American Founding Fathers vs. Joseph Stalin

There are constant comparisons by American “patriots” between the founding fathers and the deceased Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. The problem with these comparisons is they lack historical understanding and are driven by white chauvinism.

If we look at the history of the founding fathers, we will see a lot of beliefs that we do not agree with, including their support for slavery and white supremacy. If we look at history, the actual history, of Stalin, we will see a world view that supports liberation, self-sufficiency, and worker democracy. The only historical belief we oppose that Stalin advocated was the recriminalization of homosexuality. Stalin’s views on homosexuality should not be surprising as homophobia was the prevailing world view during Stalin’s time. Some would make the same argument, given the historical circumstances that during the time of the founding fathers, slavery and white supremacy were the prevailing views, but if you compare the subject of slavery and genocide vs the subject of homophobia, obviously one is worse than the other. Yet American “patriots” still praise their founding fathers almost like gods among men, while communists look up to former Soviet leaders like Stalin as the former heads of a revolutionary movement that was focused on liberation of working people. And they look up to them more so given the fact that they were the leading force of the movement, since they had a state to back them up in global political affairs.

Does this mean we excuse homophobia? No, of course not. We as Marxists are scientists and we understand today that old belief of being homophobic was wrong, and we move away from that incorrect belief. We still recognize the contribution Stalin gave to pushing the revolutionary communist movement forward. While we oppose the subject of recriminalization of LGBT+ people. The same goes for Marx, we recognize he held beliefs we are not in complete agreement with. However, we support the contribution of Marx in pushing the communist movement forward.

Some would argue that Stalin was a mass murder, in which I urge the reader to check out my article “Detailed analysis of J.V. Stalin's non-existent mass murder policy and its anti-communist premise”

Some would argue that the founding fathers were not slavery supporters or genocide supporters.

George Washington was a slave owner with a total of 317 slaves which were not freed until a year before his death, by his wife. In terms of Native Americans, George Washington said the following to General John Sullivan, May 31, 1779:

“The immediate objectives are the total destruction and devastation of their settlements and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible. It will be essential to ruin their crops in the ground and prevent their planting more.”

-indiancountrymedianetwork.com

Thomas Jefferson on Natives:

“This unfortunate race, whom we had been taking so much pains to save and to civilize, have by their unexpected desertion and ferocious barbarities justified extermination and now await our decision on their fate.”

-indiancountrymedianetwork.com

Thomas Jefferson owned 200 slaves. He only freed a few because of debt. And it is argued that he fathered multiple children with one slave, Sally Hemmings, the half -sister of his late wife, Martha Skelton.

John Adams while never owning a slave never gave full support for the abolitionists who seek to abolish slavery. He dismissed full abolition of slavery as “producing greater violations of Justice and Humanity, than the continuance of the practice.”

John Adams is shown historically to stand neutral on the subject. To those with a Marxist view of history, to stand neutral on the subject of oppression is to pick the side of the oppressor.

Benjamin Franklin not only owned slaves, but his newspaper in the 1730's often featured slaves for sale.

-benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Alexander Hamilton, while never owning a slave before in his life, he never strongly opposed it. Not only is there info of partaking in the selling of slaves, he also would never oppose slavery from an ideological view of seeing it as immoral; but from practical concerns. When it came to property rights, American interests, or personal ambitions, Hamilton chose those personal goals over abolishing slavery. Opposing slavery was not Hamilton's main priority.

-varsitytutors.com

John Jay was a slave owner, who signed into law the “gradual abolition of slavery” which was in itself a contradiction, for it stated that the children of slave parents would be free. However, they were required to work for the owner of their mother till age 27 for males, and age 25 for females. It replaced the chains of slavery with the chains of indentured servitude.

-columbia.edu

James Madison, the main man supportive of the removal of Natives from their land, first by converting them to European culture and then by invasion, also saw slaves as both human and property, and that they should be protected by both their master and the government.

The founding fathers, like every president of the United States, has worked in the interest of both the wealthy, and the White propertied class. From the first settlers, America was built by slaves, on blood stained land, on top of mass graves of Native Americans. And to this day, the only ones who have power in this country are dominantly wealthy, mostly white, and mostly men.

To compare Stalin to the founding fathers, to promote support for the founding fathers, is to misguide workers into believing they are comparing oppression with liberty. The reality is, to compare Stalin to the founding fathers, is to compare worker liberation, and worker power to genocide, slavery and white supremacy.