An Inheritance of Hatred and White Supremacist Destiny
No one can honestly say that slavery had nothing to do with the founding of the United States when whites were expected to respect slavery and the supposed inferiority of nonwhites. Not to accept this southern heritage would result in Blacks being equal to whites. In this way, white supremacy became the norm, both spoken and unspoken, legally coded and by tradition. The term “Manifest Destiny” was actually a way to hide the white supremacist destiny of this country. Millions of Native Americans were murdered and millions of Africans murdered, tortured, and enslaved. America was born of racial hatred and this is why it is so hard to get rid of.
White Americans were socialized with certain political ideas passed on by family, schools, churches/religion, mass media, peers, and events. The “Texan Creed,” which is primarily a belief system of whites in Texas, consists of beliefs in tradition and deed. It includes liberty, individualism, constitutionalism, and equality. However, these “traditions” cannot be taken at face value. These traditions are loaded with myth and laden with racist loyalty. They were designed to subjugate, exploit, and oppress people of color and poor whites as well. These nightmare traditions infected whites in America for generations.
The mixologists of patented racism combined myth with hatred. A mix of racist deniers likes to ignore historical facts. White Americans were infected with the poison of white supremacy from the very beginning of the foundations of democracy. American democracy was polluted with racism and led to most of the first American presidents owning human beings. The list of slave-owner presidents includes: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, James Polk, and Zachary Taylor. Several others owned slaves before they became president, or were supportive of slavery and in opposition to the abolitionist movement. Those who play loose with history will claim that they were “just men of their times” in an effort to excuse their brutality and criminal behavior. There were plenty of men in history that were “above the times” and so “the times” cannot be an excuse to sugarcoat their horrid beliefs.
It should be recognized that slave owners, who valued personal white supremacist posterity, of how the public will view them in the future, and how their descendants will prosper are aware of their place in the construction of history. This is why they erected racist monuments which point to a white supremacist future for their future generations. Fearing the criticisms that could result from opposing slavery or supporting it, racist destiny situates itself in an opportunity to claim white supremacy for future generations. There always seems to be a Machiavellian handling of thought when future personal legacy needs to be considered. During the time when slavery dominated, one could not completely oppose slavery and expect to retain power or position. Political actors, concerned with their place in history, and the place of their offspring, most likely understood that political structures are not eternal, and hence their voicings of hypocritical altruisms. Claiming that “All Men are Created Equal” was aimed at obscuring the real agenda and leaving an escape valve in case slavery would one day be looked upon as evil. These narrations could only be self-deception, or at best a deceitful “American Exceptionalism.” Thomas Jefferson and others profited and secured their livelihoods for themselves and their children from inhuman bondage. One can now understand why white supremacy is still a major problem. Brains were soaked in it through actions and policies designed to produce hatred.
