People like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who were instrumental in creating a better nation made constant reference to the ideals of our founding. They did so because "everything sucks" cynicism will only build you a movement of impotent mental patients. - ThreadSky

stano.bsky.social • 16 days ago

People like Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who were instrumental in creating a better nation made constant reference to the ideals of our founding. They did so because "everything sucks" cynicism will only build you a movement of impotent mental patients.

Reposted from Will Stancil

No, my argument is that the founding principles of this country - the ideas that made it into the founding documents, which you can read for yourself - were not racism or slavery or genocide. Those things did exist in practice alongside the founding ideas, and were eventually mitigated by them

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stano.bsky.social•16 days ago

"This country is fundamentally bad and must be burned to the ground."

OK great, I can't wait to risk my freedom and maybe even my life for such an inspiring cause. It's a mystery to me why this movement couldn't make their revolution happen, but I bet it's gonna come soon. These folks are winners.

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

MLK Jr. on the founding documents.

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

John Brown's Declaration of Liberty:
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/john-brown-the-abolitionist-s-declaration-of-liberty-written-by-owen-brown-in-scroll-form.html

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

Frederick Douglass in 1852's "What, To The Slave, Is The Fourth Of July" is a masterful handling of the topic.

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

Here's Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Declaration of Sentiments" from the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.
https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/declaration-of-sentiments.htm

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

William Lloyd Garrison in 1829.

pineconecowgirl.bsky.social•15 days ago

Surely you can see how compatible MLK's public statements about certain founding ideas are with the factually correct statement that slavery and genocide were indeed founding principles. You and Stancil are nurturing a false dichotomy.

stano.bsky.social•15 days ago

When MLK referenced the Declaration of Independence and said "we've come to cash this check," do you think he was referencing the fact that Thomas Jefferson was a slaver and a child predator or was he talking about the ideals of equality and the rights that are inherent to all people?

pineconecowgirl.bsky.social•15 days ago

You can respond to what I said or not, but don't try the same dodge you're using above, thanks!

meatraffle.bsky.social•16 days ago

Arguments about how evil the founding fathers were are true and often irrelevant: politics is about seizing power and using it. If the argument "those slaveowning bastards would have wanted (good thing)" is compelling, use that argument!

meatraffle.bsky.social•16 days ago

George Washington and Jefferson Davis differ a lot in that Washington represents positive ideals like freedom and fair rule of law to millions of people, while Davis represents a inhuman slave empire. Washington was a monster, but the version of Washington in the American mind doesn't have to be one

meatraffle.bsky.social•16 days ago

The confederate battle flag is much more sinister than the US national flag because while both flags have represented slavery and genocide, the confederate one ONLY represents that- as opposed to eg the US flag being on millions of bags of rice given by USAID

meatraffle.bsky.social•16 days ago

You don't have to lie about history, but the cliffnotes summary of history for American dullards should be that we're founded on supporting equality and prosperity, but need to keep working at it

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