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Common historical fallacies: Difference between revisions
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== US History fallacies == | == US History fallacies == | ||
=== the Declaration's "All men are created equal" only applied to white males === | |||
* the phrase "all men" logically refers to "all people" because: | |||
** as included in the Declaration of Independence, the clause "that all men are created equal", | |||
*** was a logical element designed to justify self-government; | |||
*** and thereby was directed at the King of England in order to deny divine rule; | |||
**** if "all men are created equal" and "Governments are instituted among Men," then, | |||
**** logically, a king is just a man, born the same as any other man or woman ("Men"), as monarchs can be females, as well as males; | |||
**** thereby even a king, being born equal to all "Men," governs at the will of the people, thus, | |||
**** negating the legitimacy of "divine rule" by which the King of England justified his rule | |||
click EXPAND to read excerpt from the Declaration of Independence: | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"> | |||
<pre>We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. | |||
</pre> | |||
</div> | |||
* with that primary purpose, the statement of equality of "all men are created equal" does, in fact, mean what it says | |||
** which does, in fact, create a hypocrisy of its political and legal application to white males | |||
* however, having stated "that all men are created equal" is a "self-evident truth", then | |||
** the Founders set in motion the most important political concept in history and creation of the modern world: | |||
*** that all people are created equal | |||
* its application across US history can be seen in the following events: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
| 1820s-30s ||Jacksonian Revolution|| expansion of equality and political participation to all free white males, not just property owners | |||
|- | |||
| 1820s-50s ||Abolition Movement|| promotion of and actual expansion of equality and political participation to free black males in northern states | |||
|col 1 ||col 2|| col3 | |||
|- | |||
| 1860s-70s||Reconstruction|| Constitutional amendments 13-15 to abolish slavery, give citizenship to former slaves, and protect the right of black males to vote | |||
|- | |||
| 1919 ||19th Amendment|| Constitutional amendment to secure the right to vote for women (and thus the right to full political participation) | |||
|- | |||
| 1950s ||Desegregation|| Supreme Court annulment of segregation and positive Federal actions on protecting equal rights for all races | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
=== Slavery was the basis of the colonial and antebellum American economy === | === Slavery was the basis of the colonial and antebellum American economy === | ||
==== logical fallacy 1: slave-produced exports were the driving force of the antebellum U.S. economy ==== | ==== logical fallacy 1: slave-produced exports were the driving force of the antebellum U.S. economy ==== | ||