Historical Framework – When Government was Good: WWII + Two Decades
United we stand. Divided we fall.” There is no axiom in the human lexicon related to power and to greatness that is more proven and accepted as being true than that one.
Right now, the American people are nearly as divided as they were in the mid-19th century. More than anything, what our beleaguered nation needs is for its citizens to be more united, less contemptuous, and more appreciative of one another. I am optimistic that this second term under President Trump offers an opportunity to do that. Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to write a series of short (one page) essays on his topic. First, I will establish a relevant factual historical framework. If you disagree with any of my “facts”, help me get them straight. Once the majority of us are on the same page factually, I will begin with my take on the Biden Administration. Had Biden done several key things differently, I believe we would be significantly more united than we are. After that, I will do the same with President Trump and what he might do that could ultimately result in us becoming more united as a people. “More” does not come close to “all”. Those on the fringes will remain there and be bitterly against any rapprochement with “The Enemy”, fellow Americans on the other side of their political spectrum. I believe that if we can get 55% of the US electorate to have consensus on the most important issues, we will be united enough to function well as a nation.
For the past 8 decades, the United States has been the greatest and most powerful nation on earth. That we were able to become so is all the more amazing considering that our unity was severely hamstrung from the start by a “peculiar institution”, the enslavement of black people of African descent. To form a nation, the Founders had to accede to enshrining slavery in the Constitution. That horrible bugaboo eventually resulted in the near dissolution of the United States into two fractured, weak nations. After much destruction and bloodshed, our country remained intact, but we also continued to be divided with one of the key differences being how the states addressed the formerly enslaved Americans of African descent (” the AA’s”). Most, if not all, of the former slave states enacted laws that relegated the AA’s to a second-class caste status (the “Jim Crow laws”), which hampered our unity up until our own lifetimes. Despite the huge headwind that racial divisions have caused, we still managed to become history’s “G.O.A.T” nation.
Why? How? If you visit the WWII Museum in New Orleans and experience the “Beyond All Boundaries” presentation, you will know. Having endured a decade long depression attended by droughts, dust bowls and great poverty, the American people were very disgruntled and divided. And then BOOM! Pearl Harbor. Fortunately, we had a president who was a master at uniting people across all spectrums of society and regions. He was able to bring out the best in Americans’ nature and channel their energy and aspirations to work as one to defeat the seemingly invincible warrior nations of Japan and Germany. What the American people did as one united nation in four grueling years surpassed anything ever accomplished by any nation in history. Not only did we defeat Germany and Japan, but we also created an economy that powered the planet. And then we had the sagacity to help our former adversaries rebuild and take the lead in establishing a new world order that mitigated the chances of future world wars. Three key aspects of that were: #1 forming strong military alliances (e.g. NATO); #2 establishing free trade agreements such as GATT (General Agreements on Tariff and Trade which later became the WTO); and #3 Creating the UN and locating it in NYC. Article 2(4) in the UN charter outlawed imperialism by mandating that member states refrain from using force against another state’s political independence or territorial integrity.
As a result of the wise decisions primarily by American leaders, the planet has been spared destructive world wars while the overall quality of life for most of humanity has significantly improved.
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