Speaking to Tom in today’s second hour, Stanford historian David Kennedy noted that few would have predicted that the Democrats would nominate the nation’s first African-American president. The Democrats only “came over” on civil rights in the 1960s. The party of slavery before the Civil War, the Democrats espoused white supremacy after. Not one Democrat in either house of Congress voted for a single civil rights bill from 1870 to 1900.
Last week, while browsing The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, I came across a casual remark that reveals everything about the treatment of blacks by the first “progressive ” Democratic administration. It came in a press conference in reply to a reporter’s question about the tolls charged U.S. shipping for passing through the Panama Canal.
“I will have to tell you another story, ” Wilson began, alluding to an earlier anecdote. “A friend of mine…was chairman of the local campaign committee on one of the Oranges in New Jersey, and on election day an old colored man came in and stood, and shifted, and shifted, and finally my friend looked up and the man said: ‘ Is you de chairman of de Republican committee?’ Yes, what do you want? ‘Well, I think dar is a whole lot ob dese n—–s agoin’ to vote de Democratic ticket. If I had about two dollars apiece for dem n—–s, I could fix ‘em…”
A “darky” story, with accent, at a presidential press conference.
Turn the clock ahead to 1962. Sammy Davis Jr. and Mai Britt, his Swedish actress-wife, are invited to the White House. Or rather Sammy was invited. When the couple showed up, President Kennedy told Mrs. Kennedy that she must not be seen standing near them during the affair. She burst into tears and refused to go down stairs.
Rub your eyes in wonder that the “Democracy” of Jefferson and Jackson, both slave holders, is now the party of President-elect Barack Obama.
Given his own high spirit and Lockean roots I do not wonder that the ideas and the ideals of Thomas Jefferson helped to shape a constitution that frees people to correct their own unjust laws and institutions, and even to amend the constitution itself. Nor do I wonder why Thomas Jefferson was not also John Woolman, or why in his own life Jefferson fell short of his own ideals. I rub my eyes instead trying to see our current hypocrisy and injustice that will be evident only to the future. I happen to think that Barack Obama has the ideals, spirit and intelligence to change history for the better, much as Jefferson did. I don’t and won’t hold it against him for belonging to an imperfect political party or personally falling short of his own ideals if or when he does.
Posted by James Hall, on November 10th, 2008 at 11:04 pm ESTJack, I do not agree with you very often. However, I do have a lot of respect for you in large part because you are not afraid to speak about the moral transgressions of your own party. If everyone was as morally courageous as you are the world would be a better place.
Posted by Sam, on December 1st, 2008 at 10:59 pm EST