From Alexander Hamilton to John Hopkins - The Demolition of Societies' Builders
Posted 12-16-2020 at 08:09 PM by jbgusa
Two recent New York Times articles, Johns Hopkins Reveals That Its Founder Owned Slaves and Alexander Hamilton, Enslaver? New Research Says Yes focus on warts in the antislavery credentials of these two individuals. These articles seek to take a sledgehammer to the memories and heritage of those who built this country, as if George Floyd and Michael Brown are the people in whose images this country should be cast, rather than the likes of Alexander Hamilton, John Hopkins and George Washington.
A bit of context is needed.
Alexander Hamilton grew up in what is now the U.S. (or maybe British) Virgin Islands. He came to the U.S. when he was relatively young, and after graduating Kings College, now New York City became a military leader and an activist in establishing what is now the U.S. The article acknowledges:
This is buried towards the end of the article. The article focuses on debunking his heroic role, stating at the front end of the article:
In the context of the 1700's his anti-slavery role, acknowledged late in the article, was huge. The current emphasis on "historical research" is to destroy the builders of our country. They wish to denigrate and demolish.
John Hopkins fares no better. He was the founder of John Hopkins University. A controversy has recently erupted around its founder. The New York Times article on this subject (link) stated:
According to a press release issued to address the furor that erupted when it was discovered that his anti-slavery credentials were not unmixed, the University stated (link):
Remember, eleven years earlier Maryland was a slave state, though prevented from seceding by a prompt occupation by Union forces and marshal law. Mr. Hopkins' gift terms have to be regarded as courageous.
I cannot fathom why so much ink is being spilled trying to demolish the greatness of our country's founders and later its builders. Renaming New York's Alexander Hamilton Bridge and John Hopkins University?
A bit of context is needed.
Alexander Hamilton grew up in what is now the U.S. (or maybe British) Virgin Islands. He came to the U.S. when he was relatively young, and after graduating Kings College, now New York City became a military leader and an activist in establishing what is now the U.S. The article acknowledges:
Quote:
Originally Posted by New York Times article on Hamilton
Hamilton did criticize slavery at different points in his life, and compared with most white contemporaries held enlightened views on the abilities of Black people. He was also an early member of the New-York Manumission Society, founded in 1785 to advocate gradual abolition and encourage voluntary freeing of the enslaved. (A number of members, including Philip Schuyler, his father-in-law, were slave owners.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by New York Times article on Hamilton
“Not only did Alexander Hamilton enslave people, but his involvement in the institution of slavery was essential to his identity, both personally and professionally,” she writes.
John Hopkins fares no better. He was the founder of John Hopkins University. A controversy has recently erupted around its founder. The New York Times article on this subject (link) stated:
Quote:
Originally Posted by New York Times Article on John Hopkins
Hopkins’s Quaker rectitude has been a touchstone for the institution he founded. But an important part of that origin story, it turns out, is untrue.
On Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University released new research revealing that there were enslaved people in its founding benefactor’s household as late as 1850.
On Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University released new research revealing that there were enslaved people in its founding benefactor’s household as late as 1850.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reexamining the history of our founder
He launched our university—as America’s first research university—in 1876, a little over a decade after the conclusion of the Civil War. At the time, his was the largest philanthropic gift ever made in the United States. In his bequest, Mr. Hopkins also created a hospital, opened in 1889, that has transformed American medical education and set the standard for modern patient care. Importantly for his time, Mr. Hopkins specifically directed that the hospital extend its care to include the indigent of Baltimore regardless of sex, age, or race. Further, he called upon his trustees to create an orphanage for Black children in Baltimore.
I cannot fathom why so much ink is being spilled trying to demolish the greatness of our country's founders and later its builders. Renaming New York's Alexander Hamilton Bridge and John Hopkins University?
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