"Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its
"Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all." — Frédéric Bastiat, The Law
Prior to the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865 slavery was legal in the United States. The Amendment stated:
“Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Prior to the passage of the 13th Amendment slaves living in states that were at rebellion with the Union (Confederate States) were liberated by executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln through his 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation did not affect the Border States and did not abolish slavery. It took a Constitutional amendment to accomplish that.
Prior to abolishing slavery Blacks were considered property of the slave-holding masters. In the South they lived on plantations where they either worked in the fields or houses of their masters. They lived in substandard housing furnished by the plantation owners. They their basic needs of food and clothing were provided by their masters. They were not allowed to learn to read and write — not even the Bible. Their children became property of the masters the moment they were born and they were denied the basic rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. If they escaped the plantation and were caught they were severely punished and made an example to other slaves with he sought of fleeing the plantation. Even if they did manage to escape and make it to a free state they had no employable skills other than providing manual labor.
After the passage of the 13th Amendment many slaves remained on the very same plantations where they been living. With the passage and ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868 these former slaves were afforded the rights of full citizenship including the right to vote. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment states:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.”
It did not take long for the politicians and northern carpetbaggers to realize that they had a block of voters ready to be cultivated by merely promising them free stuff, stuff they could not or would not deliver.
It took 100 years for Blacks to gain equality within our civil society. There were periods of racial discrimination, especially in the south and large urban centers where Blacks had migrated to during our participation in World Wars 1 and 2. There was the segregation of Blacks from the military, after they had served during the Civil War and policing the Indians in our western territories, and from federal employment by the progressive Woodrow Wilson. It was not until WWII that Blacks were once again allowed into the military and government service. Due to the actions of Republicans in protecting the righ ts of Blacks most Blacks voted Republicans.
Fast forward to 1964 and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The Democrats were now in power and wanted to remain in power so they instituted a multitude of government programs designed to put Blacks back on the plantation — Uncle Sam’s Plantation.
Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society is the logical extension of Progressive political thought and FDR’s New Deal. While the Founders held that the task of good government is to secure its citizens’ natural rights, LBJ argued that government must eradicate all external constraints—legal, economic, educational, and environmental—which hamper the “spiritual fulfillment” of its citizens. The extensive regulations and programs of the Great Society are thus meant to guarantee not only the right to pursue happiness but also the full achievement of it.
In his Great Society Speech given at the University of Michigan in 1964 Johnson said:
“Your imagination, your initiative, and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled growth. For in your time we have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.
The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But that is just the beginning.
The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a welcome chanc