The Great American Political and Social Divide

The first suggestion is to look up how our nation dealt with the larger population of native Americans. Those were “wars” that lasted centuries. We know our history lessons do not view it that way but it is just a natural fact that America was fully divided in that time.

Next look up the common names of Whigs and Tories in America. Again we were taught of the Revolutionary war as all occupants of America rebelling. So very untrue. A very large portion were Loyal to the Crown of England.

Now the above references are to actual armed conflicts – hard to get much more divided but there you have and of course you know we will get to even more bloody divisions on our soil. Just a note to include the Anglo-Spanish war that was on this soil with England kicking Spain basically out of the Colonies.

Now our conflicts today are mostly arguments and debates and foul language being lobbed in a division between what we would call Social Progressives and those more conservative than that. Of course we also face a very simple divide that is fairly normal about those who support the President of the United States and those who do not.

Let us pause here and reflect on an important part of “non-armed or non-violent” division and society. Just forget about kooks amounting to far less than a .05% of protesters. Because someone yells louder and acts more upset and vulgar it does not change facts of division. It is either a tactic or pure emotionalism. Either one is only relevant to a very small outlier type segment of the divide. So we look at real division in our country. Is it really more than just a shift in priorities?

Look at it this way please. That big old pipe line. A horrible threat to our natural balance. But many argue that being without jobs is something important to fix. And a whole lot of people want to get out of the Middle East oil dependence as it costs lives and billions. The divide is simply a matter of priorities. And most often there is some fear. Joe is afraid we may be facing another 9/11 while Bill believes education is a higher priority than security. A simple where to spend division.

Now we are moving along in history. Why did Vice President Burr shoot Founding Father Hamilton in a duel? I would call that a political divide at its highest. Then we move right along to the cane wielding and striking on our Senate floor. Why did Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with his cane right there in the Capitol? Some say it was about abolition of slavery but that is only slightly true. It was about expansion of slavery which is a distinction with a difference. Money?

Of course 500 thousand dead in our Civil War. Need we say more?

Did you ever wonder the real reason the U.S. did not send troops in time to the Alamo?

Of course the use of Federal Troops to establish California, The New Mexico Territory, and Texas was very divisive.

We just jump ahead to the World Wars. Does anyone not know that there was a huge nearly 50/50 division on entering both wars? The violation of the “Sussex Pledge” (German submarines not attacking civilian ships) in WWI and Pearl Harbor for WWII were so heinous that the political climate changed. Yes there were other factors but it really was public opinion that changed so drastically that representatives had no choice but to stand together or lose.

The “Korean War” was not formally declared. Over 1 million died there but no war was declared. That tells you very clearly that the Congress was not fully behind the conflict. And that is a huge division. Those hostilities did not end with peace but rather a cease fire.

Now you may be way ahead of me and be thinking of McCarthyism. Wow was that a horrible time. Literally rounding up those considered to be un-American.

Let us save the more current for a little bit and reflect on the above divisions of the United States. These divisions have to be researched a little but one sees a trend of country verses city. Developed like the North in the Civil war verses farmers and rural. We also see some young verses old. Doesn’t it seem that some element of religion was involved, pretty sure that our Revolutionary war had an element of Religious Freedom and conflict with Spanish had some of that. And we saw a great deal of conflict between Liberals and Conservatives which brings us right up to the late Sixties of the last century and beyond.

Let us be real clear here. Hating or dividing because someone is of a different party or for a different candidate or official is bigotry. You may be justified in baby hate against that individual but even disliking someone who supports that person or group is bigotry at its finest – or worst. I hate you because you have different priorities or beliefs is a sad thing for that hater.

We get to Vietnam. Wow was that a divisive non-declared war. It used the draft and that was way wrong. It really found TV or TV found that. It brought hell into living rooms. And that hell seemingly created a hate, either of the enemy or the establishment. There was almost no ambivalence. Some of us were joining up if we could get into academies in order to avoid being a dead grunt via the draft and much limited training. Officers have a much better life span in war. Yet we hated the war. Folks who had the babies that went to that war were very conflicted. We were very divided. Kent State.

Around this same time within just a couple of years. JFK, RFK and Dr., Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were taken from us by almost terrorists American assassins. At that time with the height of the Cold War, much different from today there were charges of conspiracies with the Russians. Some folks it would appear want to go back to that scary nuclear option environment today. Which is strange because the same base of belief that wants to cease communications with the Russians today would be yelling “make peace not war” just a few decades ago. I was there and chanted it. So that is a very strange development of division. Which seems loud but really it is cosmetic. And of course the reverse is equally crazy the same folks who decades ago would support a war are hollering for working with the Russians.

Let me confess. I want it all. I want energy independence and environmental protection and I want the money to pay for both. I want more money for schools but I do not want schools to be dictated to by central government. I want more respect and protection for cops in inner cities and I want more respect and protection for the minorities that live there. I really like my Mexican neighbors and their children who are friends with my child and I want a secure border and criminals deported. I really like my healthcare but I pay way too much for it. I want an 85mph speed limit, but I cuss the guys that drive that fast when my family is in the car with me. Heck I love my family but I wish they would see things my way in all manner of society, politics and beliefs. But then that might change our dynamic which is loving.

But please do not hate me for mine.