Clark's Scribbles

James Baldwin’s Vision

James Baldwin’s vision of race in America: “When any white man in the world says give me liberty or give me death, the entire white world applauds. when a black man says exactly the same thing, word for word, he is judged a criminal and treated like one.” 

I know it’s hyperbole. The exaggeration is so obvious. But it is also intended to express a truth about the world as the writer perceived it. I believe that truth must be challenged.

There are always takers when someone, white or black, stands up in defiance. There are also inevitable consequences, whether the rebel is black or white. Patrick Henry and his fellow patriots were criminals in the eyes of the ruling authority. The idea of splitting from British rule divided those living in America. Many white, red and black – slave and free – opposed the move. Black men joined red men and white men in the battle to put down the revolution.

Victory in the War of Independence would not have been possible without help from England’s European foes such as France. The struggle continued after the war ended. Twenty years later, British sea captains kidnapped American sailors and forced them to serve in the English navy. The war was renewed in 1812. A British force captured and burned the American Capitol and continued north to attack Baltimore. They were famously repulsed in a fearsome battle for Fort McHenry and control of the Potomac River.

Frederick Douglas was punished for thrashing a cruel slave master, but he eventually made his way to freedom. By contrast, Melville’s Billy Bud was hanged for a similar offense.

As a runaway slave, Douglas was in violation of the statutes, and he was in grave danger. But he was able to build a career and a reputation as an orator and writer. He was able to travel to England and return to the United States. He was a leading abolitionist and friendly with President Abraham Lincoln. “… he very much saw himself as a founder of the Second American Republic.” (Daniel Blight: www.history.com/news/frederick-douglass-book-omissions-autobiography)

In 1964, when Baldwin made his statement on race in America on the Dick Cavett show, a well-documented opinion held that African Americans couldn’t be racist. They were not in positions of power. That premise is no longer valid. In many American cities, the mayor, the chief of police, and the city council are offices held by non-white citizens. Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been run by African Americans for the last 25 years. The population of the county is predominantly African American. A fact that Euro Americans experience at meetings or even out shopping.

The myth of two vast armies confronting each other is powerful. In Baldwin’s vision, the Army of the Good is powered by the staunch, beleaguered warriors in humble, earth-colored garb. It stands against the Army of the Evil suited up in shiny metal armor and mounted on white steeds. It is a mighty wedge conjured up by a great writer. The intent is to stir up race-based animosity leading to bloody conflict. That will end badly.

Two such armies dominated America 150 years ago. For the most part, soldiers in both armies were white men. My great grandfather and many other male relatives in my family tree fought for the North. I have no information about their attitudes toward slavery. My great grandfather was the son of an Irish immigrant of modest means. One older brother seems to have had a successful business as a house painter in Philadelphia. The other older brother fought for the Union until he was wounded at the Battle of Antietam. After receiving a medical discharge, he joined the painting business. Other relatives who fought in the Civil War were farmers from Illinois and New York.

My guess is they were supporting President Lincoln’s efforts to preserve the Union. It is possible that, as recent Irish immigrants, they joined the fight to prove they were real Americans. Regardless, it is safe to say that neither the Thirteenth Amendment nor the Fourteenth would have much meaning if the Union Army had failed to win the war.

It is difficult to determine how people react when someone says, “Give me liberty or give me death.” The phrase is a cliché, a platitude. When Patrick Henry proclaimed those words to the Virginia Assembly, they had the same impact as Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a public bus.

He was arguing for amendments that would raise a militia independent of British authority. His speech was enough to get those amendments passed. But the vote was not a landslide. The “white world” was not applauding. The men at that meeting were shaking in their boots because they knew there would be consequences. They also knew Patrick Henry was right, it was too late to back out.

In modern times the sentiment is better expressed in actions. In 1916, the Irish developed an elaborate revolt against oppressive British rule. The Easter Sunday Rising lasted only 6 days because expected help from France and Germany failed to materialize. The leaders were rounded up and hanged for treason. The last of those leaders, Irish native, Sir Roger Casement, was a distinguished British diplomat. After choosing to side with his fellow Irish,he traveled to Germany and arranged for a shipment of arms to the rebels. A clear case of treason. The execution came five years after Casement was knighted by King George V for outstanding service to the Crown.

 The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961. Over the years, 239 people have been gunned down while escaping to freedom by going over or under the wall. We don’t say their names. We don’t even know them. No one rioted. No protests. So much for being cheered by “the whole white world.”

On March 7, 1965, John Lewis started out leading a protest march from Selma, Alabama to the state capitol fifty miles away. He only made it to the middle of the Edmund Pettus Bridge at the edge of the city. There he and his followers were brutally attacked by state troopers and county deputies. The members of the protest march were beaten and jailed. But the horrifying assault was captured on film and distributed to national TV news outlets.

According to Christopher Klein in an article on History.com, “How Selma’s ‘Bloody Sunday’ became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement,” (www.history.com/news/selma-bloody-sunday-attack-civil-rights-movement), ABC interrupted a highly rated show about Nazi bigotry and atrocities “to air the disturbing, newly arrived footage from Selma.” The similarities couldn’t be missed. Fifty million Americans witnessed American police acting like Nazi Storm Troopers.

“Outrage at “Bloody Sunday” swept the country. Sympathizers staged sit-ins, traffic blockades and demonstrations in solidarity with the voting rights marchers. … The events in Selma galvanized public opinion and mobilized Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, which President Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965…”