I’ve long asked the questions, “Why is our nation so divided?” and “When did it start?” I’ve heard some on the left point fingers at right-wing talk radio, Fox News, and Donald Trump. Similarly, I’ve heard some on the right blame social media, identity politics, and Barack Obama. While I personally feel as though talk radio, networks like Fox, Donald Trump, social media, and perhaps to a lesser extent, identity politics, have exacerbated the divide in recent years, this is not where it started. As a matter of fact, the divide started long before – approximately 150 years ago. While technically the Union may have defeated the Confederacy, the Civil War never truly ended.
It’s been said that African-Americans were freed from slavery at the conclusion of the Civil War, but this isn’t entirely true. In the decades, generations, even centuries that followed, black Americans have had to fight for voting rights; employment opportunities; even being allowed in the same public restroom as whites. In addition to this, white supremacist groups formed to strike fear, and in some cases vandalism and death, in/to the black community. Homes and churches being burned; men, women, and children getting hanged – all due to the color of their skin. It was an uphill battle for black Americans when it came to justice too. Where a white man may get off with a warning, a black man would get 20 years in prison for the same “crime.” As cocaine use was more prevalent among whites and crack more prevalent among blacks, legal repercussions were more harsh for the latter than the former. Due to this lack of equality and the deck of cards being stacked against black men and women, it led to more of them being forced into illegal business operations, such as drug dealing, which would land them in prison, give them a record, make it more difficult for them to find work when they were released, and the cycle would tend to start all over again. This is systemic racism and systemic racism is a form of slavery.
Even in the present day, black Americans aren’t treated equally in the eyes of the public or the law. What demographic does voter suppression laws tend to target? Blacks. What demographic does the stop-and-frisk policy tend to affect more than any other? Blacks. What community has been impacted far more than any other when it comes to police brutality? The black community. When a black man gets shot 7 times in the back by law enforcement, who often times gets the brunt of the blame by the media and general population? The black man.
The Civil War wasn’t just a battle; it was a mentality, and that mentality remains intact today. It really isn’t about Democrats vs. Republicans. It’s about Unionists vs. Confederates, because the fact of the matter is, Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and a Unionist, but 100 years later, Lyndon B. Johnson was a Democrat and a Unionist. Even today, some Dixiecrats are defecting from the Democratic Party, because they realize the Republican Party of today is the Confederate Party, and similar with some GOPers, as they have come to realize the Democratic Party of today is the Unionist Party. Don’t believe me? Who’s standing up for Confederate flags and monuments? The Republican Party. Who’s calling for the removal of Confederate flags and monuments? The Democratic Party. Who’s in favor of passing voter suppression laws? The Republican Party. Who’s in favor of making voting easier? The Democratic Party. Who tends to blame unarmed black men after getting shot by law enforcement? The Republican Party. Who tends to call for said law enforcement officers to get punished by the law in such scenarios? The Democratic Party. Party names are just that – party names. Their identities have changed throughout history. What’s remained constant? Ideology. Progressives, whether they were Unionist Republicans in 1865 or Unionist Democrats in 2020, believed in equality, and conservatives, whether they were Confederate Democrats in 1865 or Confederate Republicans in 2020, fought against equality.
Sadly, many self-described conservatives/Republicans have been brainwashed to believe that patriotic symbolism is of greater importance than actual substance; that the repercussions from slavery of 150+ years ago can’t be felt today; that a marijuana possession charge from 15 years prior justifies a cop shooting and killing an unarmed black man in the back today; and that black Americans possess just as many rights, and “privileges,” as their white brothers and sisters.
The first verse of the National Anthem ends with the words, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave,” but what is freedom if it doesn’t pertain to all? How can a land be said to be free if said freedoms are selective? How can we stand and sing the words to an anthem which remain untrue in 2020, and degrade those who don’t? Faux patriotism says to blindly follow a country’s symbolism and believe in its exceptionalism, no matter the reality. That’s not bravery and that’s not patriotism; it’s ignorance and denialism. True patriots stand up for what’s right, no matter popular opinion, and what’s right is finally ending this Civil War mentality; ending systemic racism; and making America great, not just for white people, but for everybody. What’s the first step in making that happen? Vote Trump out of the White House on November 3rd. If Trump gets re-elected, he’ll continue to divide and this nation will sadly die. The only way we’ll be able to unite and survive is with Biden. Vote Joe, and let’s let the healing begin.
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