• FerretyFever0@fedia.io
    202·
    2 days ago

    The American Revolution was kinda funny ngl. It was basically just because like 30% (50% didnt care, 20% were loyalists) of the population didn’t feel like paying taxes to Britain. At all. They weren’t particularly high taxes either. And the only reason that they had to pay taxes was because of the 7 years war that George Washington helped start. Also, they wanted the right to smuggle untaxed French goods to the colonies. Also, they wanted to expand past the borders that were meant to give Native Americans and the French at least a little bit of a break (not much though). Y’all, ngl, the colonies were kinda a little bit in the wrong. For better and worse, we’ll never know what would’ve happened if the silly colonists hadn’t rebelled. Probably end up being a Canada or Australia clone. Definitely closer to Canada. Mexico would probably have a lot more land. Slavery would’ve ended about 30 years earlier (maybe). The French might’ve had a different-ish revolution. A bunch of countries would have different-ish constitutions. The land that the US takes up might have a less diverse group of white people. Idfk, I just took a history class in high school lol

      • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
        1·
        18 hours ago

        I honestly don’t know much about the history of Mexico. French emperor guy at some point? Lots of corruption? US consistently fucks with it?

    • damdy@lemm.eeEnglish
      3·
      20 hours ago

      Are you American? Because this is also my rough understanding of the revolution, plus a bit of an idiot stubborn king and over the top children.

      In the UK we learn basically nothing about it, mostly focus on Romans, Tudors, vikings and world wars etc. everything I’ve heard about the American revolution is from US shows or pieces from various history podcasts. But I’d never share my understanding generally on the revolution as someone from the UK in mostly US dominated sites.

      • FerretyFever0@fedia.io
        2·
        19 hours ago

        Yup, I’m an American. Most of us don’t know damn near enough, and don’t care to know. I think that a lot of history is pretty interesting. It’s a record of the different ways that our ancestors and members of different groups were really smart, and really fucking stupid at the same time. Honestly, you don’t really need to know much about the American Revolution, or most any other period in US history. It’s about as important as me understandimg the history of France. I mentioned a lot of the important bits. The Revolution is portrayed as a resistance against oppression, with a ton of propaganda then and now. The Boston “Massacre” for example, not as much of a massacre as many of us pretend. The “taxation without representation” thing was pure bullshit. They knew damn well that the colonies wouldn’t have had anywhere near the amount of parliament seats to beat new taxes. Now there’s several US territories that pay taxes without representation, such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and DC itself. Britain was far from perfect, extremely far, but the US wasn’t really rebelling against any of the injustices perpetrated. Some African-Americans fought on both sides of the war effort in exchange for freedom. Tragically, that didn’t happen.

    • Jax@sh.itjust.works
      4·
      22 hours ago

      I’m more inclined to believe that America would just become Europe 2 — without the revolutionary war it’s difficult to believe the Treaty of Paris would have been signed. I think the French, Spanish and British would have held onto their territories for much longer — likely going to war eventually.

      Who knows?

    • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
      1·
      18 hours ago

      It was more about the land given to native tribes after the 7 years war and the colonies being banned from owning land west of the Appalachians

      But saying it’s because they had to pay tax for a world war they started sounds better

  • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
    7·
    2 days ago

    I celebrate it because it’s 1 of only 6 holidays in the year our pathetic job gives us off for… I’ll tell you the stretch between NYD and Memorial day is brutal.

    • evidences@lemmy.world
      6·
      1 day ago

      This isn’t a who’s job is shittier off but retail workers are like “y’all get 6 holidays off a year? That stretch between Christmas and Christmas is brutal.” We need bank holidays in this country.

      • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        1·
        1 day ago

        I remember my mother and grandfather working Christmas regularly. I believe they got OT if they were scheduled on Christmas. That was their only compensation.