[Alberta's Child]

I would make the case that "America" as envisioned by its founders really only lasted a few years. I've stated here before that the events surrounding the Whiskey Rebellion of the early 1790s effectively turned this country into nothing more than a poor imitation of England.

Having said that, there are several other historical events that truly defined this nation as a modern, socialist state. I would include the following: 1) the Civil War (after which the United States became a single nation defined by a Federal government, rather than a confederation of quasi-independent states); 2) the Spanish-American War (the first time the U.S. engaged in an imperial war overseas for reasons that had nothing to do with the protection of our sovereignty); and 3) the admission of New Mexico and Arizona to the Union in 1912 as the 47th and 48th states, which effectively marked the end of our nation's expansion and the beginning of the modern era in which some nebulous idea of "national interests" replaced "national defense" as the driving force behind every U.S. military engagement.

[Tenacious 1]

"I would make the case that "America" as envisioned by its founders really only lasted a few years. I've stated here before that the events surrounding the Whiskey Rebellion of the early 1790s effectively turned this country into nothing more than a poor imitation of England."

Interesting perspective and worthy of debate. I believe the evolution of our country was actually driven by the people in the time you write about (not without cooperation of our Federal Govt.). That said, the best defense of the day was a good offense for a young, passionate and energetic nation trying to bring order to itself. The constitution clearly recognized that the formation of our nation was not complete at the time of its institution. I am not aware of any country that "earned" its own sovereignty without conflict. Some were given sovereignty following conflict.