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One of the strongest impressions I came away with after watching the opening episode of Ken Burn’s American Revolution was the parallels with where the United States finds itself now. Especially, in terms of the disinclination for Americans to want to pay their taxes and obey laws. You can observe right back at the very start, this desire to take stuff and expect to remain Scott free (a Scott is a tax). Smugglers and traders alike, in the colonies, did not want to pay any duties. Although, wars had been fought against the French and Indians, which involved British soldiers, the colonists did not want to contribute to the wages of these soldiers via taxes commensurate with the costs involved.
The Real Reasons For The American Revolution
Yes, there were issues involving taxation without representation but this was blown way out of proportion as a political expedient by those profiting from untaxed trade and smuggling. Right from the very beginning you can see how inhabitants of the North American British colonies were manipulated emotively by men like Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty. Early American elites like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were property developers and land investors, who wanted to profit from the Indian Territories, which had been made off limits by the British. This was another powerful driver of what would become the American Revolution. It all comes down to money and power in the end.
Americans Do Whatever They Can Not To Pay Tax
Violent thugs were doing the bidding of profiteers and elites even way back then. They called themselves Patriots rather than Rebels. Loyalists who wanted to remain subjects of the British Crown were ostracised and attacked in their homes. It was a civil war between colonists, as much as it became a revolutionary war. The imposts imposed by the British government over stamps and things like tea were not overly onerous. Rather much was made of these in exaggerated fashion via concerted campaigns by those who wished to be free of all costs and taxes upon their activities. You can see these undercurrents still driving Americans who strive to not be taxed for doing business today. The Republicans and their corporate businesses who trade as multinationals and avoid paying their fair share of tax wherever and whenever they can. The violent tendencies are still very apparent as well.
Brilliant Burns & Co The American Revolution
I urge you to watch Ken Burns’ The American Revolution.
“The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a war of conquest, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away. It impacted millions from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina, from Indian Country to the Iberian Peninsula. In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution turned the world upside-down. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures.”
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/the-american-revolution
Although, we are being assailed by the very worst of Americans at the moment. There are a few wonderful exemplars as well and Ken Burns is one of the very best of them.
Reading May Save Your Brain
“A lot of us are using machines to do stuff for us, these days. We have been encouraged to think that hacks are smart strategies in life. The truth is rather different, when it comes to neglecting your own brain in favour of technology. Use it or lose it! Our brain functions do not improve with neglect. Reading and writing are the two things that set us apart from all other animals on planet earth. Language is our innate superpower and if we outsource the processing of it to machines and AI, we will be the mentally poorer for it. Here are 3 important reasons why reading can save your brain health.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of What Price Life?; America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump; and other titles. NOW AVAILABLE AT APPLE BOOKS & GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS. Google Play Books AUDIOBOOK
©MidasWord
