Progress By Generations

Some days when we survey the state of our country and our personal lives, it can easily be a discouraging view. The problems are many; the solutions seem few and ineffective; progress appears stunted; our divisions run deep. The density of the trees of our problems seems to shut out the sunlight through the forest that can guide us to a new place of being. The issues in front of us often seem to be the same recurring issues mankind has faced for millennia. In the reality of billions of people in this world, the possibility of my individual self making much of a real difference in the state of things feels pretty minimal.

When I get those feelings of discouragement, if not pessimism, it seems helpful to retreat back from a today’s perspective and look instead at a longer view of the human condition and its evolution. As it turns out, our American experience seems like a pretty good reference point of human progress.

On a comparative basis, America is still a relatively young country. We realize that when we visit Europe, Asia or the Middle East, all of whom measure time in the thousands of years. Our founding history seems like so long ago in proportion to our individual lives and experiences, and our images of our colonial times. Yet in truth we are only a little over 225 years old as an independent country. At today’s rates of life expectancy, our entire history can be encapsulated within only three successive lifetimes. My mother’s life spanned 1919-1999, essentially a scan of the 20th century after World War I. Her great grandfather from Tennessee fought for the South in the Civil War, and lived to see the dawn of the 20th century and hear about a man in flight above the earth. One lifetime before him, a son of my Revolutionary War patriot ancestor was born at the beginning of the American Republic, and grew up with it into our ultimate test of the Civil War. And now my own grandchildren are just beginning the 4th lifetime of the American Story. How much will we have seen through the course of our lifetime!

If we go a step further and break down our story over the twelve 20-year generations of our experience, it surprises me how neatly our historical story can be boxed up in that increment. It is as if God perfectly gives each generation its shot to make its mark, advance the human condition one net step forward out of that generation’s chaos, and then pass the torch on to the next group to try once again. Each generation has its major failing, but it is balanced by its major accomplishment. So what does our “story by the generations” look like?

1763-1788: The end of the French-Indian war, resulting in heavy taxes on America, which led to the American Revolution and the confederation of American States. The American was opportunity created.
1788-1808: U.S. Constitution and the federal system – radical new experiment in government. BUT: citizenship and voting rights limited by race, gender, age and religion – white property-owning males (the elite), only @10-16% of the population. Founding Fathers of Washington, Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson et al.
1809-1828: 2nd (and last) generation of Founding Fathers: Madison, Monroe, Quincy Adams. War of 1812. American government stabilized, lasting precedents established. Last religious citizenship restriction eliminated.
1829-1848: Leadership passed from Founding Fathers to era of “the common man.” Property ownership citizenship restriction eliminated. First American war of expansion, with Mexico. Westward expansion; Indian relocation. Jackson and a new “western / frontier” breed of presidents.
1849-1876: Slavery, Secession, and Reconstruction. Union affirmed; slavery ended. Race citizenship restriction eliminated. Lincoln, Grant presidencies.
1877-1900: Big business and mega-wealth: era of the super-rich – Carnegie, Rockefeller, J.P Morgan, Vanderbilts; creation of economic elite. Rise of trade unionism and violent strikes against management. Cycles of booms and depressions. Successive un-noteworthy presidents.
1901-1920: International engagement and World War I; Invention and entrepreneurs – Edison, Ford, entertainment industry (radio, movies, records). Gender citizenship restriction eliminated; direct election of U.S. senators by voters. Anti-trust legislation/breakup of monopolies. Child labor laws. Theodore Roosevelt and Wilson presidencies.
1921-1940: Economic boom (Harding/Coolidge/Hoover) followed by bust – Great Depression (Franklin Roosevelt). Liberalism, social programs, federal government expansion; institution of “social safety net” for disadvantaged. Financial regulation laws/agencies enacted. Jazz → Swing eras. Silent Charlie Chaplain → Bob Hope radio; “The Birth of a Nation” → “Wizard of Oz.”
1941-1960: “Greatest Generation.” World War II; begin 65 years of peace in Western Europe. International leadership/superpower; ideological war with USSR. Korean War. Domestic calm, growth of new “middle class.” Sinatra → Elvis. African-American integration of schools and military. Eisenhower.
1961-1980: Upheaval, unrest, loss of institutional trust. Assassinations, Viet Nam, street demonstrations, rioting in cities. Youth versus parents. Civil rights and women’s movement push anti–discrimination in fact, not just in law. Medicare instituted. American on moon. Beatles; Peter/Paul/Mary. Kennedy/Johnson; Nixon-1st resignation of a president.
1980-2000: Retrenchment: liberalism → political center. Middle-class recoil from social change, growth of “conservative right.” Begin economic deregulation. Fall of USSR; freedom to Eastern Europe. Internet/instant global communication. Reagan, Bush, Clinton presidencies.
2000-2020: ?????

Each generation has suffered its share of trials of war, economic hardships, and social disruption. But each generation has made some progress in our economic well-being, mutual relationships, social justice and our equal rights of citizenship. What will history say about this current generation of our story, the story that began in 2000?

The past has led us to today; our present will lead us to tomorrow. Where is our tomorrow going? What do we want it to look like? The momentous events we have watched unfold in Egypt over these past weeks call upon us to ask ourselves – What will we choose to do or say today that will cause the creation of that tomorrow?

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can still do some things. Just because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” (Edward Everett Hale, UUC minister)