Republicanism Has Drifted So Far Into The Past The Right Can't Even Recognize The Values They're Into

“Who here would have been against slavery if you suddenly found yourself living in those times?”

I’ve asked a version of this question to many U.S. history classes over the years.

Every student raises a hand.

“So what exactly would you have done to end slavery?”

Puzzled looks are generally the response to this question. What should we do, what can we do, when we are confronted by the enormity of an injustice like slavery? It’s not an easy question for my students, and it wasn’t an easy question for the people who opposed slavery in those times. The answers were struggled over in the abolition movement, one of the most significant social movements in U.S. history, but underappreciated in today’s history curriculum.