By John Johnson II
In order to understand the monumental task President Joe Biden will face attempting to unite our divided Nation, it’s important to remember this same daunting task was faced by President Lincoln. as the Civil War drew closer to ending. This war had been waged by white southerners to maintain slavery in their existing states and to expand it further.
Lincoln recognizing that the Civil War was nearing an end and that the south would be defeated, proposed a lenient plan to unite the Union. His plan was called the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. This plan allowed Confederate states to returned to the Union, provided 10 percent of its voters swore an oath of allegiance to the Union. Additionally, Presidential pardons would be granted to all Southerners, excluding political leader, who took an oath of future allegiance to the Union.
John W. Booth, local actor, as well as a staunch confederate sympathizer, became enraged about Lincoln’s plans to unite the Union. Subsequently, this very plan and the South losing the war cost Lincoln his life. Booth assassinated Lincoln April 15, 1865.
It’s inconceivable, but a tragic reflection of America’s ugly history unfolded again on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The Nation’s Capital Building was attacked by a group of white supremacists’ insurrectionists. This failed attack attempted to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes for President Elect Joe Biden.
The Nation again watched in horror as the Capitol Building was cleared and Washington D.C. became a military encampment. The Presidential Inauguration was held on January 20, 2021, without any trouble; thus, Joe Biden was sworn in as The Nation’s 46th President.
Now President Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris are faced with uniting the Nation, solving the COVID-19, pandemic, rebuilding the economy, and dealing with a Trump controlled.
Republican Party. All these issues were further compounded by the fact Former President Trump had been Impeached for the second time by the House.
Trump’s trial by the Senate was set to begin the week of February 8, 2021. However, it appears that the Senate is more prepared to again acquit Trump rather than to convict him. A conviction would prevent him from ever again running for or holding public office. Donald Trump appears to have taken of the image of the once infamous crime boss, John Gotti, better known as the Teflon Don. Teflon Don was convicted by jurors with integrity and died in prison. There must be at least seventeen (17) Republican Senators with some amount of decency and integrity. Have they no shame, or are they merely like John Booth, a Confederate sympathizer who loathed the reuniting of the Union.
The question looming over Biden’s Presidency is, “Is he willing to pay the price to achieve the following:” 1) make good on his promises to the American people; 2) disregard Republicans’ disingenuous cries for unity; 3) refuse to be dissuaded from acting on behalf of the people’s welfare when bipartisan agreements cannot be achieved; and 4) use every Article within the Constitution to bend the arch of this Nation’s democracy toward a more perfect Union.
It must be noted that the arch only bends when courageous men and women are willing to pay any price to achieve a more perfect Union.
