The State of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsOur heritage, if we can keep it

The United States, a nation long thought of as being comprised of a unique citizenry, who dedicated themselves to revolutionary propositions before subscribing to much else, offers much to reflect upon regarding its remarkable national character, and much to ponder in terms of how such a formidable society could founder.

Over the course of more than two centuries America has embraced a distinct personality, directly derived from its citizens’ inherent suspicion toward government. As much as America was born from exhaustive political theory, it was a country enabled by individualism – rugged individualists with an aptitude for self-reliance.

So America became not only the land of the free, but also the home of the brave – believed only to survive if her citizens remained moral, determined, and vigilant. A free country, it was early cautioned, would be difficult to sustain. Leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Ben Franklin was approached by the wife of the mayor of Philadelphia. She asked what the new form of government would be. Franklin responded, “A republic, madam. If you can keep it.”

The rest is history. Even the Founders could not have envisioned the future magnanimity of the United States, and the beacon of hope it would become for the rest of the world.

It is important to understand what made this all possible. So important, in fact, that I dare to sound repetitive. The key ingredient to all of this nation’s landmark achievements has been the resiliency of its citizenry – their culture of independence. Just as the country’s constitutional framework was brilliantly crafted, so too was the spirit of the American people.

In his first State of the Union address, President Reagan expressed the central worth of the American culture by invoking another great President—

“President Washington began this tradition in 1790 after reminding the Nation that the destiny of self-government and the ‘preservation of the sacred fire of liberty’ is ‘finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.’”

When the character of a people is the critical component to their way of life, what should always be examined first when societal changes are proffered is the potential effect those changes could have on the hearts and minds of the populace.

So when Rhode Island State Representative Joseph Almeida (D), chairman of the Rhode Island Minority Leadership/Legislative Caucus, sponsored legislation that would amend the state’s official name, what must be considered is the impression his proposal might have on the mindset of Rhode Islanders.

Almeida’s recently submitted legislation, that he has made a “high priority this year,” seeks to expunge the word “plantations” from Rhode Island’s official name – The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The chief justification for his proposal seems to be found in Almeida’s rhetorical question, “Who doesn’t think of slavery when they hear that word?” He has also noted, “It’s high time for us to recognize that slavery happened on plantations in Rhode Island and decide that we don’t want that chapter of our history to be a proud part of our name.”

The temptation for sarcasm is all too palpable. For the sake of a larger point, however, this writer will abstain from mocking Almeida’s odd notion that Rhode Islanders have failed to recognize their state’s participation in slave trading, and his attempt at justifying legislation based on word-association tests.

The primary evil of Almeida’s crusade is found within its attack on the American heritage, and the far more immediate and damaging impact it will surely have on the state’s minority population.

Almeida’s insistence that everyone preoccupy themselves with crimes of the past has become an all-too-common practice that has repeatedly revealed a tendency to inflict minorities with unhealthy sentiments of anger, and whites with undue sentiments of guilt. Despite the fact that Almeida claims he is innocently “raising awareness,” his methods have proven actually to restrict the free exchange of ideas, expand racial mistrust, and obscure the truth concerning America’s racial history. Political correctness never “raises awareness.” It just scares the hell out of everyone.

Racial fixations ultimately contribute to the radical transformation of the entire country by severely degrading the American spirit – particularly among minorities, as they are the ones who become inflicted with a crippling sense of victimhood.

It is difficult not to determine that this is actually Almeida’s intent, as his proposed legislation is deep-rooted in the treacherous rotgut of political correctness.

After all, Almeida himself admits that his legislation is largely “symbolic.” According to his press release, “The name change would not be any great inconvenience to the state, since most of the time it is referred to as simply ‘Rhode Island’ anyway.” This attitude is a far cry from Almeida’s antithetical, sensitivity-seeking declaration about the word “plantation” being “a painful reminder”…“to a lot of us.” If the state’s official name is rarely employed, then it cannot be a reminder that is causing pain. This is because, by the simple nature of reminders, they usually need to be visible in order to remind people of something.

Almeida’s dishonest dramatics seem to be another shallow attempt to conjure up images of past crimes in order to perpetuate the politics of guilt and victimhood – to reinforce collectivism within the minority community, as they reside in a nation based on the individual. The perfect recipe for failure.

The ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu taught his men to “know your enemy…[and] you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” If one understands that the United States is more of an idea than it is a land mass; that it is more of a mentality than it is a military – then one could begin to formulate America’s demise (or at least its total transformation). Diminish the value of independence, and make its citizens subjects of the state. Instill guilt where pride once was. Erase their national memory and replace it with tales of genocide, slavery, and witch-burning. Take from them their moral certainty. Bring shame and despair to the Christians, and they will surely repent (read: surrender).

The Left has found much success in exploiting America’s black population. We need to look no further than Brown University to find evidence of the damage liberals have done to minorities. In 2001, conservative activist David Horowitz penned an advertisement for The Brown Daily Herald that articulated the reasons why reparations for slavery was a “bad idea…and racist too.” For years, politically correct speech codes had insulated Brown students from opinion that could have possibly offended their sensibilities, so the campus reacted with the totalitarian vitriol that has become expected from college communities. But worse than the deplorable suppression of free speech that occurred, was that the expression of conservative theory so handicapped Brown’s minority students that some of them lost the ability to “perform basic functions like walking or sleeping.”

Rugged individualists indeed.

Travis Rowley is a board member of the Foundation for Intellectual Diversity, and author of Out of Ivy: How a Liberal Ivy Created a Committed Conservative.