George Bancroft The Progress of Mankind (1854)

Main Points  By God’s plan Americans are destined to choose growth and therefore achieve greatness. “...the condition of our race is one of growth or of decay. It is the glory of man that he is conscious of this law of his existence.” “The progress of man consists in this, that he himself arrives at the perception of truth. The Divine mind, which is its source, left it to be discovered, appropriated and developed by finite creatures.” It is by God’s design all men are equal in substance, therefore; progress depends on the individual’s contribution to the whole and the whole of society is wiser than the individual. “Every man is in substance equal to his fellow-man.” “Each member of the race is in will, affection, and intellect, consubstantial with every other; no passion, no noble or degrading affection, no generous or selfish impulse, has ever appeared, of which the germ does not exist in every breast.” “But as every man partakes of the same faculties and is consubstantial with all, it follows that the race becomes richer, more varied, free and complete, as time advances.”

Main Points cont. “Were no other progress, therefore, possible than that of the individual, one period would have little advantage over another.” “COMMON SENSE implies by its very name, that each individual is to contribute some share toward the general intelligence. The many are wiser than the few; the multitude than the philosopher; the race than the individual; and each successive generation than its predecessor....” Women have a significant role in politics, but it is not for the public realm, it is divulged in the home and expressed through her husband. “...a lily among thorns, whose smile is pleasant like the light of morning, and whose eye is the gate of heaven; she, whom nature so reveres, that the lovely veil of her spirit is the best terrestrial emblem of beauty, must cease to command armies or reign supreme over nations.” “Yet the progress of liberty...has redeemed her into the possession of the full dignity of her nature, has made her not man’s slave, but his companion, his counsellor, and fellow-martyr; and for an occasional ascendency in political affairs, has substituted the uniform enjoyment of domestic equality.”

Main Points contd. Freedom through American Democracy is an open opportunity for the world to advance and grow. “Our land extends far into the wilderness, and beyond the wilderness; and while on this side of the mountains it gives the Western nations of Europe a theater for the renewal of their youth, on the transmontane side, the hoary civilisation of the farthest antiquity leans forward from Asia to receive the glad tidings of the messenger of freedom. The islands of the Pacific entreat our protection, and at our suit the Empire of Japan breaks down its wall of exclusion....” “Without attempting to unfold what the greater wisdom of coming generations can alone adequately conceive and practically apply, we may observe, that the human mind tends not only toward unity, but UNIVERSALITY.” Questions Does history ever demonstrate any retrograde motions? Who or what is responsible for human progress? What is the role of women in history?

Historical Significance The most significant aspect of George Bancroft’s, The Progress of Mankind is his belief that American Democracy would spread fervently throughout the world. American Democracy would be anxiously accepted by other nations as Americans shared the promise of freedom. Bancroft’s devotion to the belief that the wisdom of the people held the answer is indicative in the picturesque view of America portrayed in his writing. Although, it is interesting to note that he completely ignores the issue of slavery. His notable political role would seem to suggest otherwise but that is not the case. At the time of this address, which he delivered to the Historical Society in New York, slavery was a very intense issue. The Kansas-Nebraska Act had just been passed, setting aside the Missouri Compromise of 1820, resulting in violent clashes. Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the fugitive Slave Act of 1850 unconstitutional. The Potato Famine in Ireland created an influx of Irish immigrants that Bancroft also chose to ignore.