Party like it's 1798
Americans were sick and tired in 1798. The Federalist Party controlled both Houses of Congress, and the newly built White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. President John Adams pushed Congress to pass the Alien and Sedition laws, which was a flagrant contradiction to the First Amendment (Freedom of speech, press, assembly). The laws also made life miserable for immigrants, increasing the requirements and wait time for citizenship. Immigrants could be deported at any time without due process. The Federalists used fear of French infiltration, who was the enemy du jour, as justification for their actions.
Americans began to wonder, does the mere threat of attack warrant such a betrayal of the Spirit of 76? Didn’t our brothers and fathers die at Bunker Hill and Yorktown so we could have the ability to criticize our government? Didn’t our leaders pen a document in Philadelphia that embraced cultural diversity?
Democratic-Republicans, led by Vice President Thomas Jefferson, were up in arms. They traveled around the country, demanding an end to Federalist domination.
A vote for Democratic-Republicans is a vote for civil liberties! A vote for Democratic- Republicans is a vote for cultural freedom!
Listen to any current Democrat from Bill Clinton to John Kerry to Dan Seals. You’ll hear the same arguments.
The Federalist hit back. The Democratic Republicans are soft on national security! They can’t keep America safe! The Democratic-Republicans are weak on immigration!
Listen to any current Republican from President Bush to Vice President Cheney to Arnold Schwarzenegger. You’ll hear the same argument
Can you really tell me with a straight face that history doesn’t repeat itself?
Oh by the way, the Democratic-Republicans were unable to take Congress in 1798, although they came close. However, two years later, Thomas Jefferson began the era of Democratic-Republican domination by taking the White House while many loyal Congressmen rode his coattails. Soon thereafter, the Federalist Party disappeared.
This is good news to current Democrats if they can’t take Congress on Tuesday. The only question is, do they have a Thomas Jefferson in their ranks for 2008?
posted by CitizenPatriot at 9:55:00 PM
5 Comments:
With a complete straight face,
"History does not repeat itself."
If it did, why bother learning anything? It is bound to come back again, and again, and again.
The great lesson of history is that we [all] "have it in our power to start the world over again." Sounds like Common Sense.
Perhaps if we all understood the responsibility of being a citizen, we would not be so easily duped by empty political promises . . . whether they be from the Federalists or the Democrats.
10:44 AM
The Democratic Thomas Jefferson is Bill Clinton
4:04 PM
This is a very insightful post, but isn't using the words "cultural diversity" in regard to the founding fathers sort of like saying John Adams phoned up John Hancock? That is, cultural diversity simply hadn't even been thought about in those terms then. History does repeat itself, for sure.
11:56 AM
Som events our situations in the history of our nation can be seen as repeating but my view on it, is that it most definetly does not. If history were repeated our nation would be split, and full of chaos, even though it somewhat already is. History teaches our country where we made mistakes so we dont make them again. Parts of our history may be repeated but most of it is created new from scratch.
10:18 AM
The Democratic Thomas Jefferson is Bill Clinton 4:04 PM
5:17 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home