented part of their culture is clear through the writings of
Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, a slave owner
whom had children with one of his own slaves, blamed the slave trade on the
King. In an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson listed
the slave trade as a grievance against King George III. This section of the draft was eliminated,
according to Jefferson, by Northern delegates representing merchants as well as
South Carolina and Georgia representatives.
The Eliminated Section:
“He has waged cruel war against human
nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the
persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying
them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their
transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel
powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain. Determined
to keep open a market where Men should be bought & sold, he has prostituted
his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain
this execrable commerce. And that this assemblage of horrors might want
no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in
arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by
murdering the people on whom he has obtruded them: thus paying off former
crimes committed again the Liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges
them to commit against the lives of another.”[1]
This grievance against the King was replaced by
accusing the King of an inciting “domestic insurrections among us”.[2] If we look at the Declaration of a validation
of slavery, then we must use it to bridge into a second revolutionary attempt
in the United States.
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| Drawing of Lincoln at dedication of Soldier's National Cemetery. Gettysburg, PA |
Standing on the hallowed ground of the Soldier’s
National Cemetery where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought a few
months prior, President Abraham Lincoln referred to the same statement Thomas
Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence; “all men are created
equal”. Unlike Jefferson, Lincoln’s
speech was not documented into the archives, instead was written as he spoke by
several parties in attendance.[3] It is interesting that both Jefferson and
Lincoln had quite a different definition of “men” and this leads us into the
second revolutionary era of the United States, this a failed attempt.
If we argue that radical politics lead to revolution,
the Civil War is more similar to the Revolutionary War than presented. As we discussed in part one, the pulling of
politicians and citizens to extreme poles of the political sphere led to the
revolutionary spirit. One may call this
a disease of the public mind. The Civil
War, explained by Thomas Fleming in A
Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War,
was the first situation where a country needed to fight a war to eliminate
slavery.[4] He goes on to explain that diseased, radical
citizens from the North, John Brown being a key proponent, pulled southern
citizens into a more radical political stance out of fear of slave rebellions.[5]
The Civil War and the Revolutionary War could
interchange titles and still make sense.
Both can be considered a Civil War and both can be considered attempts
at Revolution. The colonists were
rebelling against a tyrant that infringed on their rights and freedoms. The Confederate States argued that the tyrant
Abraham Lincoln and a government that did not truly represent them infringed
upon their Constitutional States’ Rights and freedoms. Similar war cries are heard throughout the
United States today, but that discussion is for later.
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| Thaddeus Stevens Republican |
The Civil War demonstrates radical politics yet
again in the United States. Radicals
such as Thaddeus Stevens who wanted the elimination of slavery, distribution of
land to freed slaves, suffrage to all men and leading Confederates fighting to
expand slavery into western territories prior to the Civil War. The fact of the matter is, like the
colonists, most southern citizens did not have a revolutionary spirit. It was the political elite, the radicals, the
wealthy, and the minority of southern citizens that needed slavery to continue
their way of life. The wealthy,
powerful, and influential developed the population’s attitude, leading to
rebellion.
The colonists and confederates had many things in
common. Both the colonists and
confederates:
- Advocated slavery as economic necessities and ways of life
- Promoted expansion of slavery into western territory
- Felt misrepresented by their government
- Felt oppressed by an alleged tyrant
- Were activists for furthering their natural, God-given rights
- Pulled radically to their political viewpoints
- Decided acts of military was necessary to defend their ways of life
In short, the failed revolutionary attempt of the
Confederate States of America was a product of radical politics yet again. A fear of slave rebellion caused by the
Northern radicals led to a heightened sense of revolution among the southern
elite. Even though Abraham Lincoln campaigned
with the attitude of preserving the union as the most important political
agenda, his attitudes changed while in office.
Although used as a war measure, the Emancipation Proclamation was a
radical abuse of power, arguably, by the executive.
The citizens of the United States were, yet again,
forced to move their political viewpoints to one extreme or the other. You could not be pro-slavery and a Republican
or anti-slavery and a Democrat. This
radicalism of political viewpoints increased the tension in the country,
created separation among the masses, and a vitriolic atmosphere.
The radical politics of the Revolution and the Civil
War are far more similar to current political trends in America to
overlook. Lincoln was elected into
office with less than 50% of the popular vote in the 1860 election. Currently, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
are polling at less than 50% support.
Bernie Sanders has pulled the Democratic platform further left while
Trump has veered the Republican platform further to the right.[6] According to a Huffington Post Poll; 70% of
Americans currently feel relationships between political parties have gotten
worse.[7] There
is a similarity in the political drive of citizens in the United States. Are we entering our third revolution? If so, what will be the outcome?
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| 2016 Election Contenders: Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) |
[1] Thomas Jefferson, The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being His Autobiography,
Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and other Writings, Official and
Private (Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Maury, 1853-1854).
[2] Ibid
[3]
Versions of Gettysburg Address from members of audience: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm
[4]
Thomas Fleming, A Disease of the Public
Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War. x.
[5]
Ibid
[6]
Jeremy Peters, “Emerging Republican Platform Goes Far to the Right”, The New York Times, 7-12-16.
[7] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/obama-legacy-poll_us_569fde11e4b0fca5ba765452
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