21st Century: Query 183 (Millard Fillmore)
“May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not.”
~ Millard Fillmore was the 13th president of the United States (1850–1853),
the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White
House. A former U.S. representative from New York, Fillmore was elected
the nation’s 12th vice president in 1848, and succeeded to
the presidency in July 1850 upon the death of President Zachary
Taylor. He was instrumental in the passing of the Compromise of 1850, a bargain that led to a
brief truce in the battle over slavery. He failed to win the Whig
nomination for president in 1852; he gained the endorsement of the nativist Know Nothing Party four years later,
finishing third in the 1856 presidential election.
How might
Fillmore’s warning be relevant in 2020?
Are Donald Trump’s supporters a part of a nationalistic cult? Why or why not?
Often,
Republicans will concede that Donald Trump is a terrible human being who is
tearing the U.S. apart, but they rationalize their continued support for him by
pointing out that he is fulfilling their agenda. How is their argument flawed
and what is the potential price they will eventually pay?