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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Spending some time with the New York Times is always interesting on Independence Day. They contend that America was founded on slavery, and is not a great nation.
So, once a year, debunking their incorrect narrative is a useful exercise.
The Times contends in their 1619 Project that the true founding of our nation is not 1776, but when the first slave arrived here. They’ve even created a high school curriculum around their propaganda… and, sadly, there are dozens of liberal school districts around the nation that are teaching such bunk.
What’s wrong with the New York Times‘ agenda?
First, labor, even forced labor, is not the vision that creates anything. They are the muscle that carries out someone else’s vision. The U.S. Capitol and the White House were built, in part, by slaves. But the credit for those buildings goes to the architects, William Thornton and James Hoban. The southern U.S. may have been dependent on slave labor to harvest cotton and grow tobacco. But these crops generated wealth because of the plantation owners and others who cultivated the land, and organized the shipping and the industry that made the products useful. The Ford Motor Company is Henry Ford’s endeavor, not the people who manned the assembly line. Tesla is Elon Musk’s company, even though he never turned a wrench or tightened a screw. I may speak on this radio station, but the person who secured the broadcast license, bought the transmitter and built the studios is the person who made the enterprise possible.
Second, if America is a great nation only because of slavery – why are other nations that used slaves not as great? Mexico, Brazil, Barbados were also slave-dependent nations, yet none of them are the United States of America.
Lastly, remember that America’s greatness lies in its ability to self-correct. Slavery is our nation’s original sin. Yet, in time, our nation’s moral compass turned. A large and vocal abolitionist movement grew in the north. Do not forget that 360,000 Union soldiers laid down their lives to end slavery. Even today, although racism still exists, the practices of generations ago are no longer accepted. All Americans agree that separate water fountains and swimming pools are unacceptable. No American today would expect a black rider to give up their seat on a city bus.
As we turn the page on another Independence Day, this truth should be self-evident. The United States is a great nation for everyone who lives here. If it isn’t, why are so many people trying to get in?
Chris Conley
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