Thank you for reading this special 3-part series by Aberjhani on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Links to the other articles in the series are at the end of part 3, which begins right now:
On this 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, there are those who would say that the fiscal cliff over which the United States just fell and barely survived with a late deal on New Year’s night, is largely the result of a kind of plutocratic vampirism. Such critics maintain that Republicans’ prolonged resistance to raising taxes on America’s wealthier upper economic tier is, or now was, little more than part of an agenda to cement plutocratic rule by financial influence rather than by governmental administration.
Clearly, the re-election of Barack Obama to the presidency does not serve such plans very well just as the re-election of Abraham Lincoln did not serve the purposes of slave holders.
Contemporary social critics like director and author Charles H. Ferguson are not likely to use such terms as vampirism to describe plutocratic maneuverings but they come close with the word “predatory.” Ferguson points out the following in his book Predator Nation: Corporate Criminals, Political Corruption, and the Hijacking of America:
“…This is dangerous. A nation that allows predatory, value-destroying behavior to become systemically more profitable than honest, productive work risks a great deal. America, like all societies, depends heavily on idealism and trust, including the willingness of ordinary citizens to behave honestly and to make sacrifices… Most of us would not enjoy living in a society dominated by cynicism and dishonesty. "
That so much of the current political drama hinges, by nearly all referencing the issue, on “Lincoln’s party” is further proof of history’s fondness for irony. But what does any of it have to do with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation?
Safeguarding Freedom
It confirms that neither African Americans nor anyone else can afford to take the history, struggles, demands, or responsibilities of freedom for granted. Freedom as one component of a given society does not guarantee joy, success, or peace of mind. What it offers is opportunity to identify and achieve such goals.
Abraham Lincoln pushed for the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to America’s constitution because he knew that freedom, if neglected and not protected, would deteriorate into a more brutal state of existence for all involved––meaning the entire country. How well can the nation claim in 2013 that it has safeguarded freedom as a true expression of democracy at this time when the number of Americans losing their lives to other gun-wielding Americans rises literally every day? How good a job are we doing if trusted law-makers battle harder to defend the indiscretions of the few than they do to help meet the needs of the many?
Big problems call for big solutions that often require serious work and commitment but which are not impossible to accomplish. Among the lessons we can learn from Lincoln’s persistent pursuit of positive change in his lifetime is that sacrifice for a noble cause is worth it not only for the moment at hands but for the generations and years to come.
If there are areas in which we have been lethally remiss, then the hour at hand should be considered the very best one in which to correct such deadly errors while it is still possible to do so. The Emancipation Proclamation is a blindingly brilliant example forged in the divisive flames and grievous blood that characterized America at the time. It can remind us in 2013 of all the mistakes we never want to commit again but it can also motivate us to fulfill to an ever greater degree the definitive freedom-sustaining and life-enhancing principles of democracy in living action.
by Aberjhani
co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
and ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love
Notebook on American and African-American History
- Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Part 1
- Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Part 2
- Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Part 1
- Why Race Mattered in the Re-Election of Barack Obama
- Posted Perspectives on America’s 2012 Presidential Election Part 1
- Notebook on Black History Month Part 1: Carter G. Woodson and Company
- Notebook on Black History Month Part 2: Remembering Arthur Ashe
- Notebook on Black History Month 2012 Part 3 Langston Hughes Celebrated
- Notebook on Black History Month 2012 Part 4 The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
- Notebook on Black History Month 2012 Part 5 Black Power Mixtape continued
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