As for the genocide of the Native American, those peoples were being cheated, lied to, stolen from and "ethnically cleansed" almost from the day Columbus landed. Research will again show that the overwhelmingly huge majority, a majority measured in tens of millions throughout North and South American, had already been either displaced or "cleansed" long before 1776.
True, it did happen from day uno. I don't take issue with that. But it often sounds like an attempted displacement of guilt when an argument containing the words 'the British started it' is dragged kicking and screaming into the debate. That is why I replied.
The US was responsible for its part in ethnic cleansing after gaining independance. The US was responsible for its part in the slave trade after gaining independance. That has been my argument all along.
Want to talk who first brought slaves to the North American continent?
Who started (and pretty well made inevitable) the eradication of the Native American?
If that doesn't sound like a shifting of blame, then I must be going nuts.
We win our independence and inherit the institution.
The very people who instituted and supported both slavery and native displacement were the merchants and land-owners who now formed the new American government and nation. At that point they now had free will, but chose to continue.
These are simply historical facts. Those of you that would cast them as attacks on a particular country are showing your bias.
Particularly given the comments made by some of people in this thread that excuse their remarks about the US so diffidently and easily. Apparently you laundry men don't like to see the dirty laundry of YOUR homeland aired out on the neighborhood line either, eh?
Now, I'm going to pick my way through your comments very carefully. I wouldn't want to jump to any conclusions, would I?
I assume the facts you refer to are those concerning slavery etc. Ok, that must refer to me because I'm the only one discussing those facts with you. Then you go on to say those that see them as attacks (the facts about slavery, which only I am currently discussing with you) are showing bias
"...Particularly given the comments made by some of people in this thread that excuse their remarks about the US so diffidently and easily." You see the only conclusion I can draw from that? That I've made remarks about the US. What are they and why exactly am I excusing them?
Because, I'm at a loss to understand what you are banging on about.
I don't dispute the facts. Slavery and ethnic cleansing occured in the British Empire all the time, and that includes the US colonies. Mea culpa, sins of the fathers... yada, yada yada. I dispute the interpretation of those facts to say that Britain was responsible for acts by US citizens after independance was achieved. That's not personal responsibility. That's a vague shifting of the blame which I know you dislike so much.
