11 American Nations Episode 12: Together or Apart

Today we’re examining the outcome of the six struggles for independence. As we discussed previously, the general outcome was independence from the British Empire. Two of the nations, Midlands and New Netherlands, sided with the British while the remaining four nations sought to liberate themselves from the Crown. Each nation had their own motivations for their struggle, but none were prepared for the outcome of true independence from Britain and the question of democracy.

AFTER the Revolution, that the idea of freedom and democracy became mainstream. Not before. What did this look like? It looked like poor soldiers from Appalachia deposing their officers and marching on Philadelphia to demand payment for their service. It looked like free African Americans petitioning for the right to vote. And it looked like an armed rebellion in Massachusetts by war veterans who had been denied pay for their service.

In short, early American history is far too complex to reduce to single power dynamic. Midlands, for example, sought stability and the empowerment of the individual. Yankeedom sought freedom for themselves and eventually slaves- on a religious basis. New Netherlands, hugely impacted by Dutch thought, wanted their radical freedoms enshrined in law and offered to Americans if they so wanted. It was only in Tidewater and the Deep South that we saw power over the masses as the desire of the lords there. And this often applied to their own commoners, the people of Appalachia, and slaves. So next time someone tells you that America was founded to perpetuate power over some group of deprived, depressed, or excluded people- ask them which nation and when.