Presidents’ Day shows the complexity of America’s origins
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The Constitution sanctioned some of the most politically progressive ideas in history. It also blessed slavery.
The celebration of Presidents’ Day creates an opportunity to ponder one of America’s most important, ongoing existential questions — namely, how to assess the nation’s origin. Was the founding of America decidedly positive and progressive, or was it simply a moment in which the world gained another tyrannical power?
This question is even more important given that Presidents’ Day occurs during Black History Month. These joint commemorations are testaments to a complex truth that Americans have long struggled to understand and accept, which is that America’s founding is neither categorically good or bad. It is both.
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