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by Matthew G. Masiello Mph (Author)
My thoughts and opinions in this pamphlet come from my lack of knowledge about a crucial moment in our country's history. In October 2018, I was shocked, disappointed, and angry when I watched the PBS special on the eugenics movement.
This journey of reeducation has revealed to me that at every level of society, we have failed to recognize the mistakes and challenges faced as a free and fair nation. Human beings are naturally prone to making errors, sometimes with devastating effects. What remains confusing and an ongoing topic for philosophers and historians is our persistent tendency-mainly among white, prejudiced, religious zealots-and often successfully, to hide and disown our very real and well-documented American history.
The school history books I reviewed omitted any mention of the American eugenics movement and the notable Americans involved in supporting this false science, which promoted the sterilization of people based on poorly conducted studies and surveys. Our challenging history brings us from the eugenics movement of the early 1900s to World War II and the Holocaust. Our history books fail to acknowledge the education Hitler received from the political and social events taking place in America, as well as the significant support he received from our so-called American heroes and political figures of that era. The eugenics-inspired strict immigration laws, along with the widespread antisemitism among politicians, religious leaders, and ordinary Americans, prevented thousands of Jews from escaping to safety, including Anne Frank's family.
In this pamphlet, I aimed to connect the dots between various events, including the Native American genocide and the injustice and violence faced by Black Americans. Hitler observed these issues and exploited them for his own gain. This history is well documented, yet very little was shared or taught during my early education. Today, misinformation persists about critical race theory, along with the censorship and banning of books that address racism in America, LGBTQ+ issues, and many other challenging but true aspects of American history. Therefore, when politicians or a U.S. President, standing at a podium and in despair, say, "this is not America," in reference to a racial or violent event occurring today, it is simply not true.
We have a fallback, a resource, though. And what better time in our history to recognize than that of our Founding Fathers? They were intelligent, stubborn, and argumentative, but they had the crucial task of forming a government, which they accomplished over an eleven-year span of time. They did not operate within the framework of political parties; none existed. Then there was a short article, written anonymously by an unknown Englishman, a recent immigrant to this young nation. This article quickly grew into a 47-page pamphlet, Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, urging the colonists to speak out and oppose the tariffs and laws imposed by an oppressive English government.
With humility, re-education, and a simple need to protect my sanity while enduring the undemocratic, often violent, actions of the current government in the United States, I began to learn and write. I used Paine's Common Sense as my guide and inspiration, although I claim no similarity beyond that. I hope, however, that this pamphlet will spark the start of a conversation and planning for our era's most significant peaceful solidarity movement. It is a time for honesty. It's time to identify empathetic, compassionate, experienced, and intelligent leaders to guide us into the next 250 years of our democracy.
