To all Partisans

Threedee said:
He did serve as a captain in a different war. More than can be said of a number of other presidents.
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Lincoln began his political career in 1832 at age 23 with an unsuccessful campaign for the Illinois General Assembly as a member of the Whig Party. The centerpiece of his platform was the undertaking of navigational improvements on the Sangamon River. Later that year he served as a captain in a company of the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War, although he never saw combat.
 
I disagree. It's ridiculous to claim that we can all just hold hands and pretend there's no such thing as ideology. It was easy for Washington to claim that partisanship was wrong when he basically provided over a single-party state. Later on things got complicated. Different ideologies arise in nearly every country, and in the ones that are single party or non-partisan are usually very authoritarian.
 
Watermark said:
I disagree. It's ridiculous to claim that we can all just hold hands and pretend there's no such thing as ideology. It was easy for Washington to claim that partisanship was wrong when he basically provided over a single-party state. Later on things got complicated. Different ideologies arise in nearly every country, and in the ones that are single party or non-partisan are usually very authoritarian.
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Actually Washington acknowledges that. Washington was warning against excessive partisanship and faction. Lincoln warned us of that too as he correctly pointed out that it has been the fate of all Republics to have been destroyed from within by faction.

We cannot lose site that we are all citizens of this nation with both common interest and shared bonds of affection. We must not allow partisanship or faction to extend to a point where it clouds our judgement about our shared national interests.
 
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Annie said:
I think all would benefit from perusing the Avalon Project. I have my American studies students use it at least every other month for original sources. It's easier to navigate than the archives site, though make them use that too. ;)
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It certainly is an excellent source for obtaining original source information on our founding fathers. I much prefer that then to having some pundit condescendingly tell me what they meant.
 
Mottleydude said:
Actually Washington acknowledges that. Washington was warning against excessive partisanship and faction. Lincoln warned us of that too as he correctly pointed out that it has been the fate of all Republics to have been destroyed from within by faction.

We cannot lose site that we are all citizens of this nation with both common interest and shared bonds of affection. We must not allow partisanship or faction to extend to a point where it clouds our judgement about our shared national interests.
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It's kind of funny, Mottley. Right now we are probably in the least balkanized, most culturally uniform state America's ever been in. The partisanship of modern years has absolutely nothing on the partisanship of the 1850's. Lincoln literally wasn't even on the ballot in southern states, while Democrats generally win at least 20%-30% of even the white votes in a conservative fortress like Mississippi.
 
Watermark said:
I disagree. It's ridiculous to claim that we can all just hold hands and pretend there's no such thing as ideology. It was easy for Washington to claim that partisanship was wrong when he basically provided over a single-party state. Later on things got complicated. Different ideologies arise in nearly every country, and in the ones that are single party or non-partisan are usually very authoritarian.
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Very well stated, I would give you points, but "I have to spread them around", the fine print says!
 
American Studies! Wow, who do you teach, if I may ask? All I can say is thanks for teaching!
 
Thanks for the Avalon site! It has ancient documents, too. I love it
 
Watermark said:
It's kind of funny, Mottley. Right now we are probably in the least balkanized, most culturally uniform state America's ever been in.
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That was the 50s and 60s. Now we are rife with sub-cultures, and pop culture is not the national culture that it was back then.
 
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