One hundred and sixty-three years ago, two American armies were pulling away from a brutal confrontation among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.
The men in Blue, commanded by General Meade, had successfully blocked the audacious attempt by the men in Grey, commanded by General Lee, to secure armaments for themselves and to deal a crushing blow to the Union by capturing a stash of important military supplies in Harrisburg, a city deep in Union territory.
After three days of sparring and feinting and horrendous killing at Gettysburg, the unsuccessful Grey army had retreated southward against the north bank of the flooding Potomac River as they attempted to escape back to Virginia, while the Blue army regrouped and parts were marching to New York City to put down riots that had been sparked by the newly imposed military draft.
What were the two sides fighting about?
Yes, we know that the Blue were fighting to preserve the union of the United States of America, while the Grey were asserting their right to leave it.
And, yes, we know that the Union was claiming that the words of the Declaration of Independence applied to Blacks and Whites equally—and to all men universally—while the Confederacy insisted on the right to hold other human beings as property.
Broadly speaking, it comes down to the clash between two philosophies (or visions) of government:
- Vision of a government that serves the general welfare of the populace
- Vision of a government that enables the rich and powerful to live and do as they please
First Vision—Government of, by, and for the people
The radical and controversial character of the proposition of the Blue is starkly illustrated by the nature of the NYC riots that the Blue regiments had been dispatched to quell: the despised Irish—some of them literally just off the boat from Ireland—felt that they were being forced to go off and probably die on behalf of the even more despised Blacks—against whom they competed for the most menial of jobs—and their deadly anger was directed at the Black population in the City.
The idea of a general populace consisting of equals and without caste was a difficult concept, but that was the stated goal: “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people” as the President so eloquently underscored in his battlefield address.
Second Vision—Oligarchy
Let us examine the cause of the Grey. On the whole, the officers were fighting for a government that would enable them to continue to live and do as they pleased at the expense of the general populace, while the common soldiers were fighting to preserve the way of life of the officers.
Looking back, what was the benefit to the rank and file? Can this be viewed as anything other than an entirely successful case of brain-washing?
Re-Imagining the American Experiment
Divisions between sectors of the populace are created and exploited to weaken opposition to the rule of the special interests and the rich & powerful. To function as intended, these divisions require a world view of a zero-sum game—a fixed-sized pie—where one group’s gain comes at the expense of another’s standing. However, experience over generations teaches us that the economic pie is growing, and there is enough for all. But it does not grow symmetrically, so the problem is equitable access or distribution. The illusion of a fixed pie derives from a system that has been established that allows a few individuals to monopolize to their exclusive benefit the rewards of increased—but uneven—economic efficiencies. The 19th C Irish and Blacks could not unite in common cause because they were set against each other to compete for the small part of the pie that they were permitted to access.
Let us, as we re-imagine the American Experiment at this time of extraordinary wealth, intentionally remember that the divisions that are sewn among us have been planted as weapons for us to use against ourselves in service of the Second Vision, and let us demand a move toward the First Vision and a system that provides more equitable access to the abundance of our collective ingenuity.