On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave one of the most important speeches in his country’s history in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As he prepares to pronounce ten lines, 272 words in all, the country is still ravaged by war.
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In just two minutes, he reminds his fellow citizens that it is up to them to decide whether the country will maintain a government of the people, by the people and for the people. In going through Pierre Martin’s column yesterday, I did not fail to note that he presents Pennsylvania as the keystone of the 2020 election. Just as was the case in 1863, this is where the wind is blowing. could turn.
A divided house
While it may seem alarmist to envision a conflict of the magnitude of the fratricidal war that began in 1860, the importance of divisions within American society should not be overlooked. The violence that has been in the headlines for weeks should serve as a warning.
Never in more than 25 years of teaching American history have I been so worried about our neighbor, this partner to whom we are still very much attached, for better or for worse. As John F. Kennedy put it so well: “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made friends of us. The economy has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. ”
Much like it was the case before the outbreak of war in 1860, many Americans fear for what they consider to be the disappearance of their way of life and their values. In a country where demographic change is rapid, they are afraid of being forgotten. Conservatives and progressives alike mounted the barricades and sometimes reacted violently.
If we remember that the South opens hostilities because it wants to preserve an economy and a society based on the exploitation of slaves, we often forget that it does so in reaction to election results that they refuse. to accept. Abraham Lincoln is elected without obtaining votes from the southern voters. For southerners, it is the cul-de-sac, the point of no return.
The fear expressed above is based on the fact that Democrats and Republicans have already announced that they may question the results. We have barely begun to vote when we are already considering the worst. It would be a mistake to underestimate this reality, the last four years have shown that both camps will stop at nothing.
Who can calm things down?
To close, I’ll leave you with this questioning: assuming we accept the result of the November 3 election, which man has the best chance of uniting the country or bringing his fellow citizens together?
Who will be able to deliver a “new Gettysburg speech”, but this time before the conflict breaks out? 46 days left to find the answer …