My question to those who adopted the mantra, “Make America Great Again,” is to name a year in which they believe America to have been great. Then, we could compare and see if America was indeed greater. I’ve never gotten an answer to that question. One inference is they didn’t want to have the debate because it might not turn out their way. Another is they don’t know enough history about any other time to be able to engage in the discussion.
The state of Arizona recently passed a 15-week ban on abortion, following the Dobbs decision that allowed the states to do as they will on the issue of abortion and overriding Roe v. Wade. Before Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, Arizona had a law on the books from 1864 that was almost a total abortion ban. When presented with the issue, the Arizona Supreme Court decided the 1864 law could be enforced, picking 1864 as greater than the current view of the Arizona state legislature and the Governor that signed the 15-week ban, which itself disregarded the will of the people in Arizona who are opposed to either restriction on abortion. To my knowledge, the Arizona Supreme Court did what no others have in setting 1864 as the baseline for greatness. I can now make that comparison to allow you to judge if America was indeed greater.
Before I leave the issue of abortion, it’s important to note who was behind the push to ban abortion and why. The organization behind the efforts was the fledgling American Medical Association (AMA), comprised of almost entirely white males, who wanted its doctors to control obstetrics in America. The organization was founded in 1847 and admitted its first woman, Sarah Hackett Stevenson, MD, in 1876. The decision as to whether women could be accepted was left to local societies, as the national organization had no policy preventing discrimination. Black doctors found more resistance. They were generally excluded from AMA membership though it was a requirement for admitting privileges at most hospitals. Black doctors continually petitioned for membership but were rejected. They eventually formed their own organization, the National Medical Association, in 1895. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s that the AMA eased its segregationist policies. The AMA issued a formal apology in 2008.
In 1864, most obstetric care was done by midwives, cutting out a vital revenue stream for doctors. In 1864, there was a concern in western states and territories like Arizona that there were too many brown and Catholic immigrants. The Great Replacement Theory hadn’t been named yet, but the sentiment was there. Abortion laws were designed to promote more white births as Catholics (brown people) were already having too many babies. In 1864, racism and misogyny were rampant and had the cover of law. Perhaps white males might have thought that time greater, but everyone else, not so much.
The Civil War raged in 1864 and spoke little about how great things were. On average, 504 people died per day in the most deadly war in American history. In addition to those killed in battle, most casualties died of disease. Significant moments 1864 include General Sherman’s march to the sea, where he destroyed everything from Atlanta to Savannah. It was an early version of “shock and awe” made famous in the first Iraq war. On the other side, there was the Fort Pillow Massacre, where Confederate troops led by Nathan Bedford Forrest killed 300 mostly Black Union soldiers instead of treating them as prisoners of war. Forrest was a former slave trader who went on to be the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Not a period that bespoke greatness.
On the plus side, Rebecca Lee became the first Black woman to receive a medical degree. Her prescriptions weren’t always filled, and patients and other doctors often didn’t listen to her, although her book, A Book of Medical Discourses, was well received. She was never admitted to the AMA. The Yosemite Grant Act established the first state-controlled park in California, and slavery was abolished in Maryland, which wasn’t covered in the Emancipation Proclamation.
Abraham Lincoln barely won re-election. Nine previous presidents had served a single term, adding to the nation’s instability. Confederate troops made it to within five miles of the White House before being turned back. Casualties were much higher than in the first three years of the war. Only Union military successes, including Sherman’s march, made Lincoln’s victory possible.
1864 wasn’t a banner year for Native Americans; the Sand Creek Massacre involved the US Army killed around 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, composed mainly of women, children, and the elderly. Those civilians were waiting for negotiations with the government to determine where they would be allowed to live. After the massacre, investigations were held, witnesses testified, but no action was taken against the murderers who were allegedly acting without orders.
If I were a MAGA devotee, I wouldn’t have picked 1864 as the year to celebrate. America was at war with itself, and disease and starvation were rampant. It wasn’t a good time for white men, though they fared better than others. If and when another year is chosen as a role model for America, I’ll be ready to discuss it.
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This post was previously published on Cultured.
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