About that Founders Myth

Post #361,255 by mhuber 7/25/12 1:16:55 AM Reply	About that Founders Myth Something I noticed in a cemetery in Boston a few years ago. In 1776, Boston was already a fairly old town. Around 200 years old. About as long as what we think of as American History. Boston has only been part of a Federated Republic for half its history (and that's only counting the Europeans). The idea that The Founders came to a new land to create a new nation... it doesn't fit the timeline. They were already here. And had been for a pretty long time. --------------------------------------- In the dessert, you can't remember your name
Post #361,259 by Andrew Grygus 7/25/12 1:52:39 AM Reply	The New World was entirely a commercial venture. Founding a "New Nation" only came to mind when the economics shifted sufficiently to make that concept look profitable. The "American Revolution" was strictly a "for profit" venture. John Hancock signed his name so big on the Declaration of Independence expressly "So the king can see he has a bad debt without his spectacles". Of course there were "refugees", like the "Pilgrim Fathers" who came here not to find religious freedom, but specifically to flee from it - so they could establish their own very specific brand of religious repression without interference from "liberals". The American mythology taught in our schools as "history" is absolute and unadulterated bullshit. Smithsonian Magazine published the truth about a number of them during the year leading up to the American Bicentennial. In the words of one distressed letter writer, "I know this must all be true, since you have all the evidence, but isn't this the wrong time to be bringing this stuff up?"
Post #361,276 by mmoffitt 7/25/12 5:24:17 PM Reply	As was the War of Northern Aggression. Brought to you by the very same folks, for the very same reason.
Post #361,279 by hnick 7/25/12 6:40:54 PM Reply	Northern Aggression explains a lot If you guys ever want to secede again, I REALLY hope we are intelligent enough to let you. You can give back our hardware first, of course. Or we get to nuke you to make sure you don't misuse it. Ever since my family moved out of Virginia, I've wanted to nuke the place. That's over half a century now... Some dreams never die. The place made an impression on me; what can I say?
Post #361,305 by mmoffitt 7/26/12 11:21:12 AM 7/26/12 11:23:49 AM Reply	There's two South's. North Carolina and the rest. ;0) North Carolina actually voted to stay in the Union, but Lincoln forced their hand. They were last into the Confederacy and they suffered the most casualties. I've had about the same opinion of the "worthless thumb" of the US for my entire life that you have about Virginia. Edited by mmoffitt July 26, 2012, 11:23:49 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #361,277 by mhuber 7/25/12 6:08:29 PM Reply	Doesn't mean it wasn't a great thing Regardless of the motivations, we ended up in a pretty amazing place. The reality is far more interesting than the mythology, and to my mind, more inspirational. Of course, the inspiration is in a less manageable form. --------------------------------------- In the dessert, you can't remember your name

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