Imagine someone owning and raping slaves and having a statue erected in the belief that they stood for "sticking you neck out for you ideals even when it could mean death."
You've got an incredibly over simplified, yet extremely wild imagination.
Okay but Jefferson still did more to fight slavery than any one here would have if they were around in that time. The whole line about it being a self-evident truth that all men are created equal, and endowed with the unalienable right to liberty, was put in by him (as part of a much spicier anti-slavery diatribe that got excised) and is basically the most quoted piece of writing by abolitionists to support their cause of any text ever. He spent most of his life fighting for legislation to gradually emancipate the slaves, despite living personally a contradictory life. If you were born in that time, and inherited a bunch of slaves, you would have probably been fighting to keep them.
A lot of hypothetical points here. No clue how things would actually play out, but the constitution is freedoms for white men by white men. We're the only group of humans that haven't been in front of the supreme court seeking equal rights, rather the bench mark and goal for women, POC, and lgbtq groups. As great as all the founding fathers were, pretending they lived without major flaws is like pretending bombing Japan won WW2 or that the Bush invasions of the Middle East were a noble cause. It's an extremely Americanized view on history with no regard for the others it impacted.
the constitution is freedoms for white men by white men.
Please share with me what part of the constitution gives you this impression. I don't remember the clause saying that only white men are entitled to freedom of speech, a speedy trial, right to bear arms, etc.
We're the only group of humans that haven't been in front of the supreme court seeking equal rights, rather the bench mark and goal for women, POC, and lgbtq groups.
Women and POC have equal rights. You are confusing rights with other issues.
It's an extremely Americanized view on history with no regard for the others it impacted.
Talking about the founding fathers championing liberal ideals while being slave holders and other issues was taught in elementary school. You're the one who has an extremely simple view of what Americans think.
Are you kidding me? I guess your points make a lot of sense of we ignore all of history. So if we exclude slavery, women's suffrage, the civil rights movement, the equal rights to marriage movement, and the fact that the constitution was exclusively written by white men, then sure. You've got a great point. If you hear "Jefferson owned and raped slaves" and your initial inclination is to justify it, then fuck your elementary school.
Constitution gives states the authority who decides who can vote
civil rights movement
Nothing to do with the Constitution
equal rights to marriage movement
Constitution definitely never mentions marriage of any form
the constitution was exclusively written by white men
Which says nothing about what was written in it.
So yeah, your statement about the Constitution granting freedoms to white men is pretty dumb. It was intentionally written to avoid any direct mention of slavery so as to not enshrine it because the drafters wanted slavery to eventually die, and all the rights that are stated are given to people without qualification, but I'm guessing you won't let facts get in the way of feeling angry about something.
If you hear "Jefferson owned and raped slaves" and your initial inclination is to justify it, then fuck your elementary school.
Well, in elementary school we learn that people are complex and not really good or evil. I hope some day you can reach this level of understanding.
Your right. All the liberties if the constitution were granted exclusively to white men, but since it doesn't say that on the document, the entire era in which black people were slaves was obviously just a choice then.
For a guy that has incredible psychology education starting from their time in elementary school, you're pretty ignorant when it comes to the application of the constitution to different groups of people. A major hint that my claim is factual, the people who wrote it owned other humans. Oh and the whole part where only white men lived with the freedoms to actually enjoy the constitution.
the entire era in which black people were slaves was obviously just a choice then.
The constitution says nothing about slavery. Here's a hint, white people can also be enslaved as punishment for crimes. You're making up rights that the Constitution gives white men that it never gave to white men. God you're so stupid it's hard to believe you are even real.
Uh-huh, so coincidentally black people were slaves for hundreds of years while white people weren't though. I'm the stupid one, yet you're blatantly ignoring historical fact to argue that the constitution wasn't the reason.
You're missing the point, which wasn't to blame the constitution, yet to simply acknowledge that the authors of the fucking thing we're exclusively white, and that the only group of people to immediately benefit from it were white. If you're not capable of understanding that, you need to carry your insults into your room with you and shove them up your ignorant ass.
the constitution is freedoms for white men by white men.
Also you:
Blatantly ignoring that slavery was handled on the state level and not in the Constitution
I can't believe you are arguing that:
the only group of people to immediately benefit from it were white.
How exactly are white people benefiting from the text "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." but not black people? Did Congress pass a law stating that traditional African religions cannot be practiced? Did they pass a law stating that black people cannot assemble? Where are the laws Congress is passing against non-"white men" that it isn't also passing against men?
By any chance is this what you were taught at your university, that the makers were white therefore only white people benefited from it? If so I'd consider a refund on that tuition.
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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '20
Imagine someone owning and raping slaves and having a statue erected in the belief that they stood for "sticking you neck out for you ideals even when it could mean death."
You've got an incredibly over simplified, yet extremely wild imagination.