Our recent national census has brought about more than issues of political territorialization. Many are seeking to tribalize the American people by race and/or ethnicity. This kind of affirmative action to enhance representation of possibly disadvantaged groups to redress their past lack of electoral power seems reasonable yet may drive us as a people bound not by race or ethnicity but by the aspirations of our founding ideals further apart into ever more fragmented special interest groups. Thus, may our intended commonality of citizenship be destroyed.
The Founders had only the Euro-British to consider, and despite James Madison’s deep research into The Greco-Roman traditions of democratic republics chose male landowners as the initial electorate. Native Americans were an occasionally violent inconvenience, and slaves received the usual benign neglect, kicking that can down the road. Our system did evolve inclusively over time, finally requiring the Civil War to gain the promise …
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