Looking to the Past as a Reminder

People's Party Political Cartoon  

I strive in this blog to be informational--to share history in particular.  The blog began when I was doing research for my book, Prairie Bachelor, The story of a Kansas Homesteader and the Populist Movement.  I shared things I learned about how Isaac B. Werner staked his claims--  things that mattered to Isaac and still matter today, such as literacy, art, education--and the wider history of our nation, especially how important it is to learn the lessons history has to teach us.    

I wrote this blog several years ago, and for some reason it was never posted.  However, I recently came across it, and thought it was relevant to issues we are dealing with today.  I hope you enjoy it.  

Isaac B. Werner was active in the populist movement of the late 1800s.  Many posts have shared information about that movement and the political parties that evolved during that time to confront the two established parties, which farmers, ranchers, miners, and other laborers found to have been neglectful of the concerns of the common man.  The People's Party, which grew out of this movement, focused on such things as fair sharing of wealth with the laborers whose efforts created it, and limiting the political influence of monopolies, speculators, railroads and other corporations.  Some of the things that those populists advocated have been adopted, such as the use of secret ballots, direct election of Senators, and 8-hour work laws.  

The words of the People's Party Preamble, written by Ignatius Donnelly, include two important priorities:  First, "we seek to restore the government of the Republic to the hands of the plain people, with which class it originated."  Second, "We declare that this Republic can only endure as a free government while built upon the love of the whole people for each other and for the nation; that it cannot be pinned together by bayonets; ...and that we must be in fact, as we are in name, one united brotherhood of free men."

The opposition of the People's Party regarding "undesirable emigration" should be noted, particularly their resentment that manufacturers were hiring poor emigrants to work for wages that made even minimal living standards impossible, firing workers who had been paid more because of the cheaper wages and unsafe working environments that desperate emigrants would accept.  The animosity was largely economic. 

The populist movement with its roots in the late 1800s still has things to remind us.   

Today our Nation also seems divided, although there is no third political party involved.  However, perhaps there are lessons we can take from history. 

Sometimes we forget that our Nation has had divisive times in the past, the obvious example being the Civil War.  However, there were other times when the Nation was threatened from within, such as the KKK, and the American Nazis gathering at Madison Square Garden in 1939. Our Forefathers believed in us, and the ability of citizens to protect what they created for us.  There will always be hate groups and politicians like Senator Joseph McCarthy, who spewed misinformation and hate, saying whatever it took to gain or hold office. So far, American voters have managed to live up to the responsibility of electing candidates who will continue to protect our constitution. The protections the Founding Fathers put in place have held.  Unfortunately, not all elected officials chosen by voters have been responsible, as well as some placed in official roles that do not require election.  

What history has shown us is not that preserving the Union is always easy, and this blog is intended to remind us of that.  What is important is that they trusted us to vote, and we must respect that responsibility.  From local offices to the Presidency, our votes count, and our responsibility to vote wisely matters.  I like Donnelly's quote: "We declare that this Republic can only endure as a free government while built upon the love of the whole people for each other and for the nation; that it cannot be pinned together by bayonets; ...and that we must be in fact, as we are in name, one united brotherhood of free men." The challenge of preserving the union requires our vigilance, and our  sense of respect and responsibility to elect people who see themselves as guardians of our precious Constitution.  This blog reminds us that there have been difficult times in the past, but enough voters have selected wise men and women to keep our Constitution safe.  Vote as if your vote mattered--because it does!