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(The following are chapter summaries from the just-released
book, "The Destination of American History," by Tony Molinaro.)
SECOND DESTINATION: Individual Freedom
“All
people have a right to life and liberty.”
Part 6 - The ‘Moral Action’ Awakening - (1821 to 1842)
America’s
Second Great Awakening revitalized a belief in the passionate spirit of God and also preached a belief in the capacity of
humans for moral action and a duty to desist from sin. This duty to act morally helped to spark the abolitionist movements
in Northern states and slave rebellions in the South.
Part 7 - Self-Interest and Manifest Destiny - (1843 to 1859)
New
idealist beliefs in moral action and social action help to strengthen the self-interest of small single-issue groups and single-minded
purposeful individuals. Unraveling components include the growing belief in Manifest Destiny, the Great Migration westward,
news of gold rushes out west, and the polarizing political measures of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
All of these forces raise individual and sections self-interest to new and frightening heights.
Part 8 - The American
Holy War - (1860 to 1868)
The nation marched down a path to internal crisis along with John Brown as he led an attack
at Harper’s Ferry, then was captured and executed. The question of individual freedom for the black slave as well as
for the Stated Rights-supporting Southerner now could only be settled by violent means. The Civil War crisis reached a resolution
when the Radical Republicans impeached the President and pushed forward with their Reconstruction policies.
Part
9 - Industry Building and the New Pragmatic Order - (1869 to 1885)
U.S. leaders focused on fixing the country with
a practical vision that aimed to strengthen the industrial foundation. Their pragmatic accomplishments included the growth
of the railroad industry, the creation of the cattle and meatpacking industries, the nationwide utilization of lumber and
mineral resources, and the organization of the textile, steel, iron, and oil industries.
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