Thread: So much for the collective US IQ ;)
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Old 05-27-2003, 08:10 PM   #14
MagiK
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Quote:
Originally posted by Yorick:
So without the colonies would there be the nation as it exists today? The cities, colonies and people all existed before the revolution. The PHYSICAL entity of the United States existed from well before the revolution. The CONCEPTUAL entity is what changed with the revolution. The USA did not just suddenly appear one day from nothing. If I go to read the history of New York, do I find it starts with the revolution, or does it start with the Dutch colony? The Dutch colony shaped the city. Formed it. Or does it start with the Amerindians before the Dutch?


The nation of the United States and it's founding start proximately with the War of independance..for it was ONLY this war wich brought about a new nation. It was not actually even certain that a new nation was needed...some thought we could continue to be colonies afterwards....look at the whole of it...the NATION vs a loose collection of colonies by various Euro-nations.

The same is true of Australia. Does it start with the European invasion? Did the land just plop into existence in 1788 or does the history of Australia and it's people go back 40,000 years?


Sorry not familiar with the details of Aussie nationhood. Maybe I'll take a course on it some semester for right now though it is irrelevant to the question.

Same with Britain. British history doesn't start with the Cromwellian revolution, or with the Norman invasion of 1066. The Romans, Celts, Angles, Jutes, Danes, Saxons, and Normans all shaped the nation it is now.


Is a nice subject and all but completely irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Just as the Amerindians, British/French/Spainish colonies and revolutionary war are all part of the process that resulted in the nation that is America.


It was not the founding of colonies that brought about the USA...it was the war of independance and the decisions of a few old dead white guys who did an exceptional job of creating what would become the most powerful nation on the planet. There was a good chance that even after the war, that we would continue to be Royal Subjects...it all depended on how things went.
[ 05-27-2003, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: MagiK ]