I recently ran across a pro-slavery sermonpreached by one Reverend Henry J. Van Dyke, of Brooklyn, New York, in 1860. It was titled, “The Character and Influence of Abolitionism”.
One expression in particular caught my attention:
“But I am here tonight, in God’s name, and by His help to show that this tree of abolitionism is evil and only evil, root and branch, flower and leaf and fruit: It spring from, and is nourished by an utter rejection of the scriptures...”
Senator Mitch McConnell vowed to “repeal Obamacare, root and branch”.
Interesting, no?
I wonder if “root & branch” has been a common dog-whistle expression for 158 years, or if McConnell studies ante-bellum racist diatribes for his own amusement.
There are references to “roots” and “branches” in the the Bible, but I can’t find one that put the two together to express completeness, in the manner of “top to bottom” or “head to tail”.
It’s possible that McConnell is a student of English history: In 1640, a petition with 15,000 signatures was presented to Parliament. It sought to sweep away the "roots and branches” of existing church hierarchy and replace it with more egalitarian structures. It was passed into law by Commons, but failed to win a majority in the House of Lords. It is known to history as the "Root and Branch Petition".
Rev. Van Dyke was a Presbyterian. McConnell is a Baptist. Both sects sought independence from rule by the Church of England in the 17th Century, and it’s possible that the phrase “root & branch” simply resurfaces in the vocabulary of Protestant sermons whenever congregations are in a fractious mood.
But that leaves only two choices. The subtext of the “root & branch” is either secessionist or rebellious… and that is today’s Republican Party.
