Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day - Equality of Man
When Thaddeus Stevens died in 1868, he wrote an epitaph to explain the driving force in his life: “…But finding other cemeteries limited by charter rules as to race, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death, the principals I advocated through a long life, Equality of man before his Creator.” Today, January 20, 2009, we move one step closer to realizing Steven’s driving principle in a much more difficult sphere – the sphere of men.
On this Inauguration Day, Steven’s work and that of his housekeeper, Lydia Hamilton Smith, and that of so many others over the last 300 years, comes together as Barack Obama, the first American male of African descent, is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
The steady, some would say too slow, progress of changing the habits of the citizens of this country has led us to this inauguration. Stevens championed the cause of freedom for the millions of Americans held in slavery. His fight for the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution ended slavery forever in this country in 1865.
But ending slavery was not enough if laws did not guarantee the rights of newly made citizens. The passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868 guaranteeing those rights offered little protection to Americans of African descent until it was challenged to do so by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
The guarantee of the 15th Amendment, allowing males the right to vote, shows the weakness of parceling-out rights to only some of our citizens. In 1870, all male citizens, black and white, were guaranteed the right to vote. Women, excluded from the process of government once abolition of slavery was achieved, struggled for more than 50 years to access their right to vote. And the new citizens of African descent waited more than 100 years for their rights to be accessible.
Thaddeus Stevens did not believe he had done enough in his time to guarantee the rights of men but he laid the groundwork for each succeeding generation to take responsibility. Now, another 40 years have passed since those turbulent 60s and the habits of law have allowed people to be free in a different way. The habit of thinking “they are not ready” or of believing “they will not let it happen,” has given way to “NOW is the time because WE are ready”.
On this Inauguration Day, Steven’s work and that of his housekeeper, Lydia Hamilton Smith, and that of so many others over the last 300 years, comes together as Barack Obama, the first American male of African descent, is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
The steady, some would say too slow, progress of changing the habits of the citizens of this country has led us to this inauguration. Stevens championed the cause of freedom for the millions of Americans held in slavery. His fight for the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution ended slavery forever in this country in 1865.
But ending slavery was not enough if laws did not guarantee the rights of newly made citizens. The passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868 guaranteeing those rights offered little protection to Americans of African descent until it was challenged to do so by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
The guarantee of the 15th Amendment, allowing males the right to vote, shows the weakness of parceling-out rights to only some of our citizens. In 1870, all male citizens, black and white, were guaranteed the right to vote. Women, excluded from the process of government once abolition of slavery was achieved, struggled for more than 50 years to access their right to vote. And the new citizens of African descent waited more than 100 years for their rights to be accessible.
Thaddeus Stevens did not believe he had done enough in his time to guarantee the rights of men but he laid the groundwork for each succeeding generation to take responsibility. Now, another 40 years have passed since those turbulent 60s and the habits of law have allowed people to be free in a different way. The habit of thinking “they are not ready” or of believing “they will not let it happen,” has given way to “NOW is the time because WE are ready”.
View all posts in our blog | 
Subscribe to our blog by e-mail
