Reasons we are a Nation of Courage and Proud

Because we are a courageous nation. Read your history books, it took courage to claim independance from the British at a time when the Brits were the most powerful nation in the world, that took courage. It also took courage when we chose a radically different type of government from any other country in the world, a democratic government. Thats courage, but every nation is courageous and there is nothing wrong with having pride in our nation.
I'm so tired of hearing the generalization that Americans are "stupid", not all are. In fact, most Americans are very intelligent. Take a cultural anthropology class!

Originally posted by TheBigD
Because we are a courageous nation. Read your history books, it took courage to claim independance from the British at a time when the Brits were the most powerful nation in the world, that took courage. It also took courage when we chose a radically different type of government from any other country in the world, a democratic government. Thats courage, but every nation is courageous and there is nothing wrong with having pride in our nation.
I'm so tired of hearing the generalization that Americans are "stupid", not all are. In fact, most Americans are very intelligent. Take a cultural anthropology class!

You have made points that are often overlooked. In fact we currently have the longest lasting form of government in the world right now.

Originally posted by TheBigD
Read your history books

Ok, let me dust off my book..

It also took courage when we chose a radically different type of government from any other country in the world, a democratic government.

The Swiss democracy was founded in 1291 and still flourishes, and of course the democracy, both the word and the principle, was invented by the Greeks. The British Parlaiment predates the US, as does jury of the peers etc, all in accordance with Magna Carta.

Thats courage, but every nation is courageous and there is nothing wrong with having pride in our nation.

True!

I'm so tired of hearing the generalization that Americans are "stupid", not all are. In fact, most Americans are very intelligent. Take a cultural anthropology class!

People who call Americans stupid piss me off. America produced some of the greates minds to ever walk the planet.

On the other hand, Americans en masse are less informed about the world affairs and history than their European counterparts.

Originally posted by Aelita

Originally posted by TheBigD
Read your history books

Ok, let me dust off my book..

It also took courage when we chose a radically different type of government from any other country in the world, a democratic government.

The Swiss democracy was founded in 1291 and still flourishes, and of course the democracy, both the word and the principle, was invented by the Greeks. The British Parlaiment predates the US, as does jury of the peers etc, all in accordance with Magna Carta.

Thats courage, but every nation is courageous and there is nothing wrong with having pride in our nation.

True!

I'm so tired of hearing the generalization that Americans are "stupid", not all are. In fact, most Americans are very intelligent. Take a cultural anthropology class!

People who call Americans stupid piss me off. America produced some of the greates minds to ever walk the planet.

On the other hand, Americans en masse are less informed about the world affairs and history than their European counterparts.

According to many historians, the history of Switzerland began in 1291 on a meadow called R tli with a contract, known as the Bundesbrief ("Letter of Alliance") between leaders of regions called Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in what is now Central Switzerland. The Bundesbrief united them in the struggle against the Habsburgs who coveted the countries controlling the Gotthard pass. At the battles of Morgarten in 1315 and Sempach 1375, the Swiss defeated the Habsburg army and secured independence from local princes as the Swiss Confederation. Within the next century, towns like Lucerne, Zug, Zurich and Berne joined the confederation, which was still a loose alliance of independent confederates (which even waged war among themselves at times) which belonged nominally to the medieval German empire.

What history book are you reading, do I have the wrong one?

Switzerland didn't become independant of Austrians until 1499.

Well I lived in Switzerland for a while and this is sort of part of the folklore there

But there are certainly books and links detailing the works of the Swiss democracy.

Not putting down the US in anyway, just looking for precedents and the then-contemporary cases. Which there are, you know.

You were very insightful and correct about mass of America being less informed than European counterparts...very true. I agree with you on that, but couldn't find anything about Swiss democracy in 1291?

Thank you for clarifying that Aelita. I didn't know about that until now.

The link above was produced by google, and there are plenty of others that can be found.

And of course, before the Swiss there was democratic rule in the republic of Novgorod


Just for the sake of argument

[edit on 31-8-2004 by Aelita]

It says your location is MOSKVA, is that the Moskva hotel in Moscow?

Originally posted by TheBigD
It says your location is MOSKVA, is that the Moskva hotel in Moscow?

I'm actually in Long Island

Moskva was my last residence in Russia before I left, and is of course
the Russian name for the city of Moscow

TheBigD...first off, some Americans did not want to break away from Great Britian and they were known as Loyalists. In fact many of the current families heavily involved in politics trace their roots back to some of these Loyalists. These people supported the rule of Britian over the colonists. Sadly, as I stated, many of these families are still ruling over us....makes one wonder doesn't it?

Secondly, Americans were courageous then, no doubt about it. However, they didn't just want to break away because we didn't want to be in the hands of the British. What drove us away was actions like the Stamp Act of 1765, and the Boston Massacre which were set up by the likes of George III and George Grenville. In fact, the Boston Massacre has recently had some new information and reseach come out about it proving that it was a far overblown event and that the British soldiers were actually provoked by the Colonists in order to get a reaction out of them. They did this in order to show the other Colonists that the British were "evil", etc. and would massacre anyone who disagreed with them. Also, the casualties from the massacre were over exaggerated to show more colonists dying than soldiers......this event was actually an early American form of Propaganda.

This does not detract from the simple reason that they needed to break free though. Of course, if it wasnt for the help from the French during the war, America would still be part of the colonies.

You have made points that are often overlooked. In fact we currently have the longest lasting form of government in the world right now.

You may be surprised!!

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Yes, you are right.

It took courage to murder men women children and infants in order to secure the land we wanted from the people who had it.

It took courage to purchase Africans from their traitorous brothers only to beat them, enslave them, break every family tree, distroy their identity, kill them, maim them.

After that, it took courage to continue to beat, kill, and maim free men for the next 130 years and change.

It certainly takes courage to flex geo-political and geo-economic power all over the globe in order to bully the world through trade dependancies.


Come on, there's plenty more, let's not get all misty over the greatness of America. Oh, and by the way.

If this:

"Because we are a courageous nation. Read your history books, it took courage to claim independance from the British at a time when the Brits were the most powerful nation in the world, that took courage."

happened to us? We would lock their # up so tight, then we would bomb all the alleged "insurgents"

Aelita - other than Switzerland and Britain, there's also the cities of Venice and Novgorod, where the merchants governed themselves (before Ivan the Terrible crushed Novgorod in th 1550s, at least)

I am an American....half Native American. I'm not so sure that most of our youth today, could do what the youth of yesteryear have done...perhaps they could....I really don't know......it seems they are spoiled, arrogant, and self serving, and out future is in the hands of our youth.

Originally posted by Otts
Aelita - other than Switzerland and Britain, there's also the cities of Venice and Novgorod, where the merchants governed themselves (before Ivan the Terrible crushed Novgorod in th 1550s, at least)

I know, I posted the Novgorod link above

Venice, of course.

KrazyJethro, that was a really irrational post.
Oh by the way, slavery is not limited to America and was not reserved for africans or people of color, there are many examples before America that justified slavery in their countries.

It took courage to murder men women children and infants in order to secure the land we wanted from the people who had it.

Thank you!!! SO very true!

Because we are a courageous nation. Read your history books

I hate to be the one to inform you about this, but history books are very, very biased.....our school children do not learn history the way it really was.....I thought everyone pretty mush knew this!