By Ken Buck
Tuesday, July 07, 2020
Princeton University’s decision to remove the name
“Woodrow Wilson” from its School of Public and International Affairs is a big
win for progressive activists, and the implications will extend far beyond the
campus.
It hardly surprises me, in today’s polarizing
environment, that my alma mater caved to pressure from radical progressives.
What is surprising, however, is that the school caved now, after resolutely
standing against the pressure for so many years.
Five years ago, as part of a broader nationwide effort to
rewrite American history, Princeton students mounted a campaign to remove
President Woodrow Wilson’s name from the school because of his racist views and
his efforts to prevent the enrollment of black students. In response, the Board
of Trustees formed a committee to review the matter. The following year, the
board released a report detailing how to handle President Wilson’s legacy.
The 2016 report drew this important conclusion:
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public
and International Affairs and Woodrow Wilson College should retain their
current names and . . . the University needs to be honest and forthcoming about
its history. This requires transparency in recognizing Wilson’s failings and
shortcomings as well as the visions and achievements that led to the naming of
the school and the college in the first place.
How refreshing — a recognition that the school should be
“honest and forthcoming about its history” and employ a sophisticated approach
to reconciling Wilson’s moral failings with his accomplishments for the
university.
Princeton’s own statement tacitly acknowledges the key
factor here. It was not the name “Woodrow Wilson” that was under attack;
history itself was the target. As we see across the nation, progressives now
use Alinsky tactics on history itself. Saul Alinsky’s formula of “picking a
target, freezing it, personalizing it, and finally polarizing it” is no longer
reserved for living people; historical figures and even episodes in history
receive the Alinsky treatment.
Back in 1852, Daniel Webster delivered a speech to the
New York Historical Society, on the importance and “dignity” of history. “The
dignity of history,” he orated, “consists in reciting events with truth and
accuracy.” History is unapologetic in its presentation of facts. History
demands that we examine facts and incidents that make us uncomfortable. Such
study challenges us, inspires us, and serves as a call to action in our own
lives. The progressive pressure campaign is not about progress. Rather, it is
an attempt to erase parts of history leftists do not like. This is a slippery slope,
as many left-wing activists are even attempting to tear down statues of Abraham
Lincoln, the president who ushered in the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing
slaves.
History, it turns out, is little concerned with our
comfort level.
In the speech, Webster also explained that history’s main
purpose is “to illustrate the general progress of society.” History and
progress are inextricably linked. History tells the story of progress, and
progress is possible by studying history — and, in some cases, learning from
past mistakes.
What the Princeton incident reminds us of, however, is
how little progressives care for progress. They are unable to recognize the
progress the university has made, which the school noted in its 2016 report, in
rejecting Wilson’s racist policies and championing the enrollment of black
students. Former first lady, Michelle Obama, a Princeton graduate, frequently
cites her experience at Princeton as an empowering opportunity — one that was
possible only through the school’s progress.
How do we celebrate America’s accomplishments if we do
not acknowledge where we started?
The Princeton name change is part of a larger movement of
destruction. As Americans watch in horror and disbelief while statues, national
monuments, and even war memorials are removed and defaced, we are left to
wonder: What is the end goal of all of this destruction? When will it stop?
Elihu Yale, an early benefactor of Yale University,
actively participated in trading slaves, including purchasing and shipping slaves
to the English colony of St. Helena. American universities are littered with
this type of racism: William Marsh Rice, the Lowell family of Boston, Thomas
Jefferson, and Jesuit priests in Maryland all used the profits derived from
slave labor to build some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Will tearing down these institutions achieve progressives’ goal?
Will changing a college’s name or removing the statue of
a Founding Father change a Klansman’s deeply held racist beliefs? Will erasing
certain books and movies from our public lexicon truly change the hate in
someone’s soul? These changes might appease progressives for now, but their
goal is much larger.
In my forthcoming book, The Capitol of Freedom:
Restoring American Greatness, I explore this very topic. Progressives are
determined to destroy not just statues, but historical memories, because they
know American history is incompatible with their goals. America’s founding
documents, and even the stories behind the statues in the U.S. Capitol
building, tell the story of American greatness and offer a roadmap for us to
renew our commitment to our founding principles.
Slavery is a dreadful part of our history. Despite what
progressives say, the abolition of slavery occurred because of, not in spite
of, our history and foundation. A nation that was formed with liberty as the
chief objective of government was on the right path. The 19th century improved
what the 18th century got horribly wrong, and the 20th century continued to
build upon the 19th century’s advancements. With each century that passes, we
move toward a more perfect union. That is progress.
From its founding, our nation’s history is the story of
individual freedom and personal responsibility, with limited government as a
means for accomplishing both. Our Constitution simultaneously protects
individual liberty and thwarts the progressive agenda. Progressives are
constantly frustrated in their attempts to remake America into a socialist and
godless society because of our Constitution. Is it any wonder that they devote
so much of their energy to undermining, subverting, and circumventing the
Constitution?
Progressives know that what can be erased can be
replaced. Knocking down statues and removing names of institutions are the necessary
first step in reshaping America’s future.
For Americans hoping to stop the progressives’
destruction, Princeton provides the answer. No, not the Princeton of 2020 with
its disappointing decision to abandon Woodrow Wilson’s name, but the Princeton
of 2016 that recognized the importance of being truthful about our history.
In our fight against the progressive agenda, our history is not only what we seek to protect — it is also our primary weapon.
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