Pride and Shame: A Case in Point

Since completing An American Family Bible, I have continued my ancestral research and have discovered some interesting tidbits about the Dickey family. My readers will recall that this family appears in Chapter 2 of the book called Freedom and Chapter 4 of the book called Wanderings (both in the Old Testament). My new research regarding these tough Presbyterian pioneers evokes the same feelings of pride and shame that are ever present in the American experience.

In his article Concord Presbyterian Church & the Rev. James H. Dickey, Dr. Andrew Feight reveals that James Dickey (son of Robert and Mary Henry Dickey) was a vocal abolitionist during his tenure at this small Ohio church. see http://www.sciotohistorical.org/items/show/84?tour=10&index=11
The Reverend Dickey was instrumental in guiding this radical antislavery church to play a significant role in the emerging network that later generations would call the Underground Railroad. Moreover, when he left Concord, Dickey went on to Illinois and attempted to ignite and foster abolitionist sentiment in that state.

His son, Theophilus Dickey, would go on to serve in the Mexican War and do his part to help the United States make the northern half of Mexico's territory an integral part of what Churchill would one day call the Great Republic. Later, Theophilus would serve as a colonel in the 4th Illinois Cavalry of the Union Army during the American Civil War. In this connection, it is interesting to note the link to the story of Alfred and John Rutledge at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson - Dickey was part of the Union Army that captured those forts and made captives of those brothers. From there, Colonel Theophilus Dickey would go on to participate in the Battle of Shiloh and would later serve as a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court after the war (he's buried in the county in which I currently reside).

Theophilus' son, Charles Henry Dickey, would later move to the Kingdom of Hawaii and become a legislator there after the overthrow of Queen Lilioukalani (who was imprisoned in her own palace). Charles' son would go on to become an important Hawaiian architect, and his daughter (who was born on Maui in 1880) would eventually marry James Drummond Dole, the "Pineapple King."

These additional stories serve to reinforce the theme that runs throughout An American Family Bible - our story evokes pride and shame in equal measures. Like the country they helped to build, the story of our family is one of sin and righteousness. It is a human story that is full of both light and darkness. After all, we are talking about humans (subject to the same strengths and frailties which are common to all of us) and the imperfect lives and nation which they crafted. This is their legacy and our heritage. 

Who is responsible for America's past?

An American Family Bible was intended by its author to offer some insight into the answer(s) to that question. Throughout the history of the United States, however, various people have answered that question differently.

At times, a kind of consensus has even emerged about this topic. In this connection, it is interesting to note that these popular notions have often focused on Divine responsibility. Early settlers believed that God was directing them to America to give them a new "Promised Land" or that He intended for them to build His kingdom in the wilderness. In the Nineteenth Century, many folks believed in a concept called Manifest Destiny - that it was God's intention that America extend from "sea to shining sea." In more recent years, many Americans have regarded both our origins and subsequent history as being guided/directed by the Divine hand.

Unfortunately, many Americans have taken this to an extreme and regard all efforts to talk about past mistakes, problems, sins and atrocities as almost sacrilegious. They point to the Old Testament and proclaim that genocide and conquest can't be regarded as sins if they were ordered or directed by God!

And, if they do acknowledge these sins and mistakes, they point to the people of past generations as the culprits/perpetrators. "I didn't do it, they did it!" they proclaim. This brings to mind something Jesus Christ is reported to have said on one occasion: "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.' But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?" (Matthew 23:29-33, New Living Translation)

An American Family Bible demonstrates that our ancestors participated in America's story. As a consequence, they share the responsibility for the glories and the sins. The truth is that Washington, Adams, Franklin and Jefferson had help in founding this nation. And, if we say that they were Divine instruments, we must also acknowledge that they were very flawed individuals (they were the same degree of human as you and me). Washington and Jefferson were exceptional men, but they also owned large numbers of their fellow humans and forced them to toil on their behalf.

In my book, I recount the story of my visit to Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The sign erected by the U.S. Government to memorialize what happened there referred to a "battle." The natives who lived on the surrounding reservation had marked through that word and scribbled in "massacre." For some, irrespective of the facts of what actually happened there, the correct term is contingent on whether or not you believe God was directing events toward some greater end.

Those who are acquainted with the Judeo-Christian Scriptures will recognize this phenomenon. The Bible is full of examples of folks who used God to justify their activities. Nevertheless, even those of us who may not be as familiar with that book's contents should be able to discern the folly in using the Almighty to justify covetousness, greed, stealing and murder. We should all be able to learn the lesson of the story of Sarah and Abraham - that God doesn't need our assistance in bringing His plans to fruition!

I hope that the readers of An American Family Bible will see more of themselves and their ancestors in America's story and be less likely to attribute responsibility to God for what they and their ancestors should be willing to shoulder. And, hopefully, if we can begin to acknowledge our personal responsibility for (and involvement in) this story, maybe we can begin to correct some of these past mistakes. For, when we can acknowledge our culpability/involvement in this story, we can see that the problems we face are our responsibility to correct (and I'm sure that God would be willing to help us with that).
  

What's this book about?

Have you ever wondered about how things got to be the way they are? Have you ever wondered about what it really means to be an American? Have you ever wondered about the role that your ancestors played in shaping this country? If you have ever asked yourself those kinds of questions, then this book is for you!

An American Family Bible is a novel that is based on real people, places and events. It is the story of a family and their contributions to America's story. It is a book about relationships, connections, race, religion, politics, love, hatred, prejudice, oppression, murder, war, theft, adversity, perseverance, survival and freedom.

This is a book of perspective. It tells the story of a nation from the vantage of those who actually lived it. It is not a history textbook. It is not a story of uninterrupted success and righteousness. It is also not a story about the usual cast of characters, though many of those "great men of history" do appear in its pages. This is a story about people just like you and me, and how they faced the many challenges which came their way.

The book is based on over forty years of research into the author's ancestral roots, and the family stories which he heard over the course of a lifetime from Southern grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. That rich tradition of storytelling also informed the way that this novel was organized (as a series of stories). Moreover, the title and organization of the novel also drew on the model of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures on which all of the characters depended as a guide for their morality and faith, and which they used to record the milestones of their lives.

An American Family Bible begins with the story of Native Americans, and their introduction to European settlers. It follows European settlement throughout the colonial period and recounts the circumstances which led those people to rebel against England. From there, the story of how the new nation expanded across the continent by taking land from the natives and enslaving Africans is retold. The Old Testament ends with the great cataclysm that we call the American Civil War, and the New Testament begins with the story of Reconstruction and the rebuilding of ruined lives. The book traces the nation's and the family's expansion westward, through two world wars and a Great Depression. The story concludes with the death of the family's matriarch, and the author's realization that the story never ends.

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