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alternatehistory.com
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
When one examines the history of homosexuality's place in American society, it’s sometimes hard to accept how drastically attitude shifted in under two centuries. When the country was founded in the late 18th century, homosexuality was still viewed through the Judo-Christian framework that dominated Europe since Constantine in the fourth century. While the newly founded nation first amendment insured the separation of church in state, the importance of religion to the people ensured that social and political policies often carried a Christian undertone.
And yet while it would not be almost two centuries for the last vestige for this view disappear from public, the small dot that grew over the decades can be traced to the highest office in the United States of America. They often say that progress is not overnight, that no one simply snaps their fingers. Instead, the modern thought is a series of choices that stretched the band, but never broke it. President Thomas Jefferson is our small dot from which this journey will start.” Homosexuality and America: From Founding To Post-War. (Penguin Publishing: 1950)