Early US History and What We are Made Of

I remember lots of early US history both fact and fiction, but whatever made an impression on me and stuck were just stories with no clear hard connection to me personally. The early history of the US when it went from colonies to country, was a colorful and complex period that (in my opinion) was exaggerated and often spun into stories with a theme based on national pride. I believe that history is largely written by the victors, so naturally our view of history now can be distorted.

I had more or less thought that none of these historic events and stories had much bearing on my life personally, I only gave weight to the more current events that shaped my life and those of my parents. That was my attitude for a very long time until I started researching my family tree and lineage.

While researching, I got caught up in going back as far as I could in the old countries. I stopped at 800AD and the vikings, I felt it had gotten too ridicules going back that far. So I began to stop researching at the point of the country of origin and where my ancestors landed here in the New World. This research and the stories associated with my family started making US history very real and very personal.

A few things were common among my ancestors during this period.

They all left Europe because their situation sucked and there was more opportunity in the New World.
Most of them didn't have much or any wealth in order to make such a huge life decision.
Once they got established in the east for a generation, they migrated west into more wild undeveloped regions.
Nothing was easy, they worked themselves to death to risk everything for new opportunities in the new territories, without much help from others.

They were from hardy stock that lived in harsh conditions back in Europe to begin with, then when they got here, only the hardest working and strongest willed lived to make the wild frontier livable. On top of all that, many of them fought in the early wars along with interactions they had with the Native Americans. A tough lot that was naturally selected to jump head first into the unknown and come out alive and well it seems.

It has been my parents and my immediate family that have reaped the greatest benefits from the work our ancestors did, a mere two generations of soft living. But that strength was combined from the history of two families into my own, it has to be as strong as it has ever been. We have the strength and will, it is another gift from our ancestors like the soft life styles we have at the moment. We are made from tough and independent stock that faced extreme hardship for generations to create a rich and prosperous world power. We are those people.

Yes indeed we are the Survivors.Well considered Post OP.

That whole Ice Age thing surely filtered out a lot of wimps.

a reply to: one4all

I guess that it isn't really real until it's real. All PC considerations aside, most of the people who migrated here have similar histories. Even the Natives and other oppressed people came out tough survivors at the other end.

so what you're saying is, the history of America is a history of immigrants, who traveled with hope and bravery to a new land where they could start fresh and work hard and build a life to make their descendants proud?
it's really good to see some of this attitude on ats, thank you.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

You're story could also be the same for the people of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa etc etc.

Nothing unique about Americans i am afraid.

originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

You're story could also be the same for the people of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa etc etc.

Nothing unique about Americans i am afraid.

Well, the subject here is American history. Having gone back as far as I did, Europe was really tough too. Viking berserkers weren't a bunch of pansies. But I do agree and should have included that fact. Actually I should think Australians are an even more tough and independent lot than us here in the States.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

How about.....
The religious fanatics weren't happy with the way the normal people practiced religion and wanted to go some where were they could dictate how their faith was taught and practiced. A few years passed. Then when the french were trying to take some of "their" lands from them (which they'd taken from the "natives") they asked for help which was given because the homeland was fighting the french too. When they were asked for taxes to pay towards the cost of fighting the french they rebelled and with help from the french revolted and America was born!!

originally posted by: alldaylong
You're story could also be the same for the people of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa etc etc.

Nothing unique about Americans i am afraid.

Err, not quite................. People went to the USA to create a 'New World' and became Americans. You speak to anyone from South Africa, Australia, etc they will soon explain they are a Scot, English, Indian, Africaans, Danish etc

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Aren't all the Aussies Crooks? Weren't they from crookland??

a reply to: continuousThunder

I'm not trying to be a cheerleader, just that it gets real when you look into things like this. But I find no problem with having some National pride, thanks for your comment.

originally posted by: ufoorbhunter

originally posted by: alldaylong
You're story could also be the same for the people of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa etc etc.

Nothing unique about Americans i am afraid.

Err, not quite................. People went to the USA to create a 'New World' and became Americans. You speak to anyone from South Africa, Australia, etc they will soon explain they are a Scot, English, Indian, Africaans, Danish etc

African Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans etc etc.

No difference there then.

a reply to: Kurokage

The birth of our nation is as I stated, "colorful and complex". I'm looking at this from my families connections in all this, not the politics of that era. It would be conjecture on my part to assume the political leanings of every ancestor in my family tree and that would be a lot of research I have no time for unfortunately.

a reply to: alldaylong
Joking aside, I agree. A lot of the time it's something American, like Irish or Scots or Italian.

a reply to: alldaylong

Point taken and accepted

Personally, I'd like to claim one ethic variety or the other, but it's a mixed bag for my family as it is with most.

Without doing the dreaded genetic test myself (my cousin did though) my research indicates my ethic makeup to be approximately 1/4 English, 1/4 Scott/Irish, 1/4 German and 1/4 Austrian/Hungarian (Bohemian). What do I make of that? With the migrations in the Old World, not too much I'm afraid, except they were a tough bunch when they got here.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I don't think it's all about "toughness", the world is full of migration from one country to another.
I think it's more to do with looking for a new beginning, prosperity and hoping for a better life.

ETA
Not trying to belittle what you are saying, just that I don't think toughness is a big part of the equation.

originally posted by: Kurokage
a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

I don't think it's all about "toughness", the world is full of migration from one country to another.
I think it's more to do with looking for a new beginning, prosperity and hoping for a better life.

ETA
Not trying to belittle what you are saying, just that I don't think toughness is a big part of the equation.

My apologies for simplifying, but it had to be tougher to live in new frontiers up until the 20th century. People now in the developed world still retain centuries of selected genetic traits, toughness in a general sense has to be as big a part as willpower, individuality, and willingness to take risks. Without hard documentation this is my opinion of course, perhaps you could find some and validate yours. I may dive deeper into this after I get home from work, your research would be most welcome.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

My apologies for simplifying, but it had to be tougher to live in new frontiers up until the 20th century. People now in the developed world still retain centuries of selected genetic traits, toughness in a general sense has to be as big a part as willpower, individuality, and willingness to take risks. Without hard documentation this is my opinion of course, perhaps you could find some and validate yours. I may dive deeper into this after I get home from work, your research would be most welcome.

I'm British and my Fathers family are from the North of England with my surname mentioned in the Doomsday book whilst my Mothers family are possibly Bohemian moving to the UK through Europe arriving in Cornwall/Devon several hundred years ago, parts of both families then moving to the "Shires" which is were I'm from. I had an Uncle that did several hundred years of "research" on my Mom's maiden name.

I think people just did what they did to find a better life for themselves, they've been doing it since the first hominids moved around and then left Africa.

Im only one "race" from one place. As far back as it matters anyway. Ive done and had some help as well with my husbands ancestry .. so our kids would see the interesting flavor of their heredity.

I like that Americans were originally puritans and criminals. The adventurers and free thinkers. It has surely come together to make an interesting people. People from other countries pretend there is no "American culture".. but I see that there is.