Two Major Lessons from American History Since 1940

 

Women's Rights are Human Rights!

           

                  When asked to write a blog about two major lessons in American history since 1940 my mind began to ponder over the multiple events that made up its history. America since 1940 shows a progressive shift towards cultural liberation for many Americans who for ages felt that they were still in the dark-ages especially when it came to family dynamics i.e. father putting in a hard days work at the factory and a stay-at-home mother preparing her best casserole; and the role of African-Americans in culture and politics i.e. racial inequality expressed through Jim Crow laws . During the seventy year span of history one thing is certain the dynamics of politics and culture shifted to reflect the growing population and awareness of world events. The two lessons I think that are important during this time in history: (1) Never forget that all men are created equal; and (2) Never promote war over peace.

            The United States according to history served as a model to the world, provided inspiration to numerous national declarations of independence throughout the world, and expressed its views on equality infamously decreed through its Declaration of Independence. The document announced to the world the new republics thought on human rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.[1] However, there is a distinct difference between writing such a gracious decree and enforcing such a decree. How is it possible that the very nation that drafted such an elegantly written appeal be accused of some of the most heinous acts concerning human/civil rights issues? According to Wikipedia a popular online resource, "civil rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression."[2] The Civil rights movement sought to ensure the physical  and mental integrity, life and safety protection from discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, ethnicity, religion, or disability,[3] and individual rights such as privacy, the freedoms of thought and conscience, speech and expression, religion, the press, assembly, and movement.[4] African-Americans faced hostilities and sometimes death attempting to secure the very rights that by declaration belonged to them.

1964 Veterans of Civil Rights Movement

            "The African American struggle for freedom and equality is one of the most important and defining events in post war America" according to Griffith and Baker[5]. What made this event in history so defining is that for more than two centuries African Americans were in constant dialogue and often times physical conflict for the enforcement of those unalienable rights described in the Declaration of Independence bestowed on all Americans. This significant time in history is also important because it was the first time in American history that the culture of racism perpetuated through laws court decisions, and public policy would began to be seen as inhumane. Of course it was not until the world was exposed to the physical brutality of racism in America through video footage chronicling the issue that America took notice. 

 

Lynching still exists?

       

                Articles such as a "Murder in Georgia, 1946" published by The New York Times offered a glimpse into the dilemma that most African Americans faced during these intricate and hypocritical times in America. The article accounts the murder of four African Americans in Monroe, GA, one of which was an army veteran who had served his country honorably during the second world war. According to the article, Roger Malcolm, George Dorsey and their newlywed wives had just secured employment on a farm when they "were lined up last night near a secluded road and shot dead by an unmasked band of twenty white men," the account goes on to describe how the mob then "dragged the shrieking women from the automobile" and shot them: there bodies were eventually found in a pile of brush, unrecognizable from the multiple bullet holes in their upper bodies.[6] This is just one of thousands of reports about the racist mob mentality that dominated American culture. It is important to revisit this aspect of history so that all Americans remain mindful of the brutality that racism invokes.

 

Military Industrial Spending/Budget

            The second lessons that Americans should take away from this historical period is Never promote war over peace. From 1941 until 2013, America has been involved in more than one-hundred wars, some of which, were only meant to manipulate and gain control of resources such as oil, gold, silver, copper and other commodities.[7] Using subversive methods such as COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program 1956-1971), many of which have been denied by politicians and military leaders, the United States has intentionally been paying for activities to overthrow or undermine established governments while also using some of the same techniques at home against organizations fighting for equality and justice.[8] However, prior to 1964 poverty rates in the United States were steadily climbing with rates above 22% being reported in 1959 and as of 2009 the United States has more than forty-five million citizens living below the poverty threshold yet the Military Industrial complex has consistently swallowed up more than 4.2% of the annual federal budget since the 1940s--these figures do not include defense spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

 

Why is it so hard to end poverty in America?

           The United States currently spends more on defense and defense related issues than on pensions and health care. What is very alarming is that currently the United States spends less than 4% on education.[9] War is costly-- and foremost cost is the millions of hungry Americans that do not know where their next meal is coming from. In fact, poverty continues to experience explosive growth in the United States and the middle class continues to shrink.  Sadly, the truth is that things are not getting better for most Americans.  With each passing year the level of economic suffering in this country continues to go up, and we haven't even reached the next major wave of the economic collapse yet.  When that strikes, the level of economic pain in this nation is going to be off the charts. How can you toot your own horn and establish yourself as a developed nation that other nations should mimic with such alarming rates of poverty and homelessness? The American way: Bullying!

           
           In closing, the two most important lessons we as Americans should take from our History since 1940 is to Never forget that all men are created equal; and Never promote war over peace. Both of these lessons are important because they can be costly if we are not paying attention. We should always treat each other with respect-respect for the life that has been granted to all. In the eyes of the creator all men are created equally and when we attempt to enslave others it only shows our lack of compassion and ignorance. Promoting War over Peace only leads to innocent live being exchanged for commodities or national pride. Currently, we have too many Americans trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and millions more from the middle class are joining the ranks especially after the economic downturn of 2008. As Americans we should cry out to our politicians so that their decisions actually echoes those that put them in office. Our schools are suffering and our children are missing out on valuable gains in education because instead of giving them books, computers, and tutorial services we are generating bullets to take human life.

           

---

[1] The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

[2] Wikipedia, Civil and Political Rights, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_and_political_rights.

[3] Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, accessboard.gov.

[4] Summary of LGBT civil rights protections, by state, at Lambda Legal, lambdalegal.org.

[5] Griffith and Baker, The African American Struggle for Equality. Major Problems in American History Since 1945. p 173.

[6] Griffith and Baker, The New York Times Reports a Murder in Georgia, 1946, Major Problems in American History Since 1945. p. 175.

[7] David King: Iraq was the first 'resource war' of the century. The Guardian. 2009.

[8] Griffith and Baker. "The FBI's Secret Campaign Against the New Left., 1968-1971." Major Problems in American History Since 1945. p. 252.

[9] United States Census Bureau. Poverty Rate timeline, 1959-2009

Feminism: The Problem That Has No Name

Betty Friedan: The Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan's literary work, The Feminine Mystique, helped many women identify the "problem that has no name," actually after reading her famous work many women knew exactly what to name the problem--"sexism." This manifesto for change took the nation by storm startling a society that expected women to be happy with marriage and children. Finally, women were able to look at their lives in new ways and understand that power was within their united voices. According to Friedan, "A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, 'Who am I, and what do I want out of life?' She mustn't feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of husband and children. It was this new wave of thought that provoked the bygone ideals of the yester-years in American culture.

Betty Friedan: Women Unite NOW

According to Griffith and Baker "The transformation sought by the new feminist would encounter strong opposition: the resistance of men and a male-dominated institutions, the sharp limits to change imposed by class and race, and the mobilization of social conservatives by the New Right." No longer would women have to  feel trapped by a society that did not value their intellect. Friedan unexpectedly found fame, she stated in an interview with Time Magazine," I never set out to write a book to change women's lives, to change history. It's like, 'Who, me?' Yes, me. I did it. And I'm not that different from other women. ... Maybe my power and glory was that I could speak my truth as a woman and it was the truth of every woman." Her book became an instant and controversial bestseller, and Friedan became the leading spokeswoman for a revitalized women's movement.

Citations:

 Griffith, Robert. "From the Feminine Mystique to "Second Wave" Feminism." Major Problems in American History since 1945. [S.l.]: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.

What's done in the dark shall come to light

COINTELPRO is an acronym for Counter Intelligence Program, and was a series of covert, and often time illegal actions conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI had aims to survey, infiltrate, discredit, and or disrupt domestic political organizations. In other words, according to Griffith and Baker "a government agency's decision to take the law into its own hands for the "greater good" of the country" (pg. 252). 

Memorandum from COINTELPRO

The program would attack any group or individual that the FBI deemed subversive-another fancy term that basically means that "you're not going along with the status quo." The program which lasted about 15 years would terrorize the Civil Rights Movement leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Black Nationalist party. Additionally, the same program intended to protect the American public and political systems would also harass and undermine the American Indian Movement and the women's rights movement. How could the government enact laws to protect its citizens and their freedom of speech and yet birth "secret" organizations that would limit those same freedoms are a mystery to me, however, it shows just how secretive the American system is from its very foundation. 

                                       Fred Hampton, Sr. assassinated using COINTELPRO

This blog post is dedicated to Mr. Fred Hampton, Sr. 1948-1969

Citations:

Griffith, Robert. "The FBI's Secret Campaign Against the New Left, 1968-1971." Major Problems in American History since 1945. [S.l.]: Wadsworth, 2013. N. pag. Print.

Civil Rights Movement

The African-American Civil Rights Movement is one of various social movements in the United States aimed at discrimination in the aspect of racial harmony between African-Americans and their Caucasian counterpart. The movement was aimed at racial discrimination in the United States and the restoration of voting rights for African-Americans. The campaign had many great leaders such as W. E. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X to name a few. The movement consisted of various strategies such as civil resistance, acts of nonviolent protest, and civil disobedience. One aspect of the Civil Rights movement that has often been neglected is its connection with the Cold War. The United States and its "Truman Doctrine" of the free peoples made Civil Rights a necessity. How else could the alleged leaders of a free world convince others to submit to its horrendous foreign policies if non-white minorities were being discriminated against on free soil. Politician after Politician from the greats of President Harry Truman to disgraced President Nixon understood the valuable role that Civil Rights would play in the Cold War. It was introduced in their speeches, political campaign advertisements and political agendas.

                   Disgraced President Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon in 1960 discussing Civil Rights in a campaign ad

Can you imagine disgraced President Richard Nixon caring about Civil Rights for people of color? In the advertisement he spends a good thirty seconds explicitly and implicitly telling the American public just how important Civil Rights are in the fight against Communism. Mr. Nixon contends, "Why must we vigorously defend them? First, because it is right and just. And second, because we cannot compete successfully against communism if we fail to utilize completely the minds and energy of all our citizens. And third, the whole world is watching us. When we fail to grant equality to all, that makes news-bad news-for America all over the world.

Let us if you may dissect this gem of history. Mr. Nixon, of all people, believed that all Americans should have equal rights? Well he states it very clear here that civil rights "is right and just." Why didn't ole tricky Dick not institute policy changes for minorities? Perhaps its because first he had to convince the "American cattle" that it was appropriate. Next, he shows the American citizens the value and equality of all minds by stating, "we cannot compete successfully against communism if we fail to utilize completely the minds and energy of all our citizens. Its interesting he used the word citizen especially since many African-Americans at that time were relegated to second class status. The third example Mr. Nixon cited was probably the most intriguing due to the fact that the world had already seen the non-violent protest that were met with fire hoses and police dogs-"bad news for America all over the world."

Civil Rights abuses by Caucasian "Law Enforcers"

 

                                             Lynching of African Americans at the hands of southern Caucasians

When we place this speech into context we begin to see the real reason why white politicians had to succumb to the movement. America did not randomly decide to be gracious to non-minorities specifically African-Americans especially since they had declined them rights since the Emancipation Proclamation, they had to in order to save their precious "capitalism," and to prevail over the philosophy of communism.

Civil Rights "March on Washington, D.C."

Citations:

Fernando Santos-Granero and Frederica Barclay; Tamed Frontiers: Economy, Society, and Civil Rights in Upper Amazonia Westview Press, 2000

Manfred Berg and Martin H. Geyer; Two Cultures of Rights: The Quest for Inclusion and Participation in Modern America and Germany Cambridge University Press, 2002

Mervyn Frost; Constituting Human Rights: Global Civil Society and the Society of Democratic States Routledge, 2002

Military Industrial Complex

In 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower notably recognized the military-industrial complex, warning that the growing blending between corporations and the armed forces posed a direct threat to democracy. Fast-forward 50 years, and President Eisenhower's  frightening prophecy actually understates the scope of our modern system—and the dangers of the eternal march to war it has inflicted on our society. 

Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his own farewell address, warned of the rise in America of the “military-industrial complex.” An accomplished soldier and a better-than-average president, Eisenhower had devoted the a great part of his adult life studying, waging, and then seeking to avert war. Shockingly, his prophetic voice rang clearest when as president he reflected on matters related to military power and policy. “Every gun that is made,” Eisenhower told his listeners, “every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Any nation that pours its treasure into the purchase of armaments is spending more than mere money. “It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.” To emphasize the point, Eisenhower offered specifics: At the time, the idea that militarizing U.S. policy might yield economic benefits outweighing the costs seemed eminently plausible. The authors of the National Security Council report “NSC-68,” the 1950 blueprint for U.S. rearmament, had made this point explicitly: boosting Pentagon spending would “increase the gross national product by more than the amount being absorbed for additional military and foreign assistance purposes.” Building up the nation’s defenses could serve as a sort of permanent economic stimulus program, putting people to work and money in their pockets. The experience of World War II had apparently validated this theory. Why shouldn’t the same logic apply to the Cold War? 

Fast forward to today Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Sensors, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $121,420,517 modification on previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-6294) to exercise options for fiscal 2013 Acoustic Rapid Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Insertion (A-RCI) production. Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $26,528,819 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a delivery order previously issued against basic ordering agreement N00019-12-G-0006. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a contract modification (P00044) under the HQ0276-10-C-0003 contract.  The total value of this ceiling increase is $45,920,095, increasing the total contract value from $209,893,182 to $255,813,277. We still see homeless people, hungry children and currently we have more than 48 million people enrolled on food stamps and many Americans are living off less than $4 a day. Interestingly enough our Defense budget continues to grow and at what cost? The lives of our needy.

 Citations: 

Johnson, Chalmers The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic, New York: Metropolitan Books, 2004

 Hossein-Zadeh, Ismael, The Political Economy of US Militarism, Palgrave MacMillan, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4039-7285-9

Weinberger, Sharon. Imaginary Weapons. New York: Nation Books, 2006. 

Vietnam: The Unforgettable War

Soldier low-crawling in Vietnam

The Vietnam War (1959-1975) was a Cold War-era military conflict between nationalist that desired to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States accompanied by the South Vietnamese attempting to prevent the spread of communism. The war had a major impact on United States politics, culture, and foreign relations. Many Americans were divided over the United States government’s justification for, and means of fighting, the war. The Vietnam War required a great human sacrifice as it was one of the bloodiest wars fought by the United States and caused more than 6 million fatalities, including 3.5 million Vietnamese from North and South Vietnam, 1.5 million Laotians and Cambodians, and almost 60,000 United States soldiers.

Soldiers in a trench, Vietnam

 Additionally, opposition to the war contributed to the counter-culture youth movement of the 1960s and the war contributed towards youth cynicism towards actions of the United States government. The war had a lasting negative psychological impact on the lives of thousands of young men and women who would return from the war without any true governmental assistance. The Vietnam War fueled by political agenda caused disastrous psychological and physiological effects on the soldiers entrusted to spread liberation and freedom. 

Protestors of Vietnam War

High-profile opposition to the Vietnam War turned to street protests in an effort to turn U.S. political opinion against the war. The protests gained momentum from the Civil Rights Movement that had organized to oppose segregation laws, which had laid a foundation of theory and infrastructure on which the anti-war movement grew. Veterans of the Vietnam War returned home to join the movement, including John Kerry, who spearheaded Vietnam Veterans Against the War, V.V.A.W., and testified before Congress in televised hearings. Anti-war protests ended with the final withdrawal of troops after the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1972. However, the lingering effects of dysfunctional psychological and untreated physiological conditions were presented immediately as soldiers began to return home to unwelcoming crowds.

Vietnam War Protestor

The Psychological Effect of Combat is a concept in which many military mental health officials are investigating to provide a means of explanation for the rise in dysfunctional psychological assessments of veterans returning from combat related situations. Unquestionably, the Veterans Administration data indicate that, as of 2010, three times more Vietnam veterans have died from suicide after the war than died from enemy action during the war, and this number is increasing every year.

Citations:

Grossman, Dave, and Bruce Siddle. Psychological Effects of Combat. Los Angeles: SoCal

Publishers, 2001.

Pike, Douglas. The Origins of the War: Competing Perceptions in The Vietnam Debate.

Lancaster Publishers, 1998.

Sheehan, Neil. A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. New York:

Vintage, 1989.

Stone, Oliver, and Peter J. Kuznick. "JFK:The Most Dangerous Moment in Human History." The

            Untold History of the United States. New York: Gallery, 2012. 305-10. Print.

Cold War: The Cuban Revolution

         

Kennedy versus Khrushchev: Cold War Political Cartoon

          The Cold War as known to most Americans was a continuous state of military and political ideological conflict and differences between western powers i.e. The United States of America and its allies versus eastern powers i.e. The Soviet Union and its allies. It is important to note that the Cold War effort was one of ideological differences in governmental management and democratic principles and also contributed to the establishment of the military industrial complex. This time in American history tested the existed foreign policy that had made the United States the power house of the developed world. The Cold War, named solely because of the nuclear weapons that each major power possessed threatened the world with assured destruction if there was ever escalating tensions and or conflict. This psychological aspect of warfare heightened the consciousness of warfare in the everyday lives of the worlds inhabitants; from the combat soldier on the front lines to the demure darling housewives of the late 1940s and would last almost sixty years until the dissolution of the USSR in the mid 1990s.

Political Cartoon: United States role in Cuba

            The Cold War would also shape how the United States conducted foreign policy throughout the world. One great example, The Cuban Revolution, would show in great detail the flaws and subversion that U.S. policy would inflict on its neighbors in order to maintain control of its resources. The Cuban Revolution, led by a young lawyer and activist, Fidel Castro would overthrow the existing United States backed regime of Fulgencio Batista who had close ties to US businesses especially within the sugar industry and organized crime i.e. the Mafia. Under the leadership of Batista, Cuba had legalized gambling in an attempt to appeal to American tourism. Sugar was the major export of Cuba which was owned by the elite and backed by American investment capital. Under the Batista regime the profits of the sugar resource in Cuba was lavished on the elites and the everyday citizen was forced to choose between the basic necessities such as food and clothing.

Celebrate the Revolution Political Cartoon

            Additionally, the Batista regime, was responsible for widespread illiteracy, poverty and prostitution in Cuba while catering to the American elite through business ventures. President John F. Kennedy said it best when he remarked in an interview with Jean Daniel in October 1963,

"I believe that there is no country in the world including any and all the countries under colonial domination, where economic colonization, humiliation and exploitation were worse than in Cuba, in part owing to my country’s policies during the Batista regime. I approved the proclamation which Fidel Castro made in the Sierra Maestra, when he justifiably called for justice and especially yearned to rid Cuba of corruption. I will even go further: to some extent it is as though Batista was the incarnation of a number of sins on the part of the United States. Now we shall have to pay for those sins. In the matter of the Batista regime, I am in agreement with the first Cuban revolutionaries. That is perfectly clear." --John F. Kennedy, October 1963

Literacy campaign of Cuban citizens

            After Castro's rise to power his reforms included the nationalization of American companies operating in Cuba, the infamous literacy movement which saw a more than 80% literacy rate among the lower classes, banned elections, land reform, banned religious freedoms, and made Cuba a one party government. Due to the embargo's sanctioned by the US government, Cuba, made the Soviet Union its main trading partner and through allying itself with the USSR it would be considered a beacon for the communist cause in Latin America. The Bay of Pigs incident, a failed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation that sent Cuban Americans to overthrow and kill Fidel Castro, underestimated loyal sentiment of most Cuba's citizens to Castro and his regime, and further alienated the relationship between Cuba and the United States. It is interesting to note that the same subversion techniques used against Castro i.e. assassination attempts would come to haunt the United States through the assassination of John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy.

Fidel addresses the masses to fight for liberation

            The Cuban Revolution can be summed up as rampant discontent towards an "undemocratic" US sanctioned government that willfully neglected its citizens instead giving the riches of industry to US businesses. The United States through a hostile trade embargo and constant subversion techniques of its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) would subject Cuba to even more widespread poverty and violence all in the name of democracy.

Citations:

Bercovitch, Jacob and Richard Jackson, International Conflict : A Chronological
       Encyclopedia of Conflicts and Their Management 1945-1995 (1997).

Griffith, Robert, and Paula Baker. "Fidel Castro Denounces U.S. Policy Toward 
      Cuba, 1960." Major Problems in American History since 1945: 
      Documents and Essays. 3rd ed. Boston:  Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 127-30.   
      Print.

Nash, Gary B., Julie Roy Jeffrey, John R. Howe, Peter J. Frederick, Allen F. 
    Davis, Allan M. Winkler, Charlene Mires and Carla Gardina Pestana. The 
    American People, Concise Edition: Creating A Nation and a Society,Combined
    Volume (6th edition, 2007). New York: Longman.