America is gearing up for another election this fall. In 2008, the emergence of Barack Obama election as President not only was it become a historical monument but one of defining political views. Throughout African-Americans political history the dynamic of party identity has been one of very many complex dynamics. After the Civil War many African-Americans were very pro Republican but some things changed over the next 100 years where more African-Americans aligned with the Democrat party. The political process is one that younger African-Americans are learning to define for themselves. This weeks guest post is by E.Rob( @erob101) of 2 Minute Speech as he writes about African-American political identity.
__________________________________________
WE h
ave FINALLY arrived with the 2008 presidential nominee Barack Obama. A day in history blacks will NEVER forget! But wait; let’s talk about HIStory for a moment in time. In 1863, Abraham “Abe” Lincoln with the Emancipation Proclamation legally freed slaves from their owners. For those who did not know, it was the Republican Party (yeah the one we refer to as GOP) who allowed us to gain our independence. The Republican Party emerged during its time to oppose the Kansas Nebraska Act, which wanted to extend slavery in the US. The KKK, Jim Crow laws, white supremacy, and black oppression were birthed from the Democratic Party. In reality, was the GOP created for blacks? And if so, why are there more blacks in support of the Democratic Party?
Shortly after blacks were freed, we in fact held positions in Congress. For those who ONLY want HIStory lessons in February, do your research on John Willis Menard, the first black Republican Congressman. Other Republicans such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, and E. Frederic Morrow were pioneers as well. With the evolution of the Republican and Democratic parties, where is the evolution of blacks. It appears as though the Republican Party relies on the free-thinking independence of the people, while the Democratic Party relies on the collapsed mentality of the people, especially in poverty stricken communities. Why is it that we criticize black Republicans for their political stance and mock them because we feel they are confused? And why is it that Republicans appear more successful than Democrats? Yes, we can definitely name plenty of successful black Democrats, yet how many broke Republicans can we identify? If you think about it, dare you to tell a successful black Democrat they have arrived due to affirmative action “THEY WILL CURSE YOU OUT and CALL YOU LAZY!”
Honestly, what have the Democrats done for the black community that allows us to remain so loyal? How is “The system” assisting blacks? Affirmative action is I’m a minority, meet the minimum requirements and I can do the job so someone is willing to give me a chance, it’s not I have a bachelor degree and I’m the only black person in the office. How many blacks do you know who have TRULY benefited from affirmative action? Food stamp and section 8 programs cripple the mind because if you make $1 dollar above your requirement then they cut you off. Why would anyone wealthy or not decide to work for an extra $50 a month when that time could be spent with family or friends.
Jeezy may have summarized it best “My auntie on section 8 and why aint her credit straight see you payin all of that which mean she aint never late.”
Open your minds up for a second, what if the Democrats (those who wanted to oppress the blacks) devised a plan to capture the popular vote (the black vote). From 1933 – 1969 the Democrats ran the White House, with the exception of Republican president Dwight Eisenhower, who was the first president to enforce desegregation after the Reconstruction Era. During that period most black Republicans became black Democrats. Why the paradigm shift? Intimidating blacks not to exercise our voting rights began to weaken; so in order to capture the black vote the Democrats would have to make two passive-aggressive strategic moves.
- 1: Get blacks to believe they could lead us through the Great Depression
- 2: Get blacks to believe they support the race riots and Civil Rights Movement
From the Democratic perspective they knew whites would not vote for a party that freed slaves, the equivalent of what the black society does today. We do not vote Republican because everything we are fed tells us Republicans get richer while the Democrats fight for the poor. But what if Obama was a Republican? Would the victory be as sweet for blacks?
Talk about one of the greatest tricks known to man! To further oppress the black mentality let’s play on their psyche, by giving every woman her dream and showing every man his future – a black family in office. We all (I included) voted for Obama because he is black and 2008 will forever be a moment in HIStory we can celebrate. In 1968 MLK was assassinated; in 2008 president Barak Obama was voted into office, there is your 40 acres and a mule….in case you missed it “40 years and a black Democratic president.”
What is your political stance?
Related articles
I will never be down with the Repiblican Party as long as they don’t give women a right to choose and in contraception!
So if Republicans change their minds on that one particular issue then what is your stance?
The thing is the republican party has put themselves in the pit of being old grump white men who do not want to see America become truly what the Four Fathers said they wanted it(even though they didn’t necessarily live it themselves)
I aint a democrat or punk Republican
-Dead Prez
African Americans definitely need to kep their political options open. The Republican Party makes it real real hard nowadays to get down with them with the rhetoric and bills they propose
I agree that no one group of people should be allied with one political party. However, I find your post about African-American political identity misleading in some areas.
Let’s go with the first assertion that President Lincoln freed the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the south. African-Americans in the north were still slaves. President Lincoln essentially freed slaves he had no jurisdiction over. It’s similar to if I came to your house and told your children “You don’t have to listen to your parents. You’re free to do whatever you want.” Surely, you’d throw me out of your house and have a few choice words for me on the way out.
The GOP loves to talk about how they’re the party of Lincoln. They don’t, however, like to talk about being the party of Hayes. In the Compromise of 1877, in order to get Hayes into the White House, the Republicans agreed to withdraw the military from the south, thus ending Reconstruction. I also happened to do some research as you mentioned in your post and found out John Willis Menard was only elected to Congress. Due to a challenge by Caleb Hunt (the man who lost the election) Mr. Menard never served.
You ask in your post why the paradigm shift from Republican to Democrat for African-Americans? The answer to that is simple. The Great Depression served as that paradigm shift. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s programs served to help black (and white) alike. The African-Americans Republicans you mention in your post were Republicans simply because there was no alternative. I took the liberty of doing more research to discover your assertion that Harriet Tubman was a Republican is also erroneous. Ms. Tubman died before women had the right to vote. While she may have had Republican friends there’s no way she herself could have been a Republican.
Both parties have been skillful in using African-Americans. While it’s important to particpate in the democratic process, Republicans and Democrats are essentially two sides of the same coin.
Well Leon X you MISSED the entire message. The POINT is why are blacks so loyal to the Democratic Party? Roosevelt’s programs may have helped blacks during that time but what about today? How many Democratic (or Republican) programs can you name that are EFFECTIVELY helping blacks? Why is there not more of a political balance is the thought (rhetorical)?
In addition you did not quite do enough research. The 13th Amendment was passed in April of 1864 (under Lincoln’s term). The 13th Amendment applied to ALL states Confederate or not. Lincoln was the president of the United States of America NOT the president of the United State of The Union. The American Civil War which was fought and won under Lincoln’s term by The Union and the Confederate States surrendered. While your analogy is funny it’s NOT valid.
As far as John Willis Menard, your post CLEARLY says he was ELECTED which means he was the first black Congressmen, granted he was never installed nonetheless he was selected. The point is many people do not know about John Willis Menard.
Yes the paradigm shift is a “simple” answer but again the purpose was to make people THINK (its about the ONLY thing that does not cost TODAY). What if the Democratic Party only developed those porgrams to win the black votes? I clearly state the Great Depression and supporting blacks was why the shift occured.
The comment you made about blacks being Republican because there was no alternative is ridiculous. It was NOT a must that you be a Republican, blacks could have chosen to not be apart of any political party or a Democrat. Im not sure where you got your research about Harriett Tubman. And your point about her dying before she had the right to vote has absolutely NOTHING to do with her political stance. There are plenty of people who claim D or R that do not vote. My research says otherwise about her being a Republican so I will say this, as far as Harriett’s political stance, “You are the company you keep.”
I appreciate the response and the support. Follow me at @ERob101 and stay tune to 2minutespeech.com. Shots out to my fam Darryl @Diggame and check him out at Ashy2Classy.net….Spread the word to your followers and see what they think.
“Keep the MINDS working and the IGNORANCE fired”
Also important to note that the Ku Klux Klan was formed by Democrats to counter the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Democrats were furious enough that blacks were allowed to vote — but enraged to murderous intent that those blacks would vote Republican. So they formed their secretive society to terrorize blacks. Blacks weren’t lynched beause they were black — they were lynched because they were known associates of Republicans.
Their reign of terror was so effective that it permanently seared into the minds of blacks — vote Republican and you will suffer. What’s sad is that you see that same message today. Just look at @blackrepublican’s Twitter feed. You’ll see a TON of hatred and bigotry, but you’ll be saddened to see where it’s coming from.
When popular sentiment drove the KKK deep underground by the end of the 19th century, they turned to medical science to meet their needs. Dr. John Cutler travelled to Guatemala to perform genetic experiments on imprisoned minorities, inflicting them with syphilis and studying the various results of “treatments” designed to give the appearance of rending aid while silently allowing the disease to spread. Dr. Cutler brought his plans for eugenics — “treating the disease of race” — to the U.S. and even enlisted the aid of black physician Dr. Eugene Dibble and the resources of Eunice Rivers, a black nurse who ran a minority health clinic, to continue his efforts of “studying the effects” of syphillus in the black community. What Dr. Cutler was actually doing was INFECTING blacks with syphillus, withholding medical care and studying the results with the eye of propogating the deadly disease throughout all of the minority populations.
Margaret Sanger was an associate of Dr. Cutler’s. She believed very strongly in the idea of “cleansing” the world of the minority “disease” through eugenics. But she wasn’t content to wait generations for Dr. Cutler’s syphillus epidemic to propagate. “While I personally believe in the sterilization of the feeble-minded, the insane and syphilitic, I have not been able to discover that these measures are more than superficial deterrents when applied to the constantly growing stream of the unfit… Eugenics without Birth Control seems to us a house builded upon the sands.”
One of Sanger’s “pioneering” approaches was to appeal to black leaders compassion for the suffering of their people. They would convince black leaders that there would be far less suffering if black women could better control their reproduction through contraception. Smaller families would allow poor minorities a chance at a better life. Fewer mouths to feed. Better living conditions. Fewer “unwanted” children born into poverty. Sound familiar yet? It should: Margaret Sanger founded an organization called, “Planned Parenthood.”
When World War II introduced the world to the horror of the Nazi eugenics programs, eugenics itself quickly fell out of favor. The “American Eugenics Society” was scuttled, but a former president of the society founded its successor, the Population Council, which Dr. Cutler supported financially for years. The Population Council specializes in research into HIV, AIDS, reproductive health, poverty, youth and gender.
Don’t you think it just a little too coincidental that within just a few years of the collapse of the Nazis and their eugenics research programs, a new “Population Council” is formed which now specializes in reserch into HIV, AIDS, reproductive health, poverty, youth and gender? And that it performs most of its “research” in empoverished nations?
Now ask yourself this: which party supports funding for Planned Parenthood? Which party fights for more U.S. involvement and funding for the Population Council?
“My people perish for lack of knowledge.”
This post is wonderful. I appreciate your being candid!
Keep in mind with Lincoln that the only reason he freed the slaves was to keep the Union in tact!! So should we really give Lincoln and the Republican party so much props for that??
Seriously, the whole Lincoln thing was almost 150 years ago. Republicans have to stop bringing that up like black folks owe them.
The 13th Amendment was passed in April of 1864 (under Lincoln’s term). The 13th Amendment applied to ALL states Confederate or not. Lincoln was the president of the United States of America NOT the president of the United State of The Union. The American Civil War which was fought and won under Lincoln’s term by The Union and the Confederate States surrendered.
True he did free slaves to keep The Union intact nonetheless he gave us a chance at independence. Had he NOT made the move at the time he did then the Kansas Nebraska Act could have possibly been passed and who knows how much longer it would have been before blacks could begin to progess…..one can ONLY speculate but facts are facts. My post did not give Republicans props it only stated a fact.
“Keep the MINDS working and the IGNORANCE fired”
Pingback: Between Oscar Grant and the 2010 Election…We Some Apathetic S.O.B.’s « From Ashy to Classy·
Pingback: Flashback Friday: Frat Party Themes Slap in the Face « From Ashy to Classy·
Pingback: ALAN STANG: REPUBLICAN PARTY, RED FROM THE START by Alan Stang « CITIZEN.BLOGGER.1984+ GUNNY.G BLOG.EMAIL « CITIZEN.BLOGGER.1984+ GUNNY.G BLOG.EMAIL·