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Post by redskyatnight on Jun 18, 2008 10:04:00 GMT -5
If some of the greats from American history, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln, were to magically appear before us today, I think they would be shocked at how the country they fought to shape and mold as a beacon of freedom and hope has turned out. I agree that the founding fathers had great visions for what this country could become. These men, along with their contemporaries, believed in a country where you had the freedom to use the abilities you were born with, bestowed upon you by a higher being, to choose your own destiny — be it where you live, how you earn your keep, and whom you associate with. I wouldn't be so quick to idealize what they believed in. The statement is only true if you were a white man who owned land. Women and slaves were property. Men without land had no vote. Don't get me wrong, they were great thinkers, but they were far from perfect.
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Post by Mel (cherry) on Jun 18, 2008 10:14:58 GMT -5
Yeah that is a good point Seyfert, but it is really good to think about the "original" intention. I (being a female myself and having a daughter) am damn glad that some things have changed, but there are times I wish some things were still the way they used to be. I know that it is an idealistic thought, I know that it doesn't do anything to just sit and think about it though. But somedays that is all you want to do, because it is like bailing water with a thimble. You are probably right Shey. But the difference was the social attitude then. They were fighting to build a country and they had those ideals and values in place. That desire and drive to create a government for the people and to make sure it wasn't going anywhere - stable. These days, though some of the actions "affairs, shady business practices, etc" don't come coupled with anything like that. No it doesn't make those things right, however that seems to go hand in hand with humanity. Besides, this day and age, they probably would have fit in just fine in a lot of ways
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