A Cartoon on Loving America on its 250th Anniversary
I love America. But for very different reasons than Donald Trump & the MAGA Movement
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. I love America.
But I love America for very different reasons than Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
I love America’s democratic ideals of freedom and equality. In American history, I think the reformers in government and the radical activists outside of government have done the most to help the U.S. live up to its democratic ideals.
I’m thinking of Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionists. Teddy Roosevelt and the muckracker journalists and progressive activists. Franklin Roosevelt and labor organizers. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and the civil rights activists. Barack Obama and the marriage equality activists and immigrants rights activists.
Reformers and radical activists often have a contentious relationship.
Activists think reformers compromise too much, are too willing to accept incremental change when radical change is necessary, and are too timid in challenging the status quo.
Reformers think that radicals are too uncompromising, that they are too idealistic and impractical, and that their radical rhetoric scares off moderates who might otherwise be potential allies.
Though reformers and radical activists often do not like each other, positive social change does not happen without both groups working in parallel for change. Effective social movements need both the idealism of the activist and the pragmatism of the reformer.
I learned about this after reading both leftist historians like Howard Zinn and Ronald Takaki and more center Left historians like Eric Foner and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Historian William Lee Miller wrote the book “Arguing About Slavery” about Rep. John Quincy Adams fight in Congress in the 1830s to overturn the gag rule, a procedure by Southern Congressman to prevent Congress from having a debate on the issue of slavery. Adams was drawn into that issue by accident, when Southern representatives used the gag rule to table petitions that asked for Congress to abolish slavery.
Williams would write:
“…there were some people- a very small number, on the margin of society, condemned and harassed- who nevertheless made it the first order of their life’s business to oppose American slavery, and to insist that it was grotesque evil that should be eliminated, and that in a little over thirty years, it was.
But another group, harder to romanticize, was also essential to that result. These are the politicians… who operated in the great main arena of politics, and amid complexities had as a primary purpose opposition to slavery for reasons of its radical injustice…
…These politicians depended upon their predecessors, the evangelistic abolitionists, for the pressure, for the agenda-setting, for the raised consciousness that made their work possible; but the abolitionists depended in their turn on these politicians, to gear their affirmations into the machinery of the real world. Both were necessary to bring about the total result, putting the elements together- ending slavery within an enhanced constitutional Union.”
Howard Zinn would write in his series of essays “The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy”:
“The politician is annoyed and angry at the pushing of the radical reformer, and the moderate observer thinks the radical unfair and injudicious in making extreme demands of the man in office, but both critics fail to distinguish between the social role of the politician and that of the agitator…
James Russell Howell expressed the idea in another way: ‘The Reformer must expect comparative isolation, and he must be strong enough to bear it. He cannot look for the sympathy and cooperation of popular majorities. Yet these are the tools of the politician… All true Reformers are incendiaries. But it is the hearts, brains and souls of their fellow-men which they set on fire, and in so doing they perform the function appropriated to them in the wise order of Providence’…
…In the fascinating dialogue- sometimes articulated, sometimes unspoken- between Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionists, we have the classic situation of the politician vis-a-vis the radical reformer. It would be wrong to say that Lincoln was completely a politician- his fundamental humanitarianism did not allow that- and wrong to say that some of the abolitionists did not occasionally play politics- but on both sides the aberrations were slight, and they played their respective roles to perfection.”
Eric Foner reiterated Zinn’s point in his book “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery” about the important role that abolitionists played in paving the way for Lincoln to abolish slavery:
“Abolitionists and Radicals play an important part in this book not because Lincoln was an abolitionist but because their agitation helped to establish the context within which politicians like Lincoln operated. On issue after issues in the 1850s and during the Civil War- the necessity of norther political unity to halt the expansion of slavery; opposition to compromise on this question during the secession crisis; emancipation in the District of Columbia; general emancipation under the Constitution’s war power; the arming of black soldiers; amending the Constitution to abolish slavery; extending the right to vote to at least some blacks- Lincoln came to occupy positions first staked out by abolitionists and Radical Republicans.
In approaching the subject of Lincoln’s views and policies regarding slavery and race, we should first bear in mind that the hallmark of Lincoln’s greatness was his capacity for growth… At the time of his death, he occupied a very different position with regard to slavery and the place of blacks in American society than earlier in his life.”
I consider myself more of a leftist reformer. But I deeply respect radical activists and take what they say seriously. If you look at my cartoons, it often fluctuates between being more mainstream liberal and being more radical leftist.
This scene from Steven Spielberg’s movie “Lincoln” perfectly encapsulates the uneasy push/pull dynamic between reformers and radicals. In this scene, the reformer Abraham Lincoln and the Radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens express their differing views on the best means of abolishing slavery. This conversation illustrates the different mindsets of radicals and reformers, and the necessity of both radicals and reformers in fighting for positive social change.
One of the comments for this video perfectly sums up the different roles between Lincoln and Stevens and between radicals and reformers: use the idealism of the radical as a compass; use the pragmatism of the reformer as the road map.
REFERENCES
ARGUING ABOUT SLAVERY: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AND THE GREAT BATTLE OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS by William Lee Miller
https://www.amazon.com/Arguing-about-Slavery-Quincy-Congress/dp/0679768440/ref=sr_1_1?crid=18NYWSI26XW2P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lWWS8ysEc1u-ierLYcxhfuzQwFxzmb6w-WF7oGCt2pSjroS-zNz03iIUdneEMEGt0imI2JUGk82_SeIjVqzYrdOetxOhYrdnwszgOkjovlbGuf8SMDFMHX__Z8lWJ3VA3MYIznsXRzzmlSDMY9dFo_nPrCIYIVSCUPmhoyH3z9KqAVfirMBlnHK5bkWwk4qn6lbfoMQ_Fo0oz9OyXdcooBH4I6cXHXQOXjW3a2lNigo.wkUzUyy1yFFrR-2dEYLyVbDvUsM8yRuHiah0NoCk4qo&dib_tag=se&keywords=arguing+about+slavery&qid=1781289214&sprefix=arguing+about+slavery%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1
THE ZINN READER: WRITINGS ON DISOBEDIENCE AND DEMOCRACY by Howard Zinn
https://www.amazon.com/Zinn-Reader-Writings-Disobedience-Democracy/dp/1888363541/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GD8WYYNJ0D2K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5HidygMnqDYRPZcugJ-74SdgJp5eL1ZEj8pDMLxT31aA_mLVusRkGvfhuLLnbA7fqdKNYYtiakQsF_86RK365g1ot8QjzdjHTG8rHTCCwpTO_dgSraSaQ3ucyKRuNvEWEYtmpQtqPggLa8aWOg11TFeeotsUUXsLHbAs2--Ai15Vc8B8J8UhbfKx7areWSFcH-1eylfpwdmlibrbOwoM1Go3UcSsNu3p1RG0KOE6Xbk.usubyzVCxL_aVo6jTHP_OKtRTT8Q-k1GPbPoagp9WmE&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+zinn+reader&qid=1781291462&sprefix=the+zinn+reader%2Caps%2C271&sr=8-1
THE FIERY TRIAL: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND AMERICAN SLAVERY by Eric Foner
https://www.amazon.com/dp/039334066X/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20fiery%20trial%20abraham%20lincoln%20and%20american%20slavery&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k1_1_16_de&crid=278TLASH5I261&sprefix=the%20fiery%20trial%20
THE BULLY PULPIT: THEODORE ROOSEVELT, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT, AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF JOURNALISM by Doris Kearns Goodwin
https://www.amazon.com/Bully-Pulpit-Theodore-Roosevelt-Journalism-ebook/dp/B00BAWHPX2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11A4MISD5F1BP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MTmA6V2LJUHF7RjMODgkgj8HXpLtte5LYdue3YynR2tp_ST5Q7WLivqCbrjzCSOwah-DOVEcH8HtTw2a0YJsrlSEw4CoZrcBSwaFRpKSySAj7yGgLrlUJMld2KqaYh3vxe93CXhUxz8MxeegjboB81zd1-ceb5UutCNjRIIM4Ko4422JAnFYAAxFFjtQ3tFRQzBVJ-4t9eT21eELoaYiC6knhKuwcuhdV7zHXC1RS1o.uB5Up45loIW9JhkyzczGFrUS5s9jjD97NC9VRaFFMxM&dib_tag=se&keywords=doris+kearns+goodwin+teddy+roosevelt&qid=1781291680&s=books&sprefix=doris+kearns+goodwin+teddy+roosevelt%2Cstripbooks%2C151&sr=1-1
MR. ADAM’S LAST CRUSADE: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS’S EXTRAORDINARY POST-PRESIDENTIAL LIFE IN CONGRESS by Joseph Wheelan
https://www.amazon.com/Adamss-Last-Crusade-Extraordinary-Post-Presidential/dp/0786720123/ref=sr_1_31?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tt_pSOP0Ezkc07ukK2BXck9qcsY6fmYdLnVsYY2EmT0ZL_2jbdcQH-tARJXbdlcbLu2fklUXcaFGYEgH1ABWvti4Ia9UkARrAHXXVrnOf3o.szyh07Bb6ZHqd-UTQuVCrRC8m6JGYKzwwRrmiv0XqG8&dib_tag=se&keywords=john+quincy+adams&qid=1781291860&s=books&xpid=ZLmAAjhi4pKgy
THE FIREBRAND AND THE FIRST LADY: PORTRAIT OF A FRIENDSHIP: PAULI MURRAY, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE by Patricia Bell-Scott
https://www.amazon.com/Firebrand-First-Lady-Friendship-Roosevelt/dp/0679767290/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H54IUD8ME85I&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.71mFcO94Kw56DXN2_VmxZsBllvi0Gzd-282YI59Zem9hkfOYCjOWxQ9PxnZPss90LvKNgCrKP5rb7wCTFKODcyKNCrmT0r9w9R7gBk1GFCpRleCvV3tcqIvKgEpygLZbXPfQFKk4xLj0aJ1Jrj1QiL6B8bZUeJ59FaSJXmrbMHZLd5c1CxaVpZtJm35a8MbUstMjGk71jgQk4Sf0nXKKSz5YO-6pEjq3OOWYxjhfzcQ.ZVRbFNCfSmM1mkQdf2kYFkUyEPL1P7N5Xm2AeacuZxQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=eleanor+roosevelt+pauli+murray&qid=1781292054&s=books&sprefix=eleanor+roosevelt+pauli+murray%2Cstripbooks%2C146&sr=1-1
THE RADICAL AND THE REPUBLICAN: FREDERICK DOUGLASS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE TRIUMPH OF ANTISLAVERY POLITICS by James Oakes
https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Republican-Frederick-Douglass-Antislavery-ebook/dp/B004HW6A9C/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3NXDDT4LWE851&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Z8CrkGQksA3SVjrSQImfqIrsrqc1PxtEIX7X1vXS8RtnyGKr7uNMHNpOZ-RtCp0yVivo4ipak2um9e1ETcqNi0eIOoNXMdKC9VhQLoejInBrDSX6klgm4mfmCvNLTl8Q_EE2mCqIsR1xRhhittbAsqnhJoUz145cPlpqszI3XoXnZvqMqgDTM6Z2Q5AlXqWHBZSlj3IGk7ih7hN7-QSuLgMuvKLEyKxwp6D5q0cDbPc.3b7oqxzFbjyJ0ZO2VhRZQLwHgDxl8Uv30fWGNvl7ZqE&dib_tag=se&keywords=abraham+lincoln+frederick+douglass&qid=1781292172&s=books&sprefix=abraham+lincoln+frederick+douglass%2Cstripbooks%2C147&sr=1-5
1912: WILSON, ROOSEVELT, TAFT AND DEBS- THE ELECTION THAT CHANGED THE COUNTRY by James Chace
https://www.amazon.com/1912-Roosevelt-Election-Changed-Country/dp/0743203941/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30AG17A4VIXUT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iiDOEPbSF-jW1xz6xdbxhq9HrPwegVgMI_FpizPZVP-cN7Iieg-aaRdg7k3Xe7p2E8HHwwye1JA0m-32SxXjzbPhYYKr4DM1XXKPHW6tdSplc2bFFaVqlgZW5569-tEgy1dbkaNgEeclA6MLAVXWqQ.xIWOaHA1QoQYoYjI7D75dtZEX79GuGkz0pX5yUg0DdY&dib_tag=se&keywords=1912+teddy+roosevelt+woodrow+wilson+eugene+debs&qid=1781292326&s=books&sprefix=1912+teddy+roosevelt+woodrow+wilson+eugene+debs%2Cstripbooks%2C141&sr=1-1
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