Posted on 07/04/2016 5:16:56 PM PDT by Sean_Anthony
As we celebrate the exceptionalism of America, let us also take some time of introspection into who we are now. Have we given up our exceptionalism? Will we will remain the nation founded with God as the source of all rights and blessings?
For past decade, much debate has transpired over the term “American Exceptionalism.” Two months after assuming office (and while overseas speaking to allies), Barack Obama said, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.”
In April 2015, Donald Trump was asked to define American Exceptionalism and replied, “I don’t like the term, I’ll be honest with you.”
Consider that at the time of its founding the United States was solely dependent on agriculture and foreign trade with more advanced nations became an industrial powerhouse in 100 years and in 200 years put the first humans on another planet. The United States has been the source of nearly every major technological innovation in the last two centuries including human flight, the automobile, cures for diseases that had plagued humanity for millennia, nuclear energy, space flight, computers, the Internet and a host of others. The citizens of the United States enjoy the highest standard of living in the world. Why did nations with 1000 year histories, who created the printing press and the Industrial Revolution not achieve what has been achieved by the United States? The answer is that the United States IS exceptional and was blessed by its founders with a revolutionary system of governance that allowed its citizens the freedom to be exceptional
The first thing the first congress did was erect step import tariffs to protect the USA's fledgling industrial base.
step = steep
Too many pop ups on the site..
See my tagline....which is of course how I teach my students...
axes and hoes to high technology;
log cabins to air-conditioned condos;
horsedrawn wagons to autos, planes, and rockets;
scarcity to abundance; &
from tyrannical government rule to individual liberty
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
Most of our history books don’t tell us that, in the beginning, the pilgrims established a communal economic system. Each was to produce according to his ability and contribute his production to a common storehouse from which each was to draw according to his need.The assurance that they would be fed from the common store, regardless of their contribution to it, had a peculiarly disabling effect on the colonists. Taking property away from some and giving it to others bred discontent and retarded employment. Human nature was the same then as now, and before long, there were more consumers than there were producers, and the pilgrims were near starvation. Governor Bradford, his advisors, and the colonists agreed that in order to increase their crops, each family would be allowed to do as it pleased with whatever it produced. In other words, a free market system was established. In Governor Bradford’s own words:
“This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne was planted than other waise would have bene by any means ye Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente. The women now wente willingly into ye field, and tooke their little-ons with them to set corne, which before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to have compelled would have bene though great tiranie and oppression. . . . By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed. . . . and some of ye abler sort and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others, so as any generall wante or famine hath not been amongst them since this day . . . .” (Wm. Bradford, “Of Plimoth Plantation,” original manuscript, Wright & Potter, Boston, 1901)
Those who, today, favor central government planning, common ownership and redistribution of the earnings of others are advocating a system that Americans tried and rejected over 350 years ago. Their wisdom gave birth to the great American miracle!
Are we as wise today?
You Can Do Something About This!
(This message originally published in the mid-1980’s by Stedman Corporation’s Government Affairs & Free Enterprise Education Program – a former NC textile firm.)
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