American History

The United States of America is idolized as the epitome of democracy. Being the most powerful nation in the world, Americas hegemony thrives on economic influences and political tentacles spread to all the corners of the world. While many shudder and marvel at the existing democratic institutions that propagate individual liberties and freedoms, few can comprehend the struggles that have paved the road to the idealized destiny. Indeed the expansion of democracy both at home and globally has been laden with conflicts and violence and sometimes the use of unethical practices to advance and secure Americas national interests.

A look through the history of the United States reveals a thorough documentation of various conflicts that have rocked the American society since the American Revolution. It represents a tabulation of events as the various groups struggled to free themselves form the yoke of social, political and economic bondage to enjoy the fruits of democracy that America today prides itself with. The struggles of the African American population are well chronicled right from the days of slavery to the Civil Rights Movements era. The issue of slavery has been examined by a number of scholars especially due to its contradiction with the ideals of democracy that the American constitution propagates for. Despite the stipulations in the Bill of Rights that all men are equal, slavery went on unabated and for some time with an express sanction by the government. This was largely due to the belief in the inferiority of blacks. The southern states for example, as a result of the agricultural based economy, believed slavery was the source of their prosperity and the abolitionist calls were a threat to their survival. This indeed remains the darkest era in the history o the United States. It is a black mark that will take years to mend and remains etched in the democratic struggles of the African American population. It would also form the basis of the endemic struggles and conflicts between the African American community and successive American regimes.

The segregation and the Civil Rights Movements era also explicate the inherent conflicts that characterize the American democracy. The segregation policy was a product of the Jim Crow laws which propagated for separate but equal development. This was a period that would see segregation on the basis of color. Blacks and whites had separate facilities ranging from schools, hospitals and transportations means amongst others. In addition to this segregation, there was also rampant systemic discrimination, hostility and brutality against African Americas. Indeed in the south, African Americans endured immense suffering in the hands of the white supremacists who viewed them as mere subjects. African Americans by then possessed insignificant political and civil rights and any effort made to pursue those objectives was met with muted hostilities. A look at this period indicates a rise in African American activism with demands of the extension of a number of civil and political rights to allow the African American community participate fully in the American democratic political process. Angry protests and bloody riots became the order of the day as police fought thousands of protesters who were demanding audience with the ruling elite over their continued subjugation and denial of basic political and civil rights.

What remains interesting is that the endemic discrimination and hostilities meted out against the minority groupings continued unabated by the successive democratically elected governments. The struggles for political and civil rights that took place in the early half of the 20th century are examples of the internal contradictions of the American democracy.  Some of the atrocities committed against African Americans and by extension to the civil rights activists went on uninvestigated. The activities of the Ku Klux Klan for example have always been shrouded with mystery with claims that white supremacist groups partook in the lynching of tens of blacks and other human rights activists. Some of these activities have been well documented there are films that have critically looked at the downside of the American democracy. Mississippi Burning, (Parker) a 1988 crime buster movie for instance has tried to piece together an investigative story of the ruthless lynching of three civil rights activists. Although the story told in the movie is different from what actually happened, it paints a close image of the lynching. According to credible sources, the three civil rights had been lynched by a group of Ku Klux Klan with the help of local police in Mississippi. James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were murdered in cold blood due to their concerted efforts in the Civil Rights Movements. Their bodies were then dumped in a dam with their disappearance resulting to a major uproar from the public and also from the then president Lyndon Johnson who ordered an investigation by the FBI. The bodies were later discovered after six weeks of long search. What remain interesting are the allegations of police involvement in the murder and the attempts to cover up for the murder. It was only after 40 years that the issue was revisited with the real events that transpired brought to the light. Police, who are the guardians of the law, had participated in meting out atrocities against minorities and civil rights activists and it is only in 2005 that the perpetrator was charged in caught.

But unethical deeds by an arm of the government are not only limited to the domestic affairs rather a number of past activities by a number of officials in the governments payroll have been questioned especially as they seem to contradict the ideals of democracy despite being done in the name national security.  American forces and officials overseas have for example been compelled to engage in unethical and sometimes illegal practices necessitated by the need to preserve national security and advance Americas interests.  Despite the nation priding itself of being the epitome of democracy, Americas foreign policy may not necessarily espouse similar ideals. A number of atrocities such as torture, civilian killings as well as coups have been initiated in the bid to secure the nations interests. The Vietnam War for instance has been one of the most criticized wars in the history of America. Yet, despite the raging protest from the public, Johnsons and Nixons  administration still continued to engage thousands of American troops to fight in a war that an average American had no justification for. The 20th century indeed saw America engage in numerous conflicts globally in the name pursuing Americas interests despite the wars themselves infringing on the rights of other nations. The movie The Fog of War Eleven Lessons from the life of Robert S. McNamara (Morris) has tried to get into the mind of one the 20th century Americas war strategists Robert S. McNamara to get a glimpse of the justifications for the various conflicts America engaged in.  The movie also tries to reflect at the dangerous situation that America finds itself in as the richest and also the most powerful nation in the world it is a constant target of threats but yet has to maintain its morals and restraint in order to achieve its objectives. The most important point in the movie however is McNamaras justification of the numerous wars that US engages in pointing out that they are necessary in order to maintain peace In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil (Power 6).Although the movie resulted into a controversy especially within government ranks, it provided a rationale of some of unethical deeds committed by America in the pursuit of global democracy and in the bid to safeguard national interests.

The movie, The Fog of War also provides an insight into the thinking behind the numerous global US conflicts but others such as the Fahrenheit 911 Controversy (Moore) and Rendition (Hood) have explored the downside to the US states policies as it seeks to balance between expanding democracy globally while preserving its national security. These two movies indicate the behind-the curtain maneuvers by strategists that sometimes undermine democracy. Based on a true story, the movie Rendition depicts the atrocities committed by the CIA in the name of securing the nations security. It shows how US security intelligence sometimes resorts to unconventional methods such as torture and unlawful detention in the bid to extract information from suspects yet these methods are outlawed by the laws of the land. The most controversial of all, and an unmasked attack on the US policy makers is the Fahrenheit 911 controversy. The movie depicts the 911 terror attack to be a creation of the Bushs administration. The movie accuses the Bush administration of having a hand in the attack in order to justify the Iraq War. While not agreeing with the arguments made in the film, it is crucial to understand that Michael Moore, the films director, captured an important aspect of the nations politics, and how democratic ideals have sometimes been trampled on in order to pursue national interests. Another movie that portrays the extent of US unethical practices in the name of pursuing national interests but at the expense of democracy is Standard Operating Procedure (Morris). The movie revolves around American soldiers who tortured Iraqis prisoners of war at Abu Ghraib. The movie is based on true accounts as photographed and documented with the help of US soldiers. While the movie raised immense controversy, it demonstrated the extent of atrocities committed by Americans as they seek to defend the country and is just an example of the unethical deeds that American forces and officials engage in to ensure that America remains the worlds most powerful democracy.

Indeed in the struggle to expand Americas democratic ideals both within and abroad, the nation has engaged used all manner of strategies some of which have contradicted the key values espoused by the constitution.  The history of America is without a doubt lined with accounts of atrocities committed both against American citizens and in the numerous wars that the nation has engaged in abroad. As depicted in a number of movies and documentaries, the nation has indeed gone through internal conflicts and has also engaged in a number of unethical practices globally to secure the values and democratic freedoms enjoyed today.