Baldwin v Buckley – Still A Winning Argument

1965: Cambridge Union Society, London.

James Baldwin strides to the podium, takes a sip of water and pulls his papers from his pocket. He unfurls them with a gentle flick of his wrist, places the cup down and the magic begins. In front of a packed house, Baldwin outdebated popular segregationist William F. Buckley to the tune of 544 votes to 164 for Buckley. The motion: “The American Dream has been achieved at the expense of the American Negro.” We all know that history – but if you don’t, I’ll drop the link here.

I participated in speech and debate as a high schooler; public forum was my thing. Baldwin v Buckley, specifically Baldwin’s assertion in the affirmative, is a masterpiece of a speech and a compelling argument. I would’ve voted for him for sure, although I’m pretty biased, duh. Let me share why, just based on one of Baldwin’s excellently crafted points.

I’m opposed to the idea that the “American Dream” has anything to do with Black people; how could it? The phrase wasn’t popularized until 1931 in the middle of Jim Crow. Something about “upward mobility, freedom and equality”, per Britannica. This is basically 1930s speak for pulling oneself up by their bootstraps conflated with “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Shoutout to the “founding fathers” who collectively enslaved and exploited hundreds of people – another blog post. It’s an argument rooted in the idea that all Americans, at birth and by virtue of their national identity, start on a level playing field.

The United States is surely in a better place, objectively, when it comes to race relations than in 1965. I think the majority of modern scholars would agree, perhaps Baldwin himself would. However, Black people are still systemically at a disadvantage. Why? This country was built at the cost of our ancestor’s brutalization; the loss of their lives and personhoods. When the Constitution was being written, George Washington had to move enslaved Black people between his homes every six months to circumvent laws in Philadelphia.

That Constitution is still in place in 2024. Yes, I know, the amendments. The last one was in 1992 and is related to Congressional pay. I’m going to say it hasn’t undergone significant changes since ‘71 when the voting age was changed to 18. No reparations or formal federal apology for slavery except for a House resolution – here. Black people are quite literally still being lynched across the United States. Some dream, I guess.

James Baldwin uses his rhetorical genius in “Baldwin v Buckley” to call attention to the contradiction of the “American Dream”. That dream has always been one that excluded Black folx or imagined them at the bottom rungs of American society. No matter how many Black billionaires or president(s) seem to disprove that – it’s true. Baldwin has had me convinced for years, it’s time to find a new dream.