Are We "Americans" Just a Myth

For almost 250 years we in the U. S. have repeated over and over we are a country of greatness. We have talked of our American "values." It is said we are a "Christian nation." A new book plots the formation of the United States and paints a pessimistic future of these concepts. Its as if our differences have been covered over with cheap wall paper for 250 years. Perhaps our current bitter differences are not an aberration but are the real nation.

Unfortunately, it all makes sense. The country originally was made up of people from different areas--probably they did not get along with other groups where they came from. There were plenty of wars. They pushed the natives out and settled in their own ghettos. 

But, to make more money they needed to trade with each other. They formed a loose government of the Continental Congress. This helped with trade and business until several colonies thought they could push the cost of their little governments onto someone else. They raised tariffs on goods passing between them. Attempts to offload taxes did not start with, "The Mexicans will pay for the wall."

Trying to push government taxes from one colony to another by charging tariffs produced the same outcome then as it always does. Standards of living in all colonies suffered.  

A few businessmen, later called the "Founding Fathers", thought things could be better. They wanted to make more money by selling their goods in other colonies. But the effort to offload taxes by charging tariffs stopped them. 

James Madison and George Washington had a meeting. Others came to be involved in the effort. The problem they discussed was not abortion, the Bible, Christian nation, "American values," socialism or too much government regulation.  It was their frustration with trade between the colonies, i.e., business. They wanted some stronger central government so this local stuff would not cost them profits.

What we are seeing today, according to the link, it that cobbling together all these groups for trade did not erase the animosity that was present from day one. Today, though we are mixed together geographically, we get along no better than we did back then. 

The link suggests our huge country may one day be divided up into smaller countries. The political juices to do this are still present.