The Myth of Nature’s Nation
The Myth of Nature’s Nation
The Revolutionary Period
The American myth of Nature’s Nation claims that the United States, and especially its founding documents, owe nothing to human history but reflect the natural order as it came from the hands of the Creator. Accordingly, the Declaration of Independence speaks of “self-evident truths,” rooted in “Nature and Nature’s God.” But the founders read into the natural order the long-standing myth of White Supremacy. In this way, the myth of Nature’s Nation became a tool for exclusion and oppression of people of color. In his “Notes on the State of Virginia,” Thomas Jefferson even argued that black inferiority was nature’s own decree. From an early date, blacks fought back. David Walker led that charge with his 1829 book,
Keywords: Nature’s Nation, self-evident truths, Thomas Jefferson, American founders, Declaration of Independence, Notes on the State of Virginia, David Walker, Walker’s Appeal, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Toni Morrison
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