Charles Sumner and his Connection to the Dominican Republic (Part II of III)
UPDATED: Don’t forget to read Part III of Who is Charles Sumner!
In Part I, I explained briefly who Charles Sumner was and how his actions impacted the Dominican Republic (that’s him in the picture getting caned in congress). Basically, he kept the island out of the U.S. and, depending on your perspective, either did Dominicans a great favor or a great disservice. My high school political science club students debated this point. These were the major arguments presented by each side and a quick word about each.
Charles Sumner is a hero because:
- Without him we would not be the sovereign, self-determining nation-state that we are today.
- He helped us preserve our Dominican culture instead of being swallowed by an imperialist power and having it slowly eroded.
- The U.S. has a lot of enemies and critics around the world. That does not reflect on us as a separate country.
The basic thrust of their argument was that “American” doesn’t always equate with “Better” and that there are things more important than per capita incomes – nationalism, pride, and freedom (to name a few).
In part III, I’ll highlight the major arguments of the other side and give a general wrap-up.
To book me for a lecture or debate go here.
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.