The Rematch

America is torn by division. The battle for the nation's soul rages on, touching every aspect of society. An intense struggle over American culture and individual rights unfolds, fueled by deep-seated disagreements over social reform. Voices on both sides of the spectrum argue passionately. We are a society at a crossroads.

The political scene is characterized by unprecedented divisiveness. Disenfranchised communities rise against an entrenched power of elites, demanding fairer economic practices. The fire for change is a response to growing economic disparities and widespread inequality fueled by rapid technological advancements.

The media landscape has transformed, with new technologies amplifying voices like never before. This enables the media to reach new audiences. Information—and equally, misinformation—spreads at breakneck speeds, influencing public opinion and shaping the national dialogue.

Immigration is a hot-button issue, igniting debates on assimilation, employment, and cultural impact. These discussions often veer into prejudice and nativism, challenging politicians and their constituents to confront the nation's values head-on.

Amid the turmoil stand two presidential candidates, both former Presidents, who have managed to alienate significant portions of their parties. Their candidacies test the limits of political loyalty and ideological purity.

Of course, the subject is the 1892 US Presidential election.

America has always had culture wars.

Today, we fight over various issues: economic concerns, wealth inequality, immigration, and individual liberty. These are broad themes in American history. The 1892 contest between presidential candidates Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison shares similarities with today. Here are a few parallels:

Economic Concerns and Wealth Inequality

The late 19th century Industrial Revolution saw rapid industrialization and businessmen looking to gain power and wealth on the backs of American workers. The nation experienced significant economic growth alongside marked inequality and labor unrest, with stark disparities in wealth and power between the industrial elite and the working class. In a book of the same name, Mark Twain coined the late 19th-century period the Gilded Age, meaning it was beautiful on the surface but corrupt underneath. At the time, this led to intense debates over economic policy, particularly tariffs.

In contrast, today, we are experiencing rapid digital advancement. The Digital Revolution has reshaped the economy through information technology, automation, and artificial intelligence. These changes have increased productivity but also raised concerns about job displacement and the skills gap. Similar to the Gilded Age, we have significant economic inequality. The wealth gap has widened, with a substantial portion of wealth concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of individuals, particularly those with ties to the tech industry and other high-growth sectors. Movements advocating for economic justice, workers' rights, environmental sustainability, and social equity are pressing for systemic changes.

Immigration

The 1890s was one of America’s peak immigration periods. Millions arrived from Europe, fleeing economic hardship, religious persecution, and political turmoil. Immigrants fueled the nation's industrial boom, providing the labor force that powered factories, built railways, and transformed the American economy. At the same time, Americans feared damage to society, the economy, and national identity. Many immigrants spoke no English. Concerns about assimilation, competition for jobs, and cultural impact led to nativist sentiments and calls for restrictions on immigration.

Today, people migrate to America for many reasons—seeking better economic opportunities, fleeing persecution or conflict, or joining family members. Debates center on issues of illegal immigration and border security, especially at the southern border. Americans question the impact of immigration on jobs, wages, and social services.

Individual Liberty

Individual liberty was central to the political and social debates of the late 19th century. The culture war burned bright.

Passage of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (ratified in 1868) granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including formerly enslaved people. The 15th Amendment (ratified in 1870) enabled voting rights regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." However, the Gilded Age witnessed the rise of Jim Crow laws in the Southern states. These laws created a broad system of racial segregation and discrimination. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices disenfranchised Black Americans.

Senator Aaron A. Sargent (R) introduced a proposed Constitutional Amendment to secure women’s right to vote in 1878. Congress didn’t pass the Amendment for 41 years. Tennessee’s ratification in 1920 incorporated it into the Constitution. Opponents claimed a woman’s place was in the home, and women lacked the education to be informed voters. Some opponents feared that giving women the right to vote would radically change society and cause a breakdown in marriage and families. Finally, fearmongers spread talk of a decline in societal morals, which they said would lead to the degradation of the social order.

Culture wars, indeed. Today, we still fight over the culture of America. Our fight over individual liberty includes education, such as who gets to decide whether a child can read certain books in school that might offend someone else’s parents. But it also includes the right to freedom of speech and expression, such as whether the government can dictate what clothes someone can’t wear. We even fight over the role of technology in shaping societal norms, such as the impact of social media on democracy and privacy, the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, and the digital divide's effect on educational and economic opportunities. But the age-old fights remain. Today, women have the right to vote but not the right to make their own healthcare decisions.

Both the Gilded Age and the Digital Age reveal the recurring themes of America's struggle with economic disparities, the challenges of technological advancement, and the continuous evolution of societal values. These parallels underline the cyclical nature of history, where each new era brings challenges, debates, and opportunities for growth and reform.

The contrast between both periods identifies the same issues. They present themselves in new ways, but the fight is the same. One hundred thirty years later, we can draw lasting conclusions about the divisiveness surrounding the 1892 election.

First, working Americans deserve the ability to decide their own fate. This personal responsibility directly derives from the ability to have food on the table and heat in the house. We shouldn’t support Americans on social welfare programs because we shouldn’t HAVE to support Americans on welfare programs. Americans need to make enough money from their labor to care for themselves.

At the same time, not all businesses are the same. A hard and fast rule to raise the minimum wage would disproportionately impact retail and food service industries, which have a high percentage of low earners. In addition to raising the minimum wage, we need to give small businesses that pay livable wages tax credits. This would reward the many great American businesses that pay livable wages, raise wages for workers, and reduce the need for social welfare programs.

Second, immigrants didn’t destroy America. Immigrants became Americans because that’s what all immigrants become. Immigrants come to America because they want to be Americans. They don’t come to America intent on destroying her. We don’t support open borders?because undocumented immigration leads to abuse of immigrants and strains community resources, including healthcare, education, and law enforcement. But we have no reason not to support legal immigration. At the same time, we can address security along our southern border with decisive measures.

Third, instead of the Gilded Age fight over a woman’s right to vote, we fight over a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions. Just like we enshrined a woman’s right to vote in the Constitution with the 19th Amendment, we must enshrine her right to make her own healthcare decisions. Every competent American adult should have the right to make his or her own healthcare decisions. We must further restrict the government’s knowledge of individual healthcare decisions in the same Amendment. The government deciding someone’s personal choice is an unparalleled insult to individual liberty and clearly violates founding American principles. We can have our own opinions of the ethics, but the government has no place in the matter.

The biggest lesson we can learn from the one hundred and thirty years since the 1892 election is that the American system is resilient. Our democratic republic will sway in the winds of the 2024 election. We will continue to progress toward the American ideal, and we will never be perfect. No matter the victor this year, the American ideal will fight on.

May God bless the United States of America.