Believe It or Not?

This past week I sat in on a graduate seminar on the early American Frontier.  It was an edifying and enriching experience.  It did, however, bring a concern to light.  As we discussed Peter Silver's Our Savage Neighbor, looking at the colonists' pamphlets concerning Indian raids, there seemed to be one prevailing idea among the students: these pamphlets were the manipulative workings of rich white European colonists who desired to stir up the common settlers to war.  (There also appeared to be clear parallels drawn to the Bush administration's handling of Iraq).  

I guess the most peculiar thing to me was that never once was it considered that the pamphlet writers were genuinely afraid for their lives and well-being.  I completely understand the notion that these men could have just been arousing mob support for their agenda.  That seems quite reasonable in the situation.  My complaint is that the students never considered the thought that these men might truly believe the words coming from their pen.

Throughout history, we confront many scenes where the motives of the actors are questionable.  Yet, in many of these instances, we are rendered incapable of understanding the people if we will not take them at their word.  The Puritans of Massachusetts Bay make no sense unless we concede that they really believed what they preached and wrote.  For that matter, we cannot rightly interpret the Constitution of the United States unless we believe that those fine men were generally lead by a desire to see the foundling nation prosper.

In the negative, we perform this task without thinking.  We have no problem acknowledging that the Nazis believed their terrible doctrines; that is why they trampled over innocent human life as they did.  But when it comes to American struggle for good, there seems to be a biased cloud of suspicion surrounding our forefathers.

Perhaps I'll be disregarded as a triumphalist or American exceptionalist, but I don't mind.  In the words of FDR, I only request that you "judge me by my enemies".