Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of the US - that's right on this day, 4/7/76 - the 4th July 1776, the Thirteen Colonies declared independence from Great Britain and the British Empire, in what has become known by Americans as "Independence Day". However, at the time, there were a great many who were loyal to Britain and they faced and suffered persecution. Many fled to British North America - which they created into the Canada we know today.
From a non-US perspective - The Revolutionary War was a totally unnecessary war. The fact is that America would have eventually reached independence and followed exactly the same pattern as Australia and Canada. Only, all the killing and 10 years of misery would have been avoided.
In the end, just like often happens. it was a war started by a rich American Elite who wanted to expand into protected Indian lands, westwards, to get even more money and protect their privileged positions. The likes of Washington were concerned that following the Indian Wars – which the British had won – that they were vulnerable to a lower class increasingly unhappy with the wealth accumulated by the likes of Washington and unhappy with their own poor situation. So Washington and his slave-owning friends, as often is the case in such situations - looking for a scapegoat - started to divert negative attention onto the British.
Suddenly, the British were denounced as an army of occupation, when a few years earlier the same boys in red had fought and died to protect Americans from the French and were heroes. They effectively went from hero to zero in a year. Increased taxation, while genuine (no taxes without representation) were a deliberate manipulation to galvanise the masses with patriotic rhetoric. The revolution was a way for rich men to get richer by using mob rule to attack the new common enemy – the British!
The Empire Loyalists actually outnumbered the American Rebels, but they were terrorised. They were also called 'Tories' and many of them were Scots. Property was destroyed and their families were targeted. Let's remember that this is where tarring and feathering – the pouring of hot oil on people in the streets and then covering them in tar – started!
The rebels operated like a bunch of terrorists and the British had to show restraint when fighting them, or risk pushing more into supporting the rebellion. Needless killing and a needless war! History is written by the victors but this period should be looked at through more honest glasses." So while Americans remember their separation from Britain, we remember the United Empire Loyalists whose only crime was loyalty to George III.
In rebelling America chose a different path to that of Canada, who still has close ties to Britain and is a monarchy with the King as Head of State.
Finally, concerning so called American Exceptionalism, let's remember that the American Constitution protected the chauvinistic slave-owning and privileged classes of the fledgling US and that is far from perfect. Admittedly the numerous Amendments that have followed naturally means making adjustments (not all good - the right to bear arms has been perverted by the masses and the NRA) and that by definition makes it less than perfect. Yet it is still enshrined as a matter of perfection.
As with gun bearing, the contradiction seems obvious to everybody apart from citizens of the US.
To be honest this based on an article I came across in the light of recent celebrations and I have not fact checked everything, but I thought the ideas were provocative enough just to put it out there.
As always stay safe and well my friends.
