In recent years, feelings of shame and embarrassment have redefined the way in which many Americans view their country. We have been convinced, through the power of the media, educational institutions, and discussions of everyday life, that the legacy of this nation is one of lost hope, broken promises and ignored suffering. Once, we were taught to love America, to learn about its past, and to serve as loyal citizens in order to preserve the future. Now, patriotism has been dismissed by some as a form of propaganda, one which is meant to hide darker motives behind America's actions.Such a shift has come with the emergence of contemporary intellectualism. Living in a time of economic prosperity, peace, and technological achievements, many thinkers have adopted an attitude of superiority over the people who came before us. They believe that gains in social justice, the rise in living standards, and growing international cooperation prove their tolerance, generosity, and intelligence. Yet, these feelings of pride (which all of us can have at times) have distorted the way we view our history.
When people judge America's past, they claim to use logic and fairness to present an accurate viewpoint. In some cases, this is true. For decades, the events of the Indian Wars were shown only from an American viewpoint. In recent years, Native Americans have gained more respect for their role in the history of this country. Instead of being portrayed as villains, they are understood for trying to defend their homes and way of life. This is a situation where a once-inaccurate story, slanted for the benefit of one side, has been replaced by a complete version of the truth, in which both sides are considered.
However, those who judge America's past are more often unfair. They do debunk myths and expose biases, yet create new ones to replace them. This is often done by taking an event and using it to support generalizations about a person, nation, or group. For example, some of us look at the Mexican-American War, and conclude from it that America is an aggressive, hypocritical, and corrupt nation. Similarly, our modern society views the former practice of slavery as an indicator of 18th- and 19th-century Americans' intolerance, laziness, and lack of morals. We are constantly told that Christopher Columbus was an evil, murderous man who set off on his voyage simply to plunder the New World.
Looking at the surface of such events and the people involved in them, it appears reasonable to make these judgments, especially when they are widely accepted in schools, intellectual communities, and public discussions. There are a few problems with this. The first is in trying to analyze these events exclusively through a 21st-century lens. We compare our present situations, and how we handle them, to how people in the past dealt with similar issues. But our experiences today are very different from those of our forebears.
During the Mexican-American War, the global order was much more erratic, dangerous and violent than it is now. In the last 170 years, people have not become inherently disposed to peace; there is still conflict raging around the world, as well as violent crime and political intrigue within our borders. Rather, the main causes for today's relatively-stable order are the emergence of the United States (a democracy more interested in trade than war) as a superpower, the delicate balance upheld by nuclear-armed countries, and expanding technologies which bring world economies and cultures closer together. If we are to come to an informed conclusion about the war and those involved in it, we need to consider the matter from a 19th-century perspective.
There is another issue with making absolute statements about past people and events. It is found in the nature of current thought; we assume moral and intellectual superiority over those who came before us. When examining someone like Columbus, it is easy to apply to him the same standards that we apply to ourselves today. Our society expects people from history to follow its rules, and if they did not, they are perceived as having been immoral or evil.
However, expectations of morality and decency have evolved from their time to ours. Columbus and the native inhabitants of the Americas lacked our understanding of proper respect, along with the natural human rights which support it; these were born out of the Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, and other developments in subsequent years. He and others of his time, including native people, had different concepts of right and wrong from what we have today. It can be observed that respect for others and for human life has made society and interactions better, but without a prior foundation of knowledge, those living in the 16th century could not have known this. This did not make them immoral people.
Living in a time of different and quickly-changing standards, those who judge the past assume themselves to be wiser than people who came before. But are we really better than them? Focusing on every mistake they made, we often overlook or dismiss their good choices, including to end slavery. We would not be here to discuss, or criticize, the involvement of past people with this system had they not abolished it.
Rather than having better or worse intentions, historical figures were simply like us. They were human, and because of this, they made mistakes. But they were also growing, just as we are today. People in the past faced unique sets of challenges; had they not confronted and overcome them, we would not enjoy the freedoms and prosperity of our time. If we take it upon ourselves to be their judges, not only are we likely to make faulty verdicts, we will also miss the valuable opportunity of learning from them.
