Unifying, inspiring, and ennobling
So, yes, I’m going to have to read at least some of that ridiculous rah rah us! report, to see exactly how bad it is. And yes I’m going to have to inflict it on you.
The declared purpose of the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission is to “enable a rising generation to understand the history and principles of the founding of the United States in 1776 and to strive to form a more perfect Union.” This requires a restoration of American education, which can only be grounded on a history of those principles that is “accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling.” And a rediscovery of our shared identity rooted in our founding principles is the path to a renewed American unity and a confident American future.
So they’re saying that the teaching of the history of American principles has to be unifying, inspiring, and ennobling, which pretty much negates the part about being “accurate and honest.” Notice they didn’t say “true,” which seems telling. Anyway unifying for whom? Inspiring and ennobling for whom? I don’t think pretending American history has been one long march to ever-increasing awesomeness is going to inspire everyone.
The facts of our founding are not partisan. They are a matter of history. Controversies about the meaning of the founding can begin to be resolved by looking at the facts of our nation’s founding. Properly understood, these facts address the concerns and aspirations of Americans of all social classes, income levels, races and religions, regions and walks of life. As well, these facts provide necessary—and wise—cautions against unrealistic hopes and checks against pressing partisan claims or utopian agendas too hard or too far.
Hahaha subtle. “Don’t come after our billions! Leave Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk alone! Get off my golf course! Socialism! Awkkk!”
The principles of the American founding can be learned by studying the abundant documents contained in the record. Read fully and carefully, they show how the American people have ever pursued freedom and justice, which are the political conditions for living well.
So…the Trail of Tears? Broken treaties? Two centuries of slavery and another century of Jim Crow? Violent suppression of labor organizing? The three strikes law? Prisons overflowing with people serving long or life sentences for minor drug crimes? That’s us ever pursuing freedom and justice?
This is only the first page.
I may never manage to reach the second.
“Leave Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk alone!”
Well, not Bezos, we don’t like him!
Yebbut it’s the principle of the thing! Leave billionaires alone!
Disgusting. The right has literally made “patriotism” distasteful to some of us. Lies, obfuscation, misreadings, ignorance.
Of course, one need is to separate very clearly the American Dream, ideals, and even some of our inspiring leaders and rebels from the reality of American history and politics. And yes, this country may be inspiring, but it has committed so much evil. All in the name, of course, of the real Official State Religion, Mammonism, and its glorious prophets, the Owners.
I’m giving a talk to a colleague’s current postgraduate cohort in a couple of weeks on ‘how to change history’, as my work has significantly changed the way we ‘tell the story’ about certain historical events. Debating now whether it’s worth bringing this thing up. It’s not our history, so we care less about it–but it’s a good example of what not to do, and how not to be motivated to do it…but do I want to subject myself to actually reading it? Urgh.
And Elon Musk? Do we like him? I don’t.
And so the pendulum swings to the opposite extreme. Again. Argh.
History, particularly the national story, is crucial to a nation’s health. Citizens must value their country and see it as worth of pride, that they may devote their effort to serve, improve, and defend. Citizens must see their nation’s faults, and they must see that their nation’s faults can be corrected, that they may have hope that their service is not useless. A national story should inspire tempered pride in a country that is imperfect and yet always improving. To borrow a phrase, through the effort of the people, the union will forever become more perfect.
Stories that portray the nation as already faultless fail, because they blind and ossify us. Stories that portray the nation as eternally irredeemable fail, because they paralyze and enervate us. Neither extreme is fit for purpose.
Nullius, I am giving you an official smile for using the word “ossify”.
Here’s your smile: :-)
ACB
I was speaking in the voice of a Trump supporter — they hate Bezos because he owns the Washington Post. And probably now also because Amazon Web Services booted Parler off its servers.
I think Bezos is a mixed bag. Certainly Amazon is far from an exemplar of corporate responsibility. But there is something admirable about buying the WaPo and then refusing intense pressure from the White House (including threats to have the Post Office charge Amazon more) to turn it into a pro-Trump outlet.
Ditto for Musk I guess, though I know even less about the details of his business. I sort of like that he seems to be motivated by things other than simply money, but his status as some deep visionary or “the real life Tony Stark” seems rather cultish and undeserved.
Nullius @ 6 – That’s not what historians should be doing. Historians should be aiming to get it right, not to strike a balance between inspiring The People and discouraging them. History is a truth-based field, which is not to say it aims at some Absolute Truth, aka the “definitive chronicle” that stupid White House statement mentioned, because such a thing just isn’t possible given the infinite array of evidence, the role of interpretation, and so on. It can’t get at Absolute Truth but it damn well can and should aim to get it right as opposed to aiming to cheer people up.
OB, as someone married to a historian, if I may say “amen” to that (if I may be forgiven the lapse into language loaded with religious symbolism).
I ended up here trying to learn where the quote “accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling.” in the 1776 report comes from. no luck so far, got an idea, opinion, theory?
Something one of them said in a meeting? Or an approximation of something one of them said in a meeting? The whole thing is so amateurish I can easily imagine they would be that silly.
iknklast @ 10, as a history major and co-author of a book on why truth matters, I echo your secular “amen” right back atcha.
I’ve attempted to set down my reactions to The 1776 Report at https://vridar.org/2021/01/21/the-1776-report-history-as-political-propaganda/ — It is far from complete, but to do a complete critical review would mean to risk succumbing to insanity. It’s not worth it — but it is a worry that so many people do think like that, so that is a worry.
Excellent post.