6.4 C
London
Thursday, March 28, 2024

History: It’s not the truth. it’s what you believe

The USA

 


Who discovered America? – Columbus? WRONG! Amerigo Vespucci? WRONG! – Vikings had been jaunting over the seas to America since around 1000 AD; So, sorry fellas, you got there 500 years too late.

For Freedom.. I mean tax avoidance – It is a brave man who questions the justification of the American Revolution. Independence from Britain is a bastion of the American identity and to imply that the reasons for its rebellion were unfounded or purely on selfish grounds, is to strike the very heart of American culture and constitution. Thankfully there are some such brave souls around to stir things up a bit and revisionist histories, though few, have been written.

One such history makes the assertion that “American colonists who declared their independence from England…were not an idealistic band of freedom fighters but a pack of whiners, welshers, and tax cheats.” To put this into context, even though written by a Canadian, it was not just a pop at his southern neighbours but based on the fact that taxation at that time (one of the key contributors to the revolution), was a necessity, not only to protect the colonies but to help pay for the huge debt incurred during the 7 years war (French and Indian War) fought  to protect the colonies from the French and their Native American Allies.

He goes on to state that the rich elite, unhappy that they were being taxed, felt the only way to change things was to stir up agitation and get the support of the masses. In Boston 5% of the population owned 50% of the land and the taxation that hit their pockets never really affected the less well off… but, “Rome is the Mob” as they say and the Merchants would fight taxation any way they could; even if this meant starting a War to get rid of it.

Other interesting facts about the American Revolution.

  1. The British, as well as imposing taxation on the Colonials, also prevented them from expanding into Native American territory (many of whom had helped the British in the French and Indian War.) This again helped stir up resentment and lead to rebellion… can’t do right for wrong eh?
  2. The “Boston Massacre” played straight into the revolutionaries hands, when 8 soldiers fired into a crowd, killing 5 people. Surprisingly John Adams, one of the founding fathers and later a president of the United States, defended the soldiers in court,  had 6 of them acquitted and the other 2 given reduced man slaughter sentences. It was established that the crowd were taunting the soldiers, throwing stones and saying “Fire and be damned.” Obviously trying to spark a response and so uniting neutral Americans to the revolutionary cause.  The Captain in charge of the soldiers, Preston, told them not to fire but one of his men was hit by a stone, causing him to discharge his weapon; this in turn caused the rest of the nervous soldiers to fire in turn.

A War against slavery? – If you were to ask most people what the American Civil War was fought for, they would say “Slavery” Sadly this is only a half truth born of circumstance. The ACW was originally a war of unification or independence (depending on what side you were on), after the majority of the southern states seceded from the Union in 1861. Granted, one of the reasons they left in the first place, was a fear that the abolitionist movement in the North might spread to them and threaten the lucrative cotton trade, which relied greatly on slaves, but the confederacy’s main war aim was independence, where as the North was fighting to keep the Union.

Slavery and its abolition, as per the emancipation proclamation, was a by-product of Lincolns fear that Europe might get involved and recognise the south. Abolishing slavery made it impossible for Britain to intervene on behalf of the pro slavery Confederacy and was Lincoln’s master stroke to fend off foreign intervention whilst simultaneously- rallying the Union to a more “Godly” fight.

 “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it. would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.” – Abraham Lincoln 

Japanese Invasion of America? – that’s right ladies and gents, Japan DID in fact invade American soil in 1942. Said soil, may have been some cold islands in Alaska, called the Aleutian Islands, but it was American soil all the same. Don’t worry, with help from the Canadians they managed to get it back.. sadly at quite a big cost.

Matt Geary
Matt Gearyhttps://www.geek-pride.co.uk
From N.Ireland but now living in Manchester, England; Matt is the founder and CEO of Geek Pride. Interests: Photography, Music, Art, poetry, Military History, Model making and painting and of course gaming (table top and computer)

Related Articles

28,145FansLike
2,755FollowersFollow
3,270SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Articles