Writing in 1963 from the Birmingham city jail where he had
been incarcerated, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed his conviction that
his fight for civil rights would succeed because of America’s unique heritage.
He wrote,
Our destiny is tied up
with the destiny of America . . . We will win our freedom because the “sacred
heritage” of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing
demands.
Calling the
country’s heritage “sacred” indicated that Dr. King believed there was
something special and of God in America’s founding. He obviously considered the
Jim Crow South where he lived and worked to be a sharp departure from America’s
founding vision.
Frederick Douglass
(1816-1895), the former slave and passionate abolitionist, came to the same
conclusion 100 years before Dr. King. In his early years, he felt he had no
part in America; but after years of research he completely changed his
thinking. In a July 4th speech in 1852, Douglass called the U.S. Constitution “a glorious
liberty document,” and declared,
I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great
men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a
nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.
Slavery was just not an issue, not even
among intellectuals, much less among political leaders, until the 18th century–and then it was an issue only in Western civilization. Among those who
turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and other American leaders. You could research
all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without
finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, 1726:
The Year that Defined America,
90).
History
shows that it was the Great Awakening (1726-1770) in Colonial America that shattered
racial and cultural barriers and unleashed anti-slavery outrage throughout the
Colonies (see Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 89). This Christian Awakening
resulted in virtually every founding father, even those who owned slaves,
taking a public stand against it.
By
the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the
Constitution in 1787, virtually every founder, including George Washington,
agreed with John Adams, America’s 2nd president, who
declared,
Every
measure of prudence ought to be assumed for the eventual total extirpation of
slavery from the United States.
I have throughout my whole life held the practice of slavery in
abhorrence (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 36).
As
a result, America’s founders formulated founding documents that contain no
classifications based on race or skin color. The words “slave” and “slavery”
are nowhere to be found. Instead, the Constitution speaks of “citizens,”
“persons,” and “other persons.”
Indeed, America’s founding generation
understood America’s founding documents to be anti-slavery documents,
guaranteeing liberty and justice for all. Abolitionists often quoted from both
the Declaration and the Constitution in their fight against slavery (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 54-55).
America’s
Founders believed they had set the nation on a course for the soon elimination of
slavery at a time it was practiced throughout the world. They did not, however,
anticipate the invention of the cotton gin in 1798 nor how succeeding
generations would backtrack on their vision of Liberty for all.
Abraham Lincoln understood this and
insisted that his fight against slavery was a continuation of the fight begun
by America’s founders. He said,
In the
way our Fathers originally left the slavery question, the institution was in
the course of ultimate extinction . . . All I have asked or desired is that it
should be placed back again upon the bases that the Fathers of our government
originally placed it upon (Hyatt, Abolitionist Founding Fathers, 59-60).
Dr.
King understood America’s true origins, which is why he could speak of the
nation’s “sacred heritage.” This generation must rediscover and reconnect with
this “sacred heritage” if the America of Washington, Douglass, Lincoln, and
King is to survive.
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Abolitionist Founding Fathers, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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