The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the removal of controversial statues around the world have sparked heated debates and have raised questions among historians about what is fundamentally right and wrong and if people from the past should be judged based on the standards of modern society. Judging people from the past based on a system that wasn’t present during their time may look irrational and erroneous, but it’s also very difficult not to. If we don’t dare to critique their past actions, we may live in our own bubble created by the repetitions of the horrifying actions or mistakes from the past and will encourage infamous leaders, such as Trujillo and Stalin, to rule the world. Society is shaped by our beliefs and morals; it is forever changing because our beliefs and morals constantly alter from time to time. What society deems as morally right and wrong is decided by the large majority at that particular time; people in the future will inevitably detect flaws in our present systems. The way to tackle this problem is not to assume that our values or morals are better than those of the people from the past but to weigh the circumstances present and during that time. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of the people from the past and must take into account other factors, such as the technological advancements that weren’t readily available during that time that could have influenced one’s beliefs and actions. Besides, how we judge people from the past also matters. Criticizing an individual based on his past actions is very different from judging him for his morals and beliefs that may be deemed immoral today. It may seem completely unfair to judge the morals people had in the bast based on the standards we have today due to the different circumstances they were put into. However, do we pardon or ignore their abominable actions if what they did was influenced by the morals they had at that time?
Andrew Jackson – the first democratically elected president – is largely despised by modern historians due to his abhorrent views on slavery and his perpetration of mass action on ethnic cleansing, which led to the force relocation of many Native Indian tribes. Many believed he did this for personal enrichment, but worst of all, to expand white supremacy and to gain support from the south. Jackson’s beliefs about slavery and his support for Native American removal are not parallel with the morals of today and make him by far one of the worst presidents in the United States. However, slavery and racism were practices that society at that time approved due to the critical role they played in economic development. Jackson was also not the only person that routed for the relocation of the Natives; the entire democratic party was also receptive to the act since it freed up valuable land for slavery. If we critique Jackson merely on the principles and values that were not present in his time, it would not reflect upon his achievements and significance in American history. Although Jackson’s actions are deemed as immoral and lack basic human right according to modern standards, his advocacy in slavery and his policies regarding the removal of the Native Americans were very significant to the US at that moment: the amount of cotton picked by an enslaved person increased 400 percent during the 1800s, which propelled the US into the top leading economies of the world and made the South its most prosperous region. The US at that time was still a newly developed nation; they did not yet have the technology to produce machinery that could facilitate the secondary sector of the economy, and thus were mainly labor-intensive. Slaves were prevalent across the South: almost every landowner had slaves. Enslaving Africans offered a better substitution to indentured servants that came from Europe because they were more abundant and cheaper. Because of this, we could argue that Jackson’s support for slavery and the forced migration of the indigenous people were sought to be very beneficial rather than a crime. The free land resulted from the forced departure of the Indians allowed more slaves to be shipped into the country and helped boost the country’s economy by expanding the tobacco, sugar, and rice industries widespread at that time.
Jackson’s views of slavery and his legalization on ethnic cleansing contradict the beliefs and morals of the present time, but more importantly, that all men were equal “in certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. His actions only benefitted the people that are not black and restricted liberty to the whites. One could argue that he was gluttonous as he only thought of himself and the democrat party, which he created. Moreover, Jackson, during his presidency, strongly objected to the national bank and destroyed it in 1833 by vetoing a bill calling an early recharter for the Second Bank. He demanded that the Secretary of Treasury remove all federal government deposits in the national bank and place them in state banks. His critics believed that the veto discouraged the economy; it destroyed a valuable institution that was responsible for monetary stability and a reserve of capital that other state banks relied on. Although Jackson is mostly remembered for his notoriety, he still made significant impacts on the country’s diplomacy. The many treaties he signed with several European and Asian nations helped increase the country’s exports by 70% and imports by 250%, boosting the country’s economy by a staggering amount. Before we start removing his portrait on the twenty-dollar bill, we should reconsider carefully about both his achievements and actions that are deemed wrong today. Because of the significant technological advances and progress civilization has made in the last two hundred years, we need to be more tolerant when we judge a historical figure based on our values, beliefs, and morals; we must consider both the achievements and harm he made throughout his life. Jackson’s act of killing innocent Indians should be condemned; his act of killing should be seen as greed, inconsiderate, and morally wrong. On the other hand, his support for slavery should not be judged that seriously, as slavery made up the basis of the country’s economy and was prevalent across society at that time. Jackson also helped improve trade between the US and other nations in Europe and Asia, which, in return, helped the country gain more recognition around the world. In the end, Jackson’s removal and killing of the indigenous people should be deeply criticized and reminded about, however, his views on slavery, and the fact that he possessed slaves during his presidency should still be reflected but not to be judged as severely since he was only trying to enhance the continued growth of America’s economy.
Patriarchy dominated every household in the US during the 18th century, in which beating one’s wife and children was once regarded as a father’s obligation. Being homosexual was sought as a crime, and many of our ancestors were born in times where women were forbidden to vote, but worst of all, had no voice. As people’s beliefs and what society deems fundamentally right or wrong change from time to time, it is hard for us to anticipate how historians in the future will look upon us. On the positive side, our descendants may regard our beliefs and morals as right and just and will try to spread those values to their descendants. On the opposite end, they may think it is completely erroneous and unethical. There are many things that our present society approves that may appear unbelievable to our future generations. For instance, the fact that we incarcerate people for their wrongdoings and behaviors, how we treat the environment, and the allowance of animal farming – such as slaughtering chickens, pigs, and cows – for human consumption.
Although the implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment by the United States Constitution abolished slavery, it left a deep loophole hanging – our prison system. The fact that slavery and involuntary servitude were abolished was only half true. The imprisonment of a criminal makes him the slave of the country. Our prison systems are flawed; it compels prisoners to remain in a small, cramped room - made of concrete and metal bars, and takes away their right to have personal privacy. Inmates in most prisons live poorly and uncomfortably; they often work for meager rewards and suffer through all kinds of inhumane practices, such as sexual assault and physical abuse. The hierarchical systems and the predatory culture established in prisons create an environment that harms the inmates mentally, and prevents them from living in a society outside of prison. The abominable conditions inside prison cells and the abhorrent treatment of inmates question the need for prisons around the world. The afterlife of former inmates is dire and poverty-stricken, as they struggle to find job opportunities that may help support their lives. The creation of the prison system to punish criminals for their misdeeds can go to the extreme; it dooms the fate of former inmates and can violate basic human right issues. The lack of respect and dignity we give to prisoners will question our beliefs and morals, and it is with no doubt that our descendants question its need too.
Industrial livestock production serves as one of the most important industries to human survival; the mass production of farm animals maximizes the meat produced at a very low cost and quickly satisfies our demand for food. Although the practice is prevalent across the world, it often violates animal rights issues, and the process can be very detrimental to our environment. Instead of running around in the wild, they are confined to cages or barns – where food or water is automatically provided to them. Because of this, the animals have never got to fully develop their hunting or foraging skills, and that their fate is predetermined by us. What makes the existence of industrial farming so cruel is not just the way in which we treat them as slaves but how they die. Although domesticated farm animals live in a constrained environment away from their wild counterparts, they still inherit the physical, emotional, and social traits from their wild ancestors, which are considered unnecessary to farmers. Thus, they mutilate their horns and tails, separate the mothers from their offspring, and selectively breed them. The reason why their devastating fate is not considered an ethical issue is due to the prevalence of industrial farming and how we view it as a must to sustain the human population. Historians in the future may, however, condemn our scientific study of animals as immoral. They may think that we have abused our growing knowledge of animals to control their lives for our own benefits and greed. Although we are very detached from their behaviors, it does not mean animals are not sentimental beings. “They too can suffer, and they too can be happy” (Harari, 2015).
To conclude, I believe we should all be more tolerant and forgiving whenever we judge people from the past. We need to be aware of what their circumstances were and ask ourselves what we would have done if we were them. People should not be neglected if their achievements at that time outweigh their actions that are deemed immoral by today’s standards. We should still commemorate them for what they have achieved, and reflect on the mistakes they made and use those to improve society. It is difficult to predict how future historians will judge us: for all the things that are deemed right today, such as incarcerating people in prisons and industrial farming, may seem completely unethical and wrong to our future generations. However, as the decisions we have made start negatively impacting or endangering the lives of our descendants, it is with certainty that they will judge us, and “will someday prompt them to ask: What were they thinking” (Appiah, 2010)?
Bibliography:
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