GETTYSBURG — The drive between this small farm town and the nation’s capital is a somber reminder of all things good, horrific and redemptive in the telling of the story of our country and her people.
In many ways it is the place where the very soul of our country lives.
As the pink streaks of a pre-dawn sky touch the rolling hills and farm fields of the town, you cannot dismiss from your thoughts that you are standing on the ground where war and a call of duty took the lives of thousands of men in the shadow of the mighty Alleghenies.
It is here where the sounds of the horrific battle that raged for three days remained forever in the minds of men and women who witnessed or fought in it. Over 70,000 Confederate troops engaged 83,000 Federal troops in and around this Adams County town; the battle claimed more than 50,000 souls and 3,000 horses, and it changed the course of the war in the Union’s favor.
And it is here where Abraham Lincoln journeyed a few short months after the battle. The town was still littered with ghastly sights; the carcasses of horses killed during the battle littered the rolling landscape, unburied coffins were stacked in alleys and the stench of death was unmistakable.
Lincoln understood as president — in a step toward uniting a brutally divided country — that he had to provide sense to the fatalities and the agonizing sacrifices. He was determined that no one ever forget what happened here:
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
And it is here where the forgiveness began 103 years ago when a Confederate veteran attending the first reunion of the Blue and Gray, 50 years after the battle ended, walked along Cemetery Ridge where he was shot and lay dying and found himself staring at the Union veteran who saved his life.
“By God … let me look at you,” said the old Confederate, grasping the aged Union soldier’s shoulders, then embracing him.
America’s ability to heal and move forward is both ordinary and miraculous. Throughout our history, no matter how contentious, violent and divisional, that healing has remained a continuous part of who we are generation after generation.
Forgiveness is not noted with a memorial here, nor is it memorialized in Washington.
Pundits and critics in Washington will note that we are living in the worst time in our country. Unless they are just saying that to create friction, they appear to lack an even cursory intellectual knowledge of our history.
Have they never heard of the ’60’s? In either century?
Yes we are a country that is deeply divided, our differences are deep both culturally and politically, and our politicians’ willingness to exploit it to make some small nick or gain for their side drives that division.
The spectacle last week with Rep. John Lewis is a perfect example of the political antics that deepen the divide. Not only did he refuse to attend President Trump’s inauguration, but also he called his presidency illegitimate, something he said he’d never done before.
First of all Lewis lied: He refused to attend George W. Bush’s first inauguration, and also called his presidency illegitimate.
And if you had any doubts as to whether his motives were political, four hours after he made those statements, Lewis turned around and sent out a fundraising email that benefitted both him and the Democratic National Committee.
Beginning Saturday, President Trump has more than a moment to begin to heal this country. He has a series of moments; efforts where he can build relationships, small and large with people with different ideals, traditions and ideologies than his own.
The divisions he has inherited and sometimes inflamed are nowhere near as monstrous and deadly as those of 150 years ago, nor do they hover on the end of the Republic. That doesn’t make them any less real. But perspective is needed. This is not the worst time in our country, and we should reject politicians such as Lewis who hijack our insecurities for their political gain.
Not participating in the inauguration activities is just plain wrong, said Chip Felkel of South Carolina, “No matter what party you are in or who’s being inaugurated it sends a terrible message to voters and is a terrible example to kids whose knowledge and respect of basic civics is horribly lacking in this country,” he said.
If Trump wants to take the lead on this, the best foot forward is not to re-litigate the election. Rather, he should begin to heal with some practical governing that gets buy in from people across the political spectrum.
Trump has already spoken about the need for unity, and staying on that message under the pressure of constant political attacks and a deeply unsettled media will be his greatest test, not only for him, but for the health and wellbeing of the country.
And like Lincoln, he must provide sense to the divisions and biases that divide us.
Salena Zito is a columnist for the Washington Examiner.
