Don't Know Much About History.....

Every nation on the face of the earth contains a history which has triumphs and failures. Catastrophic wars, great inventions, measures of economic growth or ethnic divisions are a few of the characteristics which dot the histories of a people. Those expecting to find perfections in the narratives of a people need to be ready for a collective letdown. That is why it is utterly amazing to see (Marxist) radicals tear down monuments honoring the major events and figures of American history. The rioters are outraged at these historical characters because they advocated for perpetuating western civilization, they may have owned slaves or lived during the period of slavery or committed another crime against the values of today. If you wander the hallways of schools or universities throughout the nation such arguments for this destruction are found in the textbooks or lectures of the pedagogues. These institutions wonder aloud how can the American people honor those who may have had the gall to own another person? It may seem like an interesting question but this query has been answered generations ago when Americans had a much better grasp of history and its workings. A historical figure, or a country is not static because the narrative they are a part of is unfolding and evolving. To understand history, one must comprehend the people and the time period you are evaluating. It is fallacious and anti-historical to judge or evaluate 17th century people by a 21st century standard. How could Thomas Jefferson in 1776 write the Declaration of Independence and still be a slave owner? That is because Jefferson is a complex individual who is a byproduct of the Enlightenment, hence a believer in universal values such as all men are created equal. But he is also a result of colonial America which like the most of the world practiced slavery. For moderns to scoff at Jefferson and those of his ilk is to fail to understand that we today of the 21 st century are a byproduct of the experience and wisdom of our ancestors. The struggles of the American people in dealing with these issues of slavery, segregation and race in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries have allowed for us to gain knowledge in solving the problems of the present. It was our ancestors who fought and shed their blood during the Civil War to end slavery. Later, it was they who passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments which serve as the basis of individual equality. It was those from the past who challenged the shackles of Jim Crow and legislated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. To dismiss our ancestors as slave owners or racist is a contemporary narcissistic anti-intellectual reaction. Essentially, those of such a proclivity do not understand how to read or analyze history. They reject the debates, arguments and struggles over these issues but they subconsciously accept the inheritance of human equality that was gained. Where is Jim Crow? Where is the denial of the suffrage? It can only be found in rhetorical nonsense which has no basis in fact. But of course many of the protesters are Marxist radicals so they have a much more insidious agenda than the ordinary nihilistic rioter. The Marxist not only wants to tear down the statues or monuments they desire to destroy the entire system. The defacing of monuments is symbolic of dismantling the whole body politic and constitutional order.