Celebrate Revolution—Morn for freedom that never came

In 1976 a revolution in the 13 colonies created a break from British Imperialism and a break from the Feudal system of Europe. From the beginning there were many who never quite figured out that the era of aristocrats was over and finished.

Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson supported the French Revolution, while the Federalist party were so backward in their thinking they supported England, their old enemy and occupier.

Thomas Paine

Back then King George III was called a tyrant and no Americans (OK there is always some one that stupid) went to celebrate his jubilee as was done recently with Queen Elizabeth II.

From the start it was a white, male, land-owner’s revolution. It was similar to the old Athens Democracy (see Cleisthenes or Κλεισθένης in How ALEC is destroying what little is left of US democracy), except for the land owning rule, which was eventually dropped.

 

King George III      

Another King George

                      

King George wanna-be

It wasn’t until the civil war of the1860s, the bloodiest fight this country has ever gone through, before slaves were freed and made into citizens. It took to the 1960s before the right to vote was an actual reality for blacks.

After the Civil war, came the Indian wars which were nothing but attempted genocide to a group of people who were made to feel as aliens in their own country, since the beginning of the United States of America. They didn’t become voting citizens in the US until the 20^th Century.  

Chief Pontiac

So the United States started out as a major revolution against imperialism and backward feudalism. It is too bad to look around and see that stupid yellow flag, with a rattle snake turned into a symbol as racist as the Southern Cross.

Yet today, imperialism is a corners stone of our society, we have the outdated electoral college and a two party system designed to marginalize all but the most centrist and rightist views. We went through 2 red scare witch hunts in the 20^th Century, the first in the 1900s to the 1920s and the next in the 1950s.

Today the mainstream news media is perfectly tamed to the dawning of a new one party state that promises that the 21^st Century will go backward to blatant imperialism, social Darwinism and a country were unions and workers right will be rolled back clear to the 1880s.

 

Karl Marx

Friedrich Engels

Karl Marx believed society would go through Feudalism to Capitalism to Socialism and then Communism. I still believe in these principals, but the US, since its revolution has become greedier, viscous with dissent, stuck to various forms of racism and has not only stuck to imperialism, but recently expanded that aspect of the system. Virtually no politicians in office oppose this policy.

I will probably set off some fireworks with my family and we will bar-b-q burgers, but there is little to celebrate this year.

The American dream is a bitter disappointment in the 21^st Century. The revolution that held any hope of positive change died out years ago. -សតិវ អតុ