Dr. King ; the face of a movement, a voice for the oppressed.
Earthwalker
April 14, 2008
(It is important to acknowledge the people that directly and indirectly provided necessary organizational assistance, moral support and energies, personal participation and determined faith that made 'the movement' possible.)
No man or woman that has walked the earth thus far in my lifetime, has had such a profound effect on human consciousness and behavior as Dr. King. And though the pessimists may view his extraordinary "I Have a Dream" speech as unfulfilled, I would remind them that Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Gandhi, Sister Teresa and many other promoters of peace/love have given humanity hope. They gave us a vision of a world that can exist in contrast to war, conflict, violence, deception, corruption, greed, fear and hatred. Historically, leaders inspired by a spiritual awareness beyond themselves, from across globe, became local leaders of many because of their message. Then gained global recognition and admiration because of their actions.
It seems as though they were able to see life from an extra-ordinary perspective. They were able to spend time in another level of existence. To momentarily shed the human chains of ego and selfishness. To transcend the illusions confined to time and space. (for those that saw the movie, The Matrix; they somehow understood that 'there is no spoon' ) Most of us can only speculate as to how the souls of spiritual leaders are transformed from coal to diamond. Most can only imagine the levels of consciousness they visit once freed from the cocoon. However, because of them, we can experience various aspects of the visions exposed to them. Even though spirit-inspired visions usually exist on planes higher than the physical realm, these leaders have been able to decipher and translate to others. Human languages are not capable of recreating complete descriptions of activity beyond time and space, therefore some details are lost in translation.
Thus many of the enlightened leaders use imagery and parables to convey The Message, which by design, offer partial compensation by resonating on an emotional level. We feel inspired.
We hear the message and feel the passion of the messenger. Once we are moved to a level beyond the norm; challenged, motivated, uplifted; the messenger has completed their role. The message has been delivered. At that point, it is up to us, individually and collectively, to respond accordingly.
So in response to the derogatory voices still attempting to negate the vibrations of love that motivated Dr. King, I would say that resistance is futile. I would ask, to what exactly are you opposing? And finally, the question we must all ask of ourselves; what is my role, where does my responsibility begin and end, and how do my actions or inaction affect the outcome? For a person or group to oppose the possibility that we, they, and more importantly their children, could evolve into beings of higher consciousness, would condemn humanity to a desolate fate.
For what reason would a person stand in defiance, inhibit the growth of or deny access to another persons pursuit of 'Liberty and Justice for ALL'? Equality is one of the essential ingredients of a true democracy. Justice, another component that must exist to maintain a democratic nation.
The idea to form a nation governed of, by and for the people, is not exclusively American. The founding fathers knew that previous democracies had formed, flourished and failed. To create a nation of democratic principals, would not be worthy of the effort if it could not endure. Therefore, as in all construction projects intended to maintain strength and integrity, they would need to focus on the foundation. To create a democracy that could withstand the structural problems that led to the fall of democratic nations throughout history, they would have to design a foundation that could endure. The essential components that form the foundation in our democracy, the blue print if you will, are in the Constitution.
Thus I revisit the inquiry: whom is(are) the person(s) that stand in opposition to the core principals of democracy? The same rights that Dr. King reiterated. Why did the factions that wire-tapped, monitored and conspired tactics to destroy the Civil Rights movement feel threatened ? Were any of the issues that Dr. King was compelled to address an actual threat to the sovereignty of America? Were the issues a threat to our professed democratic principals?
The answer is no! In fact, the civil rights movement was a reaction by an oppressed segment of the populous to an action no longer tolerable. The action was the passing of the Jim Crowe laws. Jim Crowe laws were a set of limitations, restrictions and disenfranchisements based solely on Race.
(this link is to a site offering Legal Definitions.)
http://www.legal-definitions.com/civil-rights-law/what-are-jim-crow-laws.htm
This is a summarization of the Jim Crowe laws by the above organization.
Jim Crowe laws were hate fueled laws that legalized segregation of and discrimination against African Americans after the United States Civil War. Named after a popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans, "Jim Crow" came to personify the system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States. Jim Crow laws established that "separate was equal" system between the races. The Supreme Court ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional encouraged the passage of discriminatory laws that wiped out the gains made by blacks during Reconstruction. Railways and streetcars, public waiting rooms, restaurants, boardinghouses, theaters, and public parks were segregated; separate schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, generally of inferior quality, were designated for blacks. Jim Crow laws stuck around in the United States until they were chipped away at in the Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, in 1954, which ruled that "separate but equal" was not, in fact, equal. The laws were further eroded during the Civil Rights movement, led by Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
From a historical perspective, a linear time line helps to grasp the complexities involved. Let us start at the beginning of what we now call America and review the significant events that transpired eventually leading to the conditions of which a Movement (by the people) for Civil Rights was born. The Declaration of Independence was the formal document to the British Empire, announcing the forthcoming intent to disassociate governance and the formation of a separate American government. In the second paragraph of the document dated July 4 1776, it is stated:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed,
Noteworthy, are the 'truths to be self-evident' followed by an acknowledgment insinuating a spiritual insight and recognition of The Creators endowment of all It's creations, and thus; the Creations' unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. The above segment, is the first part of the second paragraph. The remainder of paragraph continues with the obligation of the governed, once whom have collectively decided that the governing body is no longer effectively representing the will of the governed:
(below is the rest of the second paragraph from the Declaration of Independence)
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. - The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. ___________________
It is not my intent to draw exact comparison to the suffrage of the colonists under British rule, and the suffrage of African Americans under slave laws, Jim Crowe laws, the police / policy against civil rights marchers and until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I do though believe, we can safely assume that suffrage on any level, incurred over years, even decades, will not be tolerated infinitely. As declared by the signers of the aforementioned document; it is the right, it is the duty; to throw off such governance. all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security - __________________________
The colony of America, became the nation of America because the oppressive, non-responsive and non-representative governance under British Empirical rule, became intolerable. At some point, the colonists must have concluded that all rational means of negotiation had been extinguished. They had most likely used every possible angle, leverage and veiled threat to no avail. A war against the world's mightiest military was the last option. They fought to free themselves of laws, policies, economic impairment and the right to actively participate in the decision making processes for all of the above.
After achieving independence, the colonies set forth to structure a system of governance. This is where I admit to being stumped. No longer underneath a rule so loathed that war became inevitable. One could assume that the experience of such, may have influenced the language and concepts used in the formal document created to stipulate the new nations creed.
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was completed in Philadelphia. The Preamble reads:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. .
As stated earlier, I am stumped as to how the language in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are to be understood. The formation of a more perfect union suggests the realization that a perfect union may not be attainable. Thus, the subsequent proclamations that would be accentuated in order to bring about the conditions enabling perfection of government more attainable. Therefore I ask: Does the establishment of justice and insurance of domestic tranquility extend to all of the Creators' children? What does the promotion of the general welfare mean? And who does the OUR refer to when securing the blessings of liberty and posterity qualify for inclusion in the preface (preamble) of this precedent setting document? These questions are extremely important if we consider the fact that all elected officials and military personnel must take an oath prior to official acceptance in the position sought. These are the oaths: For enlistment into military :
Click here for additional Information on military oath
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
For presidential oath :
Click
here for additional information
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will try to the best of my ability, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Of Note:
The above link to additional information regarding the oath for military enlistees, delineates the "10 steps to joining the military". It is significant that the military makes it a point of emphasis that; "Your Oath is something that every servicemember must promise and adhere to for his/her entire military career. From the Oath, you can see that you will be defending the Constitution - not a person".
George Washington added the phrase "so help me God" to the end of his oath, and almost every president has added it since. He also followed his swearing-in with the first inaugural address -- another tradition most presidents have also adopted.
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people," Washington said.
Over the next 40 years, the newly founded nation got on with the business of business. The landscape was quite fertile for large scale farming endeavors. The availability of land and the use of free labor proved to be very profitable. ___________________
The Civil War was the culmination of four decades of intense sectional conflict and reflected deep-seated economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. The South, overwhelmingly agricultural, produced cash crops-cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane-for export to the North or to Europe, but it depended on the North for manufactures and for the financial and commercial services essential to trade. Under scoring sectional differences, the labor force in the South included nearly 4 million enslaved blacks. Although the slaveholding planter class formed a small minority of the population, it dominated Southern politics and society. Slaves were the largest single investment in the South, and the fear of slave unrest ensured the loyalty of nonslaveholders to the economic and social system.. __________
This segment was borrowed from: An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group. A WRC Media Company. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by written agreement, uses of the work inconsistent with U.S. and applicable foreign copyright and related laws are prohibited .
Increasingly, the conflicting issues between the North and South became drastic. Slavery was one of the major cleavages in moral and ethical philosophy. Eventually the verbal battles escalated into physical war. The civil war ensued. By mid 1862 the military efforts had come to a stalemate of sorts.
President Lincoln had long professed his disdain for the enslavement of Africans in the Americas. In November of 1862, he warned the Confederate Leadership that unless they agreed to surrender and end succession efforts, he would formerly declare an end to slavery. In January 0f 1863, in the absence of Confederate complicity, Lincoln ordered the abolition of slavery as the Emancipation Proclamation. Freed slaves were instrumental in the rejuvenation of Union Forces. By the spring and summer of 1863, Union Forces including the over 185,000 African-American soldiers made a significant shift in the direction of the Civil War. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln gave a speech known as the Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.............. ..................-- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
The civil war waged on for 14 months after the Gettysburg Address. At the end of the war, the congress created a list of criteria that each of the defeated southern states must ratify to regain inclusion. The initial legislation required was the affirmation of the principals in the 13th amendment.
The focus here, are the Amendments that were added to the Constitution after the civil war. More specifically, those created to clarify and legislate unlawful practices of oppression, exclusion or prejudice.
Thirteenth Amendment (1865): Abolishes slavery and grants Congress power to enforce abolition. (Full
text)
Fourteenth Amendment (1868): Defines United States citizenship; prohibits states from abridging citizens' privileges or immunities and rights to due process and the equal protection of the law; repeals the three-fifths compromise.
(Full text)
Fifteenth Amendment (1870): Prohibits the federal government and the states from using a citizen's race, color, or previous status as a slave as a qualification for voting.
(Full text)
The aforementioned amendments to the constitution, had officially become adjoined to the US Constitution. Therefore, the contents of those amendments should inherently be provided the protections by all elected officials and military personnel sworn by oath to do so. Furthermore, by stipulation in the military oath, any person or persons, foreign or domestic that threaten the constitution, should become an enemy of the state. We often hear demonstrative debate over the first and second amendment rights of all Americans. In my view, any and all amendments should be afforded such deliberate debate and vigorous oversight, or all of the amendments including the constitution itself, become vulnerable to the stain of hypocracy. However, when the Jim Crowe laws ran afoul of and in direct conflict to the intentions of the constitution, the military, congressional and judicial systems were M.I.A..
America was ready for a visit from the good doctor. Dr. King was not a typical leader. He could never be accused of jumping in front of a social movement already organizing around a purpose. Dr. King was, as were most of the victims of oppression at that time, personally familiar with the unjust treatment, unequal representation, often hateful and always distasteful use of derogatory labels. Dr. King felt the pain of pre-judgement. He knew prejudice was wrong. He was compelled to confront his oppressor. It was his duty as a responsible participant of our democracy. The human psyche as a specie and the spiritual center of the individual were not inherently designed to accept undesirable treatment. It is a simple fact that every single human of sound mind would naturally prefer positive treatment and the feeling of general acceptance in society. The intentional implementation of immoral, unethical or unjust practices forced upon a specific or categorized segment of society, will inevitably create a reaction to restore balance. Without fail. In my opinion, I would suggest that the language formulated in the US Constitution and other formal documents created to define the principals for which our democracy operates, was the result of subjection to undesirable systems of rule. Our democratic system was not created to accommodate an exclusive group or class or race or religion. By definition, a democratic system of government is created around, centered on, forged from and affixed to : INCLUSION. The basis of our democracy can endure only when any form of exclusion, that denies access or hinders growth, inhibits justice or disqualifies opinion and diversity, or misrepresents the truth; is rejected. We cannot allow the American experiment, the melting pot, the world's beacon of light; to be extinguished. The notion of a functioning democratic nation is the allure of America. People from around the globe have high hopes that we can succeed.
They want to believe it is possible to have a government that is truly representative of it's people. America has been verbally and physically involved in the promotion of our democratic principals around the world.
Would we as a nation have been able to call upon other nations practicing oppressive or tyrannical rule, to reconsider their form of governing, had we not first re-evalueated our own discrepancies?
Would we be able explain the invasion of Iraq as an honorable endeavor, quantifying the implicit horrors of war by explaining our goal as an attempt to bring them democracy?
I believe that the United States of America owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. King and the brave participants of the civil rights movement. For the experiment of America, as a nation founded on the proposition of Justice and Liberty for ALL, was in danger of following the same ominous path that led to the collapse of other prominent democracies in our history. Dr King was the face and voice of a social movement inspired by the suffrage maliciously inflicted upon them, for no other reason than an uneducated assumption of the genetic code. For example:
Scientists Find A DNA Change That Accounts For White Skin
By Rick WeissWashington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 16, 2005; Page A01
Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.
The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races. ( further in the same article )
In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome -- the complete instructions for making a human being.( again, further in the same article )
Even study leader Keith Cheng said he was at first uncomfortable talking about the new work, fearing that the finding of such a clear genetic difference between people of African and European ancestries might reawaken discredited assertions of other purported inborn differences between races -- the most long-standing and inflammatory of those being intelligence.
"I think human beings are extremely insecure and look to visual cues of sameness to feel better, and people will do bad things to people who look different," Cheng said.
In conclusion, Dr. King was spat on, verbally and physically assaulted, handcuffed, jailed, threatened, falsely accused and chastised by US federal agents. Yet he was not detoured. He knew that his life was at risk, he also was willing to sacrifice the already fragile security of those he loved.
Dr. King was entrusted with a message, an inner-vision that was from a higher level of consciousness. He was inspired by a cause greater than himself. He was motivated to deliver a message, and the messenger was willing to sacrifice everything to complete his mission.
The United States, and our world in general should honor his courage and love for humanity, for without his selfless courage and spiritual awareness, the practice of hate, exclusion and injustice would have continued to fester. If the practices of exclusion were not One thing for certain, our democratic principals were corrected and given another chance to move beyond hypocracy.
A personal note from the author: This article / opinion took me on a journey that I didn't forsee. To avoid my own personal interpretation of published works, (the yellow and green highlighted sections) I went to the sources and copied the original text. This became an extensive project. Thanks to the Internet, there is a vast amount of information from various angles. In the near future, I hope to share {3}more of the interesting information that I ran across. Some of the highlighted areas above, will be revisited more extensively in order to give the topic matter that I found eye-opening the attention it deserves. I hope you too find the nuggets of information that many people have taken the time to research, gather, study, test and make available to us, enlightening. I would like to thank the web sites linked here for their efforts, time and energy for giving others the opportunity to empower themselves with knowledge. At no cost. ]
No man or woman that has walked the earth thus far in my lifetime, has had such a profound effect on human consciousness and behavior as Dr. King. And though the pessimists may view his extraordinary "I Have a Dream" speech as unfulfilled, I would remind them that Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Gandhi, Sister Teresa and many other promoters of peace/love have given humanity hope. They gave us a vision of a world that can exist in contrast to war, conflict, violence, deception, corruption, greed, fear and hatred. Historically, leaders inspired by a spiritual awareness beyond themselves, from across globe, became local leaders of many because of their message. Then gained global recognition and admiration because of their actions.
It seems as though they were able to see life from an extra-ordinary perspective. They were able to spend time in another level of existence. To momentarily shed the human chains of ego and selfishness. To transcend the illusions confined to time and space. (for those that saw the movie, The Matrix; they somehow understood that 'there is no spoon' ) Most of us can only speculate as to how the souls of spiritual leaders are transformed from coal to diamond. Most can only imagine the levels of consciousness they visit once freed from the cocoon. However, because of them, we can experience various aspects of the visions exposed to them. Even though spirit-inspired visions usually exist on planes higher than the physical realm, these leaders have been able to decipher and translate to others. Human languages are not capable of recreating complete descriptions of activity beyond time and space, therefore some details are lost in translation.
Thus many of the enlightened leaders use imagery and parables to convey The Message, which by design, offer partial compensation by resonating on an emotional level. We feel inspired.
We hear the message and feel the passion of the messenger. Once we are moved to a level beyond the norm; challenged, motivated, uplifted; the messenger has completed their role. The message has been delivered. At that point, it is up to us, individually and collectively, to respond accordingly.
So in response to the derogatory voices still attempting to negate the vibrations of love that motivated Dr. King, I would say that resistance is futile. I would ask, to what exactly are you opposing? And finally, the question we must all ask of ourselves; what is my role, where does my responsibility begin and end, and how do my actions or inaction affect the outcome? For a person or group to oppose the possibility that we, they, and more importantly their children, could evolve into beings of higher consciousness, would condemn humanity to a desolate fate.
For what reason would a person stand in defiance, inhibit the growth of or deny access to another persons pursuit of 'Liberty and Justice for ALL'? Equality is one of the essential ingredients of a true democracy. Justice, another component that must exist to maintain a democratic nation.
The idea to form a nation governed of, by and for the people, is not exclusively American. The founding fathers knew that previous democracies had formed, flourished and failed. To create a nation of democratic principals, would not be worthy of the effort if it could not endure. Therefore, as in all construction projects intended to maintain strength and integrity, they would need to focus on the foundation. To create a democracy that could withstand the structural problems that led to the fall of democratic nations throughout history, they would have to design a foundation that could endure. The essential components that form the foundation in our democracy, the blue print if you will, are in the Constitution.
Thus I revisit the inquiry: whom is(are) the person(s) that stand in opposition to the core principals of democracy? The same rights that Dr. King reiterated. Why did the factions that wire-tapped, monitored and conspired tactics to destroy the Civil Rights movement feel threatened ? Were any of the issues that Dr. King was compelled to address an actual threat to the sovereignty of America? Were the issues a threat to our professed democratic principals?
The answer is no! In fact, the civil rights movement was a reaction by an oppressed segment of the populous to an action no longer tolerable. The action was the passing of the Jim Crowe laws. Jim Crowe laws were a set of limitations, restrictions and disenfranchisements based solely on Race.
(this link is to a site offering Legal Definitions.)
http://www.legal-definitions.com/civil-rights-law/what-are-jim-crow-laws.htm
This is a summarization of the Jim Crowe laws by the above organization.
Jim Crowe laws were hate fueled laws that legalized segregation of and discrimination against African Americans after the United States Civil War. Named after a popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans, "Jim Crow" came to personify the system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States. Jim Crow laws established that "separate was equal" system between the races. The Supreme Court ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional encouraged the passage of discriminatory laws that wiped out the gains made by blacks during Reconstruction. Railways and streetcars, public waiting rooms, restaurants, boardinghouses, theaters, and public parks were segregated; separate schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, generally of inferior quality, were designated for blacks. Jim Crow laws stuck around in the United States until they were chipped away at in the Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, in 1954, which ruled that "separate but equal" was not, in fact, equal. The laws were further eroded during the Civil Rights movement, led by Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
From a historical perspective, a linear time line helps to grasp the complexities involved. Let us start at the beginning of what we now call America and review the significant events that transpired eventually leading to the conditions of which a Movement (by the people) for Civil Rights was born. The Declaration of Independence was the formal document to the British Empire, announcing the forthcoming intent to disassociate governance and the formation of a separate American government. In the second paragraph of the document dated July 4 1776, it is stated:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed,
Noteworthy, are the 'truths to be self-evident' followed by an acknowledgment insinuating a spiritual insight and recognition of The Creators endowment of all It's creations, and thus; the Creations' unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. The above segment, is the first part of the second paragraph. The remainder of paragraph continues with the obligation of the governed, once whom have collectively decided that the governing body is no longer effectively representing the will of the governed:
(below is the rest of the second paragraph from the Declaration of Independence)
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security - Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. - The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. ___________________
It is not my intent to draw exact comparison to the suffrage of the colonists under British rule, and the suffrage of African Americans under slave laws, Jim Crowe laws, the police / policy against civil rights marchers and until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I do though believe, we can safely assume that suffrage on any level, incurred over years, even decades, will not be tolerated infinitely. As declared by the signers of the aforementioned document; it is the right, it is the duty; to throw off such governance. all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security - __________________________
The colony of America, became the nation of America because the oppressive, non-responsive and non-representative governance under British Empirical rule, became intolerable. At some point, the colonists must have concluded that all rational means of negotiation had been extinguished. They had most likely used every possible angle, leverage and veiled threat to no avail. A war against the world's mightiest military was the last option. They fought to free themselves of laws, policies, economic impairment and the right to actively participate in the decision making processes for all of the above.
After achieving independence, the colonies set forth to structure a system of governance. This is where I admit to being stumped. No longer underneath a rule so loathed that war became inevitable. One could assume that the experience of such, may have influenced the language and concepts used in the formal document created to stipulate the new nations creed.
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was completed in Philadelphia. The Preamble reads:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. .
As stated earlier, I am stumped as to how the language in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are to be understood. The formation of a more perfect union suggests the realization that a perfect union may not be attainable. Thus, the subsequent proclamations that would be accentuated in order to bring about the conditions enabling perfection of government more attainable. Therefore I ask: Does the establishment of justice and insurance of domestic tranquility extend to all of the Creators' children? What does the promotion of the general welfare mean? And who does the OUR refer to when securing the blessings of liberty and posterity qualify for inclusion in the preface (preamble) of this precedent setting document? These questions are extremely important if we consider the fact that all elected officials and military personnel must take an oath prior to official acceptance in the position sought. These are the oaths: For enlistment into military :
Click here for additional Information on military oath
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
For presidential oath :
Click
here for additional information
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will try to the best of my ability, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Of Note:
The above link to additional information regarding the oath for military enlistees, delineates the "10 steps to joining the military". It is significant that the military makes it a point of emphasis that; "Your Oath is something that every servicemember must promise and adhere to for his/her entire military career. From the Oath, you can see that you will be defending the Constitution - not a person".
George Washington added the phrase "so help me God" to the end of his oath, and almost every president has added it since. He also followed his swearing-in with the first inaugural address -- another tradition most presidents have also adopted.
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people," Washington said.
Over the next 40 years, the newly founded nation got on with the business of business. The landscape was quite fertile for large scale farming endeavors. The availability of land and the use of free labor proved to be very profitable. ___________________
The Civil War was the culmination of four decades of intense sectional conflict and reflected deep-seated economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. The South, overwhelmingly agricultural, produced cash crops-cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane-for export to the North or to Europe, but it depended on the North for manufactures and for the financial and commercial services essential to trade. Under scoring sectional differences, the labor force in the South included nearly 4 million enslaved blacks. Although the slaveholding planter class formed a small minority of the population, it dominated Southern politics and society. Slaves were the largest single investment in the South, and the fear of slave unrest ensured the loyalty of nonslaveholders to the economic and social system.. __________
This segment was borrowed from: An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group. A WRC Media Company. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by written agreement, uses of the work inconsistent with U.S. and applicable foreign copyright and related laws are prohibited .
Increasingly, the conflicting issues between the North and South became drastic. Slavery was one of the major cleavages in moral and ethical philosophy. Eventually the verbal battles escalated into physical war. The civil war ensued. By mid 1862 the military efforts had come to a stalemate of sorts.
President Lincoln had long professed his disdain for the enslavement of Africans in the Americas. In November of 1862, he warned the Confederate Leadership that unless they agreed to surrender and end succession efforts, he would formerly declare an end to slavery. In January 0f 1863, in the absence of Confederate complicity, Lincoln ordered the abolition of slavery as the Emancipation Proclamation. Freed slaves were instrumental in the rejuvenation of Union Forces. By the spring and summer of 1863, Union Forces including the over 185,000 African-American soldiers made a significant shift in the direction of the Civil War. On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln gave a speech known as the Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.............. ..................-- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
The civil war waged on for 14 months after the Gettysburg Address. At the end of the war, the congress created a list of criteria that each of the defeated southern states must ratify to regain inclusion. The initial legislation required was the affirmation of the principals in the 13th amendment.
The focus here, are the Amendments that were added to the Constitution after the civil war. More specifically, those created to clarify and legislate unlawful practices of oppression, exclusion or prejudice.
Thirteenth Amendment (1865): Abolishes slavery and grants Congress power to enforce abolition. (Full
text)
Fourteenth Amendment (1868): Defines United States citizenship; prohibits states from abridging citizens' privileges or immunities and rights to due process and the equal protection of the law; repeals the three-fifths compromise.
(Full text)
Fifteenth Amendment (1870): Prohibits the federal government and the states from using a citizen's race, color, or previous status as a slave as a qualification for voting.
(Full text)
The aforementioned amendments to the constitution, had officially become adjoined to the US Constitution. Therefore, the contents of those amendments should inherently be provided the protections by all elected officials and military personnel sworn by oath to do so. Furthermore, by stipulation in the military oath, any person or persons, foreign or domestic that threaten the constitution, should become an enemy of the state. We often hear demonstrative debate over the first and second amendment rights of all Americans. In my view, any and all amendments should be afforded such deliberate debate and vigorous oversight, or all of the amendments including the constitution itself, become vulnerable to the stain of hypocracy. However, when the Jim Crowe laws ran afoul of and in direct conflict to the intentions of the constitution, the military, congressional and judicial systems were M.I.A..
America was ready for a visit from the good doctor. Dr. King was not a typical leader. He could never be accused of jumping in front of a social movement already organizing around a purpose. Dr. King was, as were most of the victims of oppression at that time, personally familiar with the unjust treatment, unequal representation, often hateful and always distasteful use of derogatory labels. Dr. King felt the pain of pre-judgement. He knew prejudice was wrong. He was compelled to confront his oppressor. It was his duty as a responsible participant of our democracy. The human psyche as a specie and the spiritual center of the individual were not inherently designed to accept undesirable treatment. It is a simple fact that every single human of sound mind would naturally prefer positive treatment and the feeling of general acceptance in society. The intentional implementation of immoral, unethical or unjust practices forced upon a specific or categorized segment of society, will inevitably create a reaction to restore balance. Without fail. In my opinion, I would suggest that the language formulated in the US Constitution and other formal documents created to define the principals for which our democracy operates, was the result of subjection to undesirable systems of rule. Our democratic system was not created to accommodate an exclusive group or class or race or religion. By definition, a democratic system of government is created around, centered on, forged from and affixed to : INCLUSION. The basis of our democracy can endure only when any form of exclusion, that denies access or hinders growth, inhibits justice or disqualifies opinion and diversity, or misrepresents the truth; is rejected. We cannot allow the American experiment, the melting pot, the world's beacon of light; to be extinguished. The notion of a functioning democratic nation is the allure of America. People from around the globe have high hopes that we can succeed.
They want to believe it is possible to have a government that is truly representative of it's people. America has been verbally and physically involved in the promotion of our democratic principals around the world.
Would we as a nation have been able to call upon other nations practicing oppressive or tyrannical rule, to reconsider their form of governing, had we not first re-evalueated our own discrepancies?
Would we be able explain the invasion of Iraq as an honorable endeavor, quantifying the implicit horrors of war by explaining our goal as an attempt to bring them democracy?
I believe that the United States of America owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. King and the brave participants of the civil rights movement. For the experiment of America, as a nation founded on the proposition of Justice and Liberty for ALL, was in danger of following the same ominous path that led to the collapse of other prominent democracies in our history. Dr King was the face and voice of a social movement inspired by the suffrage maliciously inflicted upon them, for no other reason than an uneducated assumption of the genetic code. For example:
Scientists Find A DNA Change That Accounts For White Skin
By Rick WeissWashington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 16, 2005; Page A01
Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.
The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races. ( further in the same article )
In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome -- the complete instructions for making a human being.( again, further in the same article )
Even study leader Keith Cheng said he was at first uncomfortable talking about the new work, fearing that the finding of such a clear genetic difference between people of African and European ancestries might reawaken discredited assertions of other purported inborn differences between races -- the most long-standing and inflammatory of those being intelligence.
"I think human beings are extremely insecure and look to visual cues of sameness to feel better, and people will do bad things to people who look different," Cheng said.
In conclusion, Dr. King was spat on, verbally and physically assaulted, handcuffed, jailed, threatened, falsely accused and chastised by US federal agents. Yet he was not detoured. He knew that his life was at risk, he also was willing to sacrifice the already fragile security of those he loved.
Dr. King was entrusted with a message, an inner-vision that was from a higher level of consciousness. He was inspired by a cause greater than himself. He was motivated to deliver a message, and the messenger was willing to sacrifice everything to complete his mission.
The United States, and our world in general should honor his courage and love for humanity, for without his selfless courage and spiritual awareness, the practice of hate, exclusion and injustice would have continued to fester. If the practices of exclusion were not One thing for certain, our democratic principals were corrected and given another chance to move beyond hypocracy.
A personal note from the author: This article / opinion took me on a journey that I didn't forsee. To avoid my own personal interpretation of published works, (the yellow and green highlighted sections) I went to the sources and copied the original text. This became an extensive project. Thanks to the Internet, there is a vast amount of information from various angles. In the near future, I hope to share {3}more of the interesting information that I ran across. Some of the highlighted areas above, will be revisited more extensively in order to give the topic matter that I found eye-opening the attention it deserves. I hope you too find the nuggets of information that many people have taken the time to research, gather, study, test and make available to us, enlightening. I would like to thank the web sites linked here for their efforts, time and energy for giving others the opportunity to empower themselves with knowledge. At no cost. ]