Tag Archives: Civil War

History and Hope: Renewing the American Promise Part Two: Toward Justice for All

July 17th, 2024 | Dr. Charlie Self

The American Experiment in virtue-based liberty is never done…we are always aspiring to live up to the noble values of our Founders and Framers. In Part One, we looked at our nation’s foundations, find much to thank God for…and much requiring repentance and realignment with truth. In this essay, we explore events from the 19^th century to the present as signs of blessing and judgment, with the hope that we can live more helpful and hopeful lives.

The decades before the Civil War (1861-1865) saw a nation divided over slavery, with the Compromises of 1820 and 1850 failing to appease of the passions of both abolitionists and advocates of slavery. The British and French preceded the USA in the abolition of slavery, even as Americans boasted about having a freer nation!

Tragedy and blessing: The Civil War officially started as a war for Confederate independence (Southern view) and a war to preserve the Union (Northern view). By late 1862 with the Emancipation Proclamation and early 1865, with the passing of the 13^th Amendment abolishing slavery, President Lincoln and many others understood the war to be God’s providential judgement on three centuries of slavery. More soldiers were killed and wounded in this war that all other wars combined. The 14^th and 15^th Amendments, passed in 1868 and 1870, enshrined citizenship and voting rights for all people.

Tragedy: beginning in 1876 and lasting until 1964, segregation and second-class citizenship for African Americans and other minorities became normalized. African-Americans were the most impacted, while other minorities felt the sting if prejudice through restrictive immigration and outright bans from whole arenas of society.

Blessing: Full equality and voting rights for women were promoted by Abigail Adams and others in the 1780s and 1790s but fell on deaf ears until the late 19^th century. Suffragette movements (often led by married women of solid Christian faith) gained ground in particular states before 1900. Finally in 1920, full voting rights were enshrined in the 19^th Amendment. It would take several more decades and court decisions to allow full equality for employment and property rights.

Blessing and tragedy: Many Americans boast that we are a “land of immigrants” and that the Statue of Liberty welcomes all (legally). And there is much to celebrate as we think of the millions coming through Ellis Island in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. We are indeed a wonderful “salad bowl” (Historian Carl Degler) of diverse ethnicities and traditions. While we celebrate Ellis Island in New York and appreciate the opportunities afforded to so many, we must also lament the oppression of Angel Island in California and the severe restrictions placed on Asian (especially Chines) immigrants from the 1870s to the 1940s. The open doors of previous decades shut harshly after World War I.

We closed our doors to Jewish immigration and capitulated to severe antisemitism from the 1920s to the1940s, only changing course after seeing the full evidence of the Holocaust.

Blessing: After World War II, the momentum for civil and voting rights for all was unstoppable, though only in 1965 were full rights established. The movement led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was one of our last moments of unified advocacy with people from all backgrounds ready to help cash, “the promissory note” of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

The past six decades are their own unique narrative, with bright moments of divine life and tragic moments subverting the values and visions of the Founders. May we delight in the providential progress of our history and humbly continue the journey toward justice so all can flourish.

Thankful: The Complex Tapestry of American History

November 24th, 2020 | Dr. Charlie Self

The United States of America is – like every person we meet and any nation we study – beautiful and broken. Her history is filled with saints and sinners, imperial oppression and unprecedented liberty. As we gather around tables and express our gratitude to God and each other, here are some paradoxical facts that are part of our historical tapestry:

The First Thanksgiving was celebrated in Plymouth with genuinely cordial relations with the local tribes. The Pilgrims owed their survival to Squanto and others that helped them gather, harvest, and hunt well.
Just before the Pilgrims came ashore (1620), the colony of Virginia began importing African slaves for work in the tobacco fields (1619), inaugurating a history that only a Civil War and later Civil Rights Movement would change.
Maryland and Pennsylvania were colonial havens for Roman Catholics and Quakers respectively, and both colonies promoted freedom of religion.
Meanwhile in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, religious dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams were exiled or punished severely into the 1690s.
The Methodists prohibited members from owning slaves as of 1757; alas, a century later this dynamic tradition was divided in to Northern and Southern branches…as were almost all denominations.
Ellis Island processed millions of immigrants in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Though many faced prejudices and obstacles assimilating into a very White and Protestant America, within a few generations, most of their descendants were celebrating the opportunities the New World had to offer.
At the same time immigrants were gazing happily at the Statue of Liberty upon their arrival in the USA, millions of Native Americans and African Americans faced continued oppression, prejudice, and legal barriers to full inclusion into American society.

The USA continues as an experiment in virtue-based liberty, with a history of hospitality and generosity as well as nativism and xenophobia. As we rightly give thanks, let’s rededicate ourselves to building a land of access, equity, and opportunity for all.

What America Are We Celebrating?

July 9th, 2020 | Dr. Charlie Self

July 4^th reminds us of the best and worst of American history. Many celebrate Independence Day and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. And there is much to be proud of as we remember the sacrifices of so many that keep freedom’s flag flying. Others consider the failure of the Founders and Framers to offer a clear road of Emancipation for the slaves, thus delaying justice for millions, costing our nation a horrible Civil War, the tragedy of Jim Crow, and the unfulfilled promises of the Civil Rights Movement. Add to this the almost 100% record of broken covenants and treaties between the USA and the indigenous Native American tribes and being suspicious of American ideals is understandable.

The USA is an experiment in virtue-based liberty and representative governance rooted in reverence of the Almighty, the equality of all people, and limitations on the power of government. But our history is a tapestry of tremendous and tortured narratives. We celebrate the Ellis Island Hospitality enshrined in the Statue of Liberty and forget the prejudice, racism, and exploitation of both slaves and immigrants. We rightly celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of our culture and forget the painful road toward prosperity for most workers.

What makes America truly great? First, we see that our first liberty, enshrined in the first 16 words of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights is complete freedom of conscience and religion for people of all faiths (or no faith) to live their lives and build their communities without government interference. Second, the promise of and potential for genuine access, equity, and opportunity for everyone. And third, our history of halting but continual progress toward justice.

Let’s celebrate heroes of the past and hopes for the future. Let’s feast in freedom and build a future so more can enjoy the fruits of freedom.