Tom Paine 1949
Diamond Member
- Mar 15, 2020
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I’d like to recommend the 2013 movie “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day Lewis, which tried and I think succeeded in portraying the mature Lincoln in the final down-and-dirty struggle to pass the 13th Amendment, a struggle that nearly failed even after the South was defeated.
The U.S finally has a holiday celebrating the end of slavery, on June 19th. This is the probably unfortunately named “Juneteenth National Independence Day” holiday. The Jubilee/Juneteenth holiday has African-American roots, and taps into the deep black cultural experience of slavery, emancipation, and a final century of apartheid oppression. Obviously we do not want this new holiday to be portrayed as merely a Liberal / African-American “Independence Day” counterposed to a patriotic flag-waving “White American” July 4th Independence Day … but will we succeed completely in that effort?
I think Lincoln was in many ways a leader and President too farsighted, too wise, too damn good at his job … than this hate-filled and divided country in 1860 deserved.
Lincoln was our blessing, and we were his curse. Yet he was utterly a part of this nation, having absorbed our best ideals and recognized our fatal, irresolvable contradictions.
Let nobody malign the man who accepted responsibility for finally cutting the Gordian knot of slavery in North America.
The U.S finally has a holiday celebrating the end of slavery, on June 19th. This is the probably unfortunately named “Juneteenth National Independence Day” holiday. The Jubilee/Juneteenth holiday has African-American roots, and taps into the deep black cultural experience of slavery, emancipation, and a final century of apartheid oppression. Obviously we do not want this new holiday to be portrayed as merely a Liberal / African-American “Independence Day” counterposed to a patriotic flag-waving “White American” July 4th Independence Day … but will we succeed completely in that effort?
I think Lincoln was in many ways a leader and President too farsighted, too wise, too damn good at his job … than this hate-filled and divided country in 1860 deserved.
Lincoln was our blessing, and we were his curse. Yet he was utterly a part of this nation, having absorbed our best ideals and recognized our fatal, irresolvable contradictions.
Let nobody malign the man who accepted responsibility for finally cutting the Gordian knot of slavery in North America.