1619 Project
The New York Times initiated a Project which many are embracing. Armstrong Williams wrote on June 20, 2020 on the townhall.com website, “‘The New York Times' controversial 1619 Project... propagates a popular narrative, which has taken hold among many in the media, politics and education, to link the foundational origins of the American experiment not to the context of the American Revolution of 1776 but to 1619, the year that enslaved Angolans arrived on the shores of colonial Jamestown, Virginia.”
Slavery is not the origin of the referenced ‘American experiment.’ America is not an experiment, but an effort by Europeans, Brits mostly, fleeing their country voluntarily seeking freedom and relief from the practices of a despotic monarchal system. They sought an improved, more open, and objective system of government that legislated for all of its citizens, not select or favored groups or individuals. They arrived after a risky ocean journey with an awareness, knowledge, and a desire to create a new life for a citizenry united in wanting a more democratic governing body and laws, common laws, that were equal and respectful of the rights of all humans.
These settlers established homesteads under difficult circumstances. It was not unusual for raiding parties to steal, rape, pillage and burn other’s property. It was easier than working. Brutality in the New World was common. People formed their own enclaves and defenses against the marauders. White on white crime was common. Raids by native tribal Indians was a constant threat.
The slaves were brought on Portuguese ships as assets to be purchased to do the work of which progress, creativity, invention, and advances in technology now do with equipment, tractors, mowers, reapers, the cotton gin, et al. The enslaved Angolans came as chattel and forced labor. They had no ideals for a new life or government; many were thankful to have survived, and few probably had any idea where they landed and would now be living.
This was never an experiment by merchants wishing to make citizens of these slaves. It was for profit and to do the work necessary to make large farms and plantations productive. As and when a better way was found then the need for the slaves would be no more. Or as more Christian, more humane thinkers, came to realize, slavery was no way to treat any human. We are all children of God to be treated equally.
As the frontier became less barbaric, in fact the process of making it safer, the need for structure and protection was demanded, society grew more unified in needing and requiring fairness, safety, and security. Local political bodies became important and police or sheriff departments were formed and the universal concept of equal rights was adopted. Governments grew, were layered from local to city to county to state and further, and so too did the voice of freedom grow for all people, to include indentured persons, white and black. They were to be paid, as jobs, not to be enslaved. That was fair. That was humane. It led to the Declaration of Independence and 100 years later to the Emancipation Proclamation . It was an evolving process. Not an experiment seeking an outcome, expected, and to be proven or to fail. This NYT 1619 project is either political, misguided, or a tantalizing fictional recreation. It is not why America was founded, or the basis for our establishment as a free nation. We are still a work in progress. We have advanced and now are experiencing some setbacks. We must work hard to get this great train back on the right tracks.
America’s Origins
Certainly the origins of America were not instantaneous. Most of US recall the date 1716. Happy Independence Day. As if 1619 was the start? The origins for all practical purposes began prior to the explorer’s arrival. The concept of liberty and self-government took time to evolve. They took root in Europe, with a revolt occurring due to despotic oppression and a lack of freedoms. Many religious groups aspired to practice their faiths openly and freely. They needed to find a place where that was possible. Individuals led the way. Writers and thinkers in Europe introduced studies where human rights, ‘natural rights’, were suggested. The Bible was a significant influence. The protection of life, liberty and property was presented in the early 1200’s in the Magna Carta in England. It found a new, and improved, voice in America’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But it was being shaped well in advance of arrivals to Jamestown and elsewhere. Those arriving brought with them documents from their homelands and sought to make the improvements needed. History was essential to the foundation of this new world, so as not to repeat the sins and errors of the past.
And we cannot forget Leif Erikson in 1000 coming to America. Columbus’s 4 voyages never reached the shores of what is the United States, but extensively explored the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic. Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) was an Italian (from Florence) sailor, explorer, and trader who followed and his name became associated with the new land, or America. He declared this land as ‘new,’ and not a border of Asia as Columbus had suggested. John Cabot (explorer Giovanni Caboto) discovered continental North America on June 24, 1497. His son (Sabastian) continued exploring and mapping the coast.
Compatibility
The question - Is American black culture simply incompatible with a great society? Do they possess that much hatred of non-blacks that they are in denial, they refuse to assimilate. Do they care that little for each other, those of the same race, that their habits reflect only their gang, tribe, or bully-culture-group succeeding, of just for the moment, just at the time, their shooting results in a successful kill shot? Who dies does not matter. Yet they want whatever they can get, by whatever means possible, from politics to violence.
I do not have the same problem with black people as they apparently have with me. Yes, I am white. Yet my background was not privileged, more from the lower end of the middle-class, never had sports equipment other than used or gifted, and grew up on the streets of a large city. But I had family, encouragement at home, public schools that taught, church, a willingness to work, and a love for America. We did not have welfare or food stamps, so the incentive was to work, to make money, to make something of ourselves. I cut lawns, shoveled snow, delivered papers, and collected subscription money, and went door to door with circulars for a grocery store. Where is the incentive today? I attended a reasonably priced university, and joined ROTC. I left the big city, first time at 19, and had a desire to live a good life. After my military service I worked, while also attending night school (college), for six years. I also had my faith, which admittedly became more fully developed, as a convicted believer in Christ, later in life.
America made possible what I am today. Not rich, but secure, happy, and yet concerned for my safety, surprised and upset about the lack of patriotism, how respect for others exist, concerned too by decline in the quality of education and the nature of education offered our children, and disturbed by the distain for family and God that seems to be seeping into more and more corners of our USA. Are we still united? I love our flag as it represents what is possible.
The Exploiters
Who are the elites that exploit the blacks? Who allows, encourages, or enables the underachievers, the losers, the homebound basement dwellers to show such animus towards those who have done something with their lives? How much comes from within this community or outside? We are a rainbow society, from race, to sexual orientation, to common interests, to religion, and more. But the rainbow arch spans the entire country. There is the rainbow of losers and underachievers. There is the rainbow of the successful, the achievers, those that have grown intellectually. There are among them the bitter, discouraged, poor and underachieving, some addicted, and others that consider themselves culturally incompatible. They are among the rainbow of losers. There is the rainbow whose colors are many, some distorted, and others whose colors are red, white and blue. Today it is not about racism. It is the ends of the rainbow, the one not in the pot of gold, that is fighting and fighting and resisting the reality of their own lack of ambition and success, inducted into the dependency hall of shame created by our government over time, the liberal side, ironically referred to as progressives, causing their station in life to be a tool.
How the Main Stream Media became such a champion for the liberal users of the losers is beyond understanding? But you must consider who taught these non-journalists that appear as opinion-istas on the likes of CNN and MSNBC, as well as historically newsworthy networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS and the like, as well as print media, the leader of the press-pack being the New York Times. There are those at Fox also that do not escape inherent bias.
In a WSJ opinion piece by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. (“The Press on Mount Rushmore: When Donald Trump is gone and forgotten, the media’s lies won’t be so easy to forget”), primarily addressing the Washington Post, and other media outlets, distorting the patriotic and inspiring Trump July 3, 2020 speech at Mt. Rushmore, even lying by introducing elements that were not present, and critical of today’s MSM, he reminded the readers as to a forgotten edict too often dismissed and “a favorite passage from the great Peter Drucker: ‘Every first-rate editor I have ever heard of reads, edits and rewrites every word that goes into his publication. . . . Good editors are not ‘permissive’; they do not let their colleagues do ‘their thing’; they make sure that everybody does the ‘paper’s thing.’ ” We are, unfortunately, lacking first-rate editors in today’s media. Yet, there are examples today of the ‘paper’s thing’ from the owners and Editors-in-Charge of a political agenda more than balanced news, in effect perpetrating lies, or a bias, under the guise of reporting just the news of the day. Yes, fake news.
Freedom - Emancipation
America gave the black and poor whites their freedom. America gave immigrants that arrived legally their freedom. America has enacted legislation after legislation and spent trillions to bring our society into the same tent. As far back as 1866 legislation to insure the same rights for all was enacted. Note: not one Democrat voted for the bill. That was 100 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “By 1875, full and equal civil rights for blacks had been passed and signed into law, solely by Republicans….”: Source - The Blaze. The Ciivil Rights Act of 1957 under Dwight Eisenhower corrected impediments imposed by the Supreme Court and continued to advance the assurance of equality for everyone, even in the voting booth. There was opposition from the Democrats. “Republicans never blocked a major civil rights bill.” Then came 1964, The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Oddly enough this mirrored much of what had been attempted over the prior 100 years.
What about welfare reform, who benefitted the most? There are currently six major welfare programs in the United States. These are: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Social Security, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Housing Assistance. You know the answer. And they want more. But have these programs improved lives for the blacks and the poor. The statistics say not. The family structure, fathers at home, has declined precipitously. With too much flowing into the economy and pockets of those considered lower income, the incentive to work, the ability to find employees, has become a problem. Why work for a pay that will not provide as much weekly as the government is handing out. They want more 'Biden-bucks.' And when the 'Biden-bucks' run out, they will scream for more. Is there too much so called 'welfare?' Are politicians trying to entice the lower ranks to vote for them by printing money and handing out too much. Will this cause a destabilization of the work force. It has certainly created division among the politicians. And now they want reparations. For what reason.
If you use the 1619 project as a base, the black community has come a long long way, aided more by Republicans than Democrats, except maybe for the handouts. However, the handouts have caused problems too, a disincentive to work and a desire for more free stuff. Creative in scamming the system there are methods employed in the welfare community that maximize benefits, beyond what was intended, without tax consequences and often with government officials looking the other way.
To give to another, one must take from another, the achievers aiding the losers, hoping one day they will join those who are willing to make themselves and our nation even greater. Too many sit outside the tent burning campfires and asking for handouts, in protest, only wanting more of what others have achieved. Will there ever be an end to this dilemma. Can we return to the days before President Lyndon Johnson when progress was positive? Family structure was meaningful. Church was prominent in family lives. How can continued progress lack progress at all, such as backward progress, as Islamists seeking 7th century standards when Muhammad lived. We are creating a body of voters the majority of which will soon be the rainbow of losers, unless something changes. When that happens the result will be no more wealth to share. Can you imagine? What will there be to complain about? We will all be poor with no pockets to fleece.
This all stems from the 1619 project, now, having gone too far, but with the campaign rhetoric the same having worked for the politicians for years.
Change for the better will require government action. To do that we need a stronger government with better representatives, for sure. Trump had the right orientation, style aside, while Biden is just a mouthpiece for the leftist money sources, power elitists, pulling his puppet strings. We need more 1776 than 1619, a Constitutional focus that protects all America. The Constitution is color-blind. Our schools need to teach the truth. History as it was not as some prefer it to be.
Here is a history of Civil Rights legislation over the years (Read).
We need a grey America that works hand in hand. None of the government political artists so far have been able to mix the two colors successfully, and I blame that on the black leadership. The 1619 project wants a black and white America, separated. Now that is racist.
Emancipation meant doors opened. Today there are black leaders that preach ‘doors shut’ slamming them on the hands of those who want to be part of the whole America. BLM is among them, also Al Sharpton, and MSM black opinion-istas, such as Don Lemon. But, there are also many black voices that need to heard. They embrace what America offers, and invite others to be aware, be objective, to stand up for freedom and the protection of others, to grow their families, trust God, take advantage of the many opportunities, encourage each other, and to stop downgrading America. Included in that role is Thomas Sowell, Candice Owen, Condoleezza Rice, Larry Elder, T. D. Jakes, Tony Dungy, Charles Payne, Leo Terrell, David Webb, and many more.
It was Jesse Own that said, “Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you’ll start believing in it.”
In Summary
This white-black America has shown what is possible. But you need to try. Today it is a blend of achievers, scholars, seekers and losers. There exists a want for a united, peaceful, stable, rainbow Nation. At the same time there are those hanging on to the past, even exhibiting roots in a tribal culture, and using negative historical elements to induce hatred towards their fellow man for succeeding.
The wake-up call needs to be heard by the dependency contingent, blaming others for their plight, that America is their opportunity to leave the ghetto and the past behind and join everyone whose hands are extended to help them and need them. Encouragement is needed. Entitlements are not the solution. They have been tried and tried. Reparations are not needed or even justified. Leadership, charismatic and incentivizing, that anyone, any color, any race, and creed, can succeed, not by destroying their neighborhoods, or that of others, or parading with placards reminding everyone of the past, but by talking about the significant amount of progress that has occurred and continues.
In peace, progress can continue, communities can grow, prosper and provide more jobs. The leadership needs to let people know what they can do and be, the structure is in place for them, and all they need to do is try. Tearing down that which has been made, just requires rebuilding, a waste of time, that can otherwise be applied to further growth.
Remembering the past includes the good and bad, the people, the places, the differences and the battles fought and won or lost. Erasing history serves no purpose. The clear intent of the 1619 project is more division, more race-baiting, more white hatred, and less patriotism. Learning about history so that the errors made can be avoided and the foundation upon which a great nation is built can expand and allow for further development is essential. The embarrassment of a lack of knowledge and understanding by destroying what is important shows a need for improvement in education.
American’s need a proper history lesson in the making of America. It is not 1619 and it is not 1776. It is all that came before and the transitions that have been made and are being made to continue to the make the world a better place. America is an example to be followed.
God is in charge, not man.
God Bless America.
by
Thomas W. Balderston
Author and Blogger
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