"American Nationalism," was Re: Fascism & Monopoly Capitalism

[Max Sawicky]

Gordon says:

>  > >  > >Just what constitutes the core of "America" ideologically (in the
>>  >>  >ideology of American patriotism)?
>
>>  >>  The Constitution, of course.
>
>>  >And the Federalist Papers. Maybe even more so.

I'm halfway thru Michael Lind's "The Next American Nation,"
which has a lot to say about the evolution of identity.
It is clear from the book that slavery was not the original
motive for white supremacy, because a more narrow bigotry
preceded white supremacy and suffused the founding of the
U.S.  The Founders were saturated in an Anglo-Saxon identity
which saw all other nationalities as inferior.  The original
vision of the U.S. was as Anglo-Saxon, not white. There
are almost no good guys in this crowd, though there are
differences on other matters of policy.

'Whiteness' develops ironically with the Civil War, as what
is sometimes characterized as a bourgeois revolution as well
as industrial progress requires a broader sense of participation.
The white race is the artifact of an agreement to protect
'white' labor (within limits, obviously) against non-white
and immigrant.  The development of Jim Crow and immigration
law is the secret constitution of the U.S., wherein class
struggle is suppressed by its translation into 'race.'

Most of what we would regard as insurgency against these
developments had their own fatal flaws.  Some abolitionism
was premised on removing blacks to Africa.  Some trade
unionism was premised on racist and anti-immigrant economic
interests.  Some populism inherits these chauvinisms.  In
the last regard, arguments I've had w/Chip and others rests
on my premise that some economic ideas of 1870-1900 populists
ought not to be judged by some of the social undercurrents
of populism.  Just as we wouldn't reject 19th century
socialism and trade unionism categorically because of
racism in the roots.

mbs