Manifest Destiny or the divine right of the settlers to take and populate the entire country is thought to be something that represented America but that, as often happens, is complete bullshit. For example, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant and most of the Whigs rejected it. If you look today to who works the hardest and believes the most that elimination of Islam is required for world survival, you will see just how Manifest Destiny works today and who was responsible for its inception. (WIKI: Manifest Destiny)
Note: in reviewing 19th Century history, keep well in mind that party names don't mean much as the platforms swing widely over the centuries.
The Third Reich had nothing on Manifest Destiny and that's based on the number of people killed by it. If anything, Manifest Destiny was worse and that based on the number of cultures destroyed or nearly so. The reason I loathe Andrew Jackson is he was one of the worst Indian killers America ever knew. He was not only a worthless President as he was also a worthless human being and understanding the times does nothing toward justifying relentless murder. That, even today, there is no accountability for what was done to the Indian Nation shows all the more the maxim, 'those who don't learn the history are condemned to repeat it.' Take it away, Shock and Awe.
Ever since Shock and Awe (i.e. blitzkrieg), it's been a rampage of Middle East chaos in which America claims to be helping someone ... to do something ... but no-one is clear on whomever will be helped nor on what that someone is trying to do. Of one thing we can be precisely clear, that something has nothing to do with decisions they would make if they were free of American occupation. When you are free to bomb anywhere in the Middle East without compunction, that's occupied regardless of whether there are American soldiers stationed there.
Sometimes American soldiers are called 'boots' but that shows another singular lack of knowledge of American history (or it doesn't ... unknown). 'Boot' was also slang for 'nigger' and is just as vile in meaning. When Washington says it will put 'boots on the ground,' they say considerably more than simply making a statement about moving forces. That black politicians use the same word means nothing as, just in case you didn't get it yet, color means nothing for a politician; neither does anything else, for that matter ... except in the very rare ones. FDR believed in everyone. As did Eisenhower. There's reason they are remembered as great Presidents as they were possibly the least partisan of any of whom I've read.
Cadillac Man is exceptionally well-studied in American history and specifically that aspect of history as it was his focus in university and has remained a passion in his life. If I recall, his specific focus at that time was The Reconstruction after the Civil War and the time of the most manic obsession with Manifest Destiny was before that. Nevertheless, he may have something to add. In some ways both of us were historians as anthropology and archaeology are longer views of the same thing.
Clio is Cadillac Man's Muse and he knows better than any of my friends that she will tell you stories all night long and they're much better ones than come in the news. (WIKI: Clio)
You may wish to pursue this even if only for narcissistic interests as the more you know of history the more you know of yourself and the less likely you are to repeat the mistakes of the past. More accurately, the less likely you are to allow yourself to be a victim of those who are determined to repeat the mistakes of the past ... and that conveniently brings us back to Manifest Destiny and the solemn mission to wipe out Muslims. They say that's not what they want when it's official but ask when it's not being recorded. It's been said multiple times to me that the only salvation for the world is to eliminate Islam. Ever hear this kind of talk before? PEGIDA, UKIP, Aryan Nation, etc do it publicly and with no reservations about it ... but that's not the only time we have heard this kind of talk.
Note: this article was motivated by a current special presented by The History Channel, "Texas Uprising," about the battle with Santa Anna of Mexico for Texas. They say 'Remember the Alamo' all the time but what they don't remember is the Alamo was on Mexico's land. It's called a shrine but really it's just another relic of Manifest Destiny.
The History Channel version of what happened is said to be heavily-slanted toward the general conservative position that the only good Indian is a dead Indian and the only good Mexican is a dead Mexican. Conservatives complain mightily that Mexican immigrants, legal or otherwise, are taking over Texas but the State of Texas wasn't in the United States at the time of the Alamo and migrant Americans are exactly the ones who took it from Mexico. Screw the Alamo as it isn't a symbol of freedom but rather one of bare-faced theft. This in no way justifies the brutality of what Santa Anna did but, the fact remains, he was on Mexico's land. (WIKI: Battle of the Alamo)
Yah, and screw The History Channel for presenting such a gross distortion of history. All they give us is the Fox News version and there isn't one of Fox News journos who remembers what he or she had for breakfast, much less anything of significance from the real history of America.
Note: in reviewing 19th Century history, keep well in mind that party names don't mean much as the platforms swing widely over the centuries.
The Third Reich had nothing on Manifest Destiny and that's based on the number of people killed by it. If anything, Manifest Destiny was worse and that based on the number of cultures destroyed or nearly so. The reason I loathe Andrew Jackson is he was one of the worst Indian killers America ever knew. He was not only a worthless President as he was also a worthless human being and understanding the times does nothing toward justifying relentless murder. That, even today, there is no accountability for what was done to the Indian Nation shows all the more the maxim, 'those who don't learn the history are condemned to repeat it.' Take it away, Shock and Awe.
Ever since Shock and Awe (i.e. blitzkrieg), it's been a rampage of Middle East chaos in which America claims to be helping someone ... to do something ... but no-one is clear on whomever will be helped nor on what that someone is trying to do. Of one thing we can be precisely clear, that something has nothing to do with decisions they would make if they were free of American occupation. When you are free to bomb anywhere in the Middle East without compunction, that's occupied regardless of whether there are American soldiers stationed there.
Sometimes American soldiers are called 'boots' but that shows another singular lack of knowledge of American history (or it doesn't ... unknown). 'Boot' was also slang for 'nigger' and is just as vile in meaning. When Washington says it will put 'boots on the ground,' they say considerably more than simply making a statement about moving forces. That black politicians use the same word means nothing as, just in case you didn't get it yet, color means nothing for a politician; neither does anything else, for that matter ... except in the very rare ones. FDR believed in everyone. As did Eisenhower. There's reason they are remembered as great Presidents as they were possibly the least partisan of any of whom I've read.
Cadillac Man is exceptionally well-studied in American history and specifically that aspect of history as it was his focus in university and has remained a passion in his life. If I recall, his specific focus at that time was The Reconstruction after the Civil War and the time of the most manic obsession with Manifest Destiny was before that. Nevertheless, he may have something to add. In some ways both of us were historians as anthropology and archaeology are longer views of the same thing.
Clio is Cadillac Man's Muse and he knows better than any of my friends that she will tell you stories all night long and they're much better ones than come in the news. (WIKI: Clio)
You may wish to pursue this even if only for narcissistic interests as the more you know of history the more you know of yourself and the less likely you are to repeat the mistakes of the past. More accurately, the less likely you are to allow yourself to be a victim of those who are determined to repeat the mistakes of the past ... and that conveniently brings us back to Manifest Destiny and the solemn mission to wipe out Muslims. They say that's not what they want when it's official but ask when it's not being recorded. It's been said multiple times to me that the only salvation for the world is to eliminate Islam. Ever hear this kind of talk before? PEGIDA, UKIP, Aryan Nation, etc do it publicly and with no reservations about it ... but that's not the only time we have heard this kind of talk.
Note: this article was motivated by a current special presented by The History Channel, "Texas Uprising," about the battle with Santa Anna of Mexico for Texas. They say 'Remember the Alamo' all the time but what they don't remember is the Alamo was on Mexico's land. It's called a shrine but really it's just another relic of Manifest Destiny.
The History Channel version of what happened is said to be heavily-slanted toward the general conservative position that the only good Indian is a dead Indian and the only good Mexican is a dead Mexican. Conservatives complain mightily that Mexican immigrants, legal or otherwise, are taking over Texas but the State of Texas wasn't in the United States at the time of the Alamo and migrant Americans are exactly the ones who took it from Mexico. Screw the Alamo as it isn't a symbol of freedom but rather one of bare-faced theft. This in no way justifies the brutality of what Santa Anna did but, the fact remains, he was on Mexico's land. (WIKI: Battle of the Alamo)
Yah, and screw The History Channel for presenting such a gross distortion of history. All they give us is the Fox News version and there isn't one of Fox News journos who remembers what he or she had for breakfast, much less anything of significance from the real history of America.
2 comments:
I agree that there is similarity between those who promoted Manifest Destiny in the 19th century and those who promote the elimination of Islam today. The policies developed by Radical Republicans after the Civil War were equally destructive, not Reconstructive.
Simple solutions to complex issues that focus on predominately innocent groups, produce tragic results.
Thank you, Cadillac Man. I suspect people think I'm trying to be incendiary when I write stuff like this but that only comes when they don't know the history and that just doesn't work with me. What do you mean you don't know?? It's your country, you say you love it, and you don't know it's history. Just why is that. How can it be you do not know the Alamo was in Mexico. These are not complex concepts but they really don't know.
To a large extent, the schools are culpable as the Pablum version of American history taught in high school is as heavily-whitewashed as Huck Finn's fence. More and more I'm thinking high school teachers cannot be trusted to teach anything but algebra, English, etc but nothing whatsoever that involves philosophy, history, etc as the government has been tying their hands for years (e.g. Andrew Jackson is a great hero, etc).
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