West_Defence_of_Founding_Fathers

The Founding Fathers were put on constant criticism over the past several decades by textbooks and scholars which claimed that Founders were hypocrites in case of slavery. There are also scholars which were respect the founding as great and notable. One of them was born in 1945 professor of politics - Thomas G. West. He wrote very controversial book “Vindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class and Justice in the Origins of America“ where he defended Founding Fathers from accusation of sexism, racism and prejudice against poor. In the first chapter of his book, he was trying to prove that opinions about Founders are falsehood. By using writings and legislative efforts author described views of the Founders. For him they had some defect of course but they had good idea and they were doing the best they could to made it happen. As he claimed himself he tried to “recover the truth about the founding, to discern its strengths, to acknowledge its defects, and to pass that knowledge along to future generations”. (West, 179). He tried to get to the maids of Founders and understood what they really mind by doing what they do. In my opinion he was very successful in convincing that Founders honestly and truly believed in idea of universal human rights and in their commitment to democracy and opposition to slavery. For the beginning he showed three major charges that scholars put against the Founders with examples and later he tried to overthrow them. First two charges which was that: “Founders never really believed that all men are created equal” and “the Founders believed that all men are created equal, but they did not know what that meant” (West 1) where very easy to obey for West. He very easily show that Founders believed that “all men are created equal even the black ones because everyone has natural human rights. He provided that historian as Samuel Eliot Morison or Gordon Wood were wrong saying that Founders thought that only white man are equal. To support its claim he posted statements of George Washington: "There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it." (West, 5), Benjamin Franklin: "Slavery is... an atrocious debasement of human nature." (West, 5) and James Medison: "We have seen the mere distinction of color made in the most enlightened period of time, a ground of the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man.” (West, 5) West tried to understand Founders as they understood themselves. The historical fact which should be remember that slavery was not evil product introduced by the Founders but it existed in America nearly two centuries before the Founders. They started to see and understood that slavery is wrong. Some Americans even had spoken about it when the quarrel between Britain and the colonies started. Some of the Founders even complained the fact that Great Britain had imposed upon the Colonies the evil of slavery. They also started to see that blacks have the same natural abilities as whites and racial inferiority cannot be pretext to slavery. One of the Founders said that inferiority cannot be relevant to natural rights. The third contention “Founders believed that all men are created equal, and they understood very well what that meant; they then betrayed their own principles, with open eyes.”(West 2) is more difficult to overthrow but West deal with it very well. He tried to answer to this charge in free stages. First of all he writes about actions which was made against slavery. Process of abolishing of slavery began in 1774 before the Declaration of Independence. Delegates to the first Continental Congress forbid importation new slaves to America. After independence was declared some states freed slaves who helped the fight in the Revolutionary War. In 1787 Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance which forbidden slavery in the territory of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Congress also permitted slavery in Southern states. There were also some doctrines which regulated slavery more humane. After this Americans started to see that slavery is wrong thing. Trend that violates natural rights of black was occurring. Despite that slavery was still legal this did not make it just. Even the Constitution in 1787 did not abolished slavery, but it needed to be remember that this document consisted of political compromise. Some of states supported slavery and Founders was not able to abolished it without breaking up the union. They needed to keep Southern in Union, because it was possibility that South states would have formed own confederacy. If they would left there still would be slavery in South states but Northern abolitionists cannot influence on this. Founders thought that it would be better to keep union between South and North, so the North could influence South on slavery using moral arguments and antislavery legislation. Breaking the union would cause as Federic Douglass said: “It would place slavery system more exclusively under the control of the slaveholding states, and withdraw it from power in Northern states which is opposed to slavery” (West, 16). Constitution as a compromise on slavery “counted tree-fifths of slaves toward the population that determined representation in Congress and electoral votes for presidential elections” (West 16) which was very important for slaves states. This act also prohibited Congress from outlawing trade of slaves to year 1808 and as part of this compromise it gave Congress control over the commerce with foreign countries. It also forbidden escapes slaves to free states. Even if they do this they will be returned to their owners. It should be mentioned that this act did not include words: slavery, and slaves. From the one side Constitution protected slavery but from the other it did not prohibited states to abolish slavery if they wanted to do it. Congress after twenty years could end slave trade and it could stop prevalence of slaves in Western territories and new states. The problem was not a Constitution but absence of political will. Southern states used slavers as a labor in agriculture sector because it was cheaper to hire slaves than free people to do the same work. So they did not want to abolish slavery as North states did. Founders also realized that slavery was terrible injustice but immediately abolish of it will affect freedom of other “free” people. “Immediate freedom for the minority would have ended freedom for the majority”. (West, 20). In the late-eighteenth-century immediate abolition might lead to racial warfare. The liberty of all slaves might have had very bad influence of free people if something goes wrong. Founder know that they cannot continued slavery but cannot started immediate emancipation because it can lead both slaves and free people to deprivation of rights. They were also no able to abolish slavery economically and politically. Many of American families felt guilty about having slaves but they realized that released them could be danger for their own livelihoods. Founders realized also that slavery was not morally good thing and it was inconsistent with the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Despite slavery broke people rights I did not mean that it should be abolished. Immediately freedom for slaves would have cause bad consequences so morality did not enquire ending slavery at once, even if slavery is wrong thing. Simultaneously they recognized distinguish between human rights to liberty and citizenship which a community gives at its discretion. They claimed that despite black people had natural rights because “all men are created equal” they did not have right to became member of American community. Black did not have right to be citizens and have political equality as white people was unless whites admit them. Free black person could be citizen of any nation if it want him , but he should not had requirements of citizenship in United States as a matter of natural rights “All human beings have a right to liberty. But a right to liberty does not include a right to live in a country of one’s choice, without the consent of those already citizens in that place. The plan to colonize blacks would not have violated their human rights.” (West). If they get this it might have very bad influence of freedom of the rest of community. Ex slaves in comparison with the other citizens did not possessed the right habits and beliefs which were: “enlightened understanding of the equal rights of all, an appropriate degree of courage or self-assertion on behalf of those rights and moderation or self-restraint including respect for the rights of others”. (West 26). Even the opponents of slavery afraid that citizenship for all who gained freedom could be danger for them. The status of black citizenship was not clear in United States. First Federal naturalization law created in year 1790 allowed citizenship only to whites. Until Civil War free black people cannot vote, entered jury service and public school in almost every states. Each one state prohibited black entering military. Black were treated as resident aliens not citizens. Black were excluded from this not because Founder were racists but because they were afraid that they could change the attitudes of white citizens of United States. Founding Fathers found the solution of this problem which was colonization. If black want to be free they needed to move elsewhere. It is clear that: “all human beings have a right to liberty. But a right to liberty does not include a right to live in the country of one's choice, without the consent of those already citizens in that place”. (West, 28). Black came to America against they will so they should retrieved natural liberty. It could happen by sending them to the place where they could live on their own. Unfortunately the belies of Founders slavery did not go away by itself, and this leaded American states to made a choice: keep slaves and refuse founding principles or acknowledge the principle and try to abolish slavery. South states in 1830 broke with the founding with leaded to the Civil War. Founder believed that compromise of slavery would in recent years lead to abolish it but they did not expected that this will happen in such a dramatic way. I think that West very briefly showed good arguments which helped him refuting main charges against Founders. He gave as honest judgment which based on truth and historical picture. Author proved that there was no need defend Founders because they are capable of defending themselves. West briefly showed that Founders truly believed what they meant. Even if they had some personal interest Founders followed idea which they thought was the best for society of United States. Bibliography: 1. Thomas, G., West, Vindication the Founders: Race, Sex, Class, and Justice in the Origins of America. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2001