Esperanza ~
Your reservations and disappointment are noted.
I find it odd that you see a sincere endorsement of our country on the occasion of the anniversary of the original Declaration of Independence 'disappointing'.
The alleged 'genocide' of Native Americans was, in reality, a long war that saw thousands of settlers killed - as well as 'Indians'. The settlers only won because the natives were, eventually, outnumbered (and outgunned). It isn't pretty but this is how most nations were founded. One group invades and conquers and, in the old days, made slaves of the conquered people. Americans didn't do that but I believe that the treatment of Native Americans after their defeat was terrible, i.e. shuffling them off to isolated 'reservations' with sub-standard medical care and harsh living conditions. However, the 'Indian's' use of their 'sovereign nation' status to open gambling casinos has helped most (but not all) Native Americans enjoy much better lives, with the profits from Americans who gamble in those casinos.
Slavery is definitely a blot on America's history but , after England, which also practiced slavery for a very long time and finally (thanks in large part to Mr. Wilberforce) ended it, America was the second country in the entire world to renounce slavery. It was outlawed in 1865 by the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I don't know if they even teach this in British schools but over 600,000 Americans died, the huge majority of them 'white', in the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) that was fought over the issue of slavery (some call it 'state's rights' but the 'right' in question was about owning slaves). Meanwhile, most nations around the world were engaged in slavery - and some still are. We left that behind well over a century ago, as did England. The 1965 Civil Rights Act legally settled the issue of racial discrimination once and for all. Although prejudice can exist in the heart of any man or woman, it has been pretty well excised from American life, not just legally but on a cultural level. The richest woman in America is Oprah Winfrey, who's net worth is close to 3 billion (with a B) dollars. She is African-American, as is our current president, elected by a majority of 'white' citizens. I think it's time to put the slavery issue to rest and not use it as a reason to find fault with one of the greatest societies the world has known in modern times.
Americans rush to send millions to other nations when they're in need, as after a natural disaster. America is basically the defender of Europe and many other nations, like Japan, through NATO and other agreements, freeing many of those nations to experiment with socialism because they don't have to carry the burden of a strong national defense. America has given countless labor and life-saving inventions to the world over it's 223-year existence. Our free market system (now under attack and much stress) is a modern economic wonder that most Americans take for granted. I could go on extolling America's virtues but I don't have the time (dinner is waiting).
I make absolutely no apology for being a proud American who is quite cognizant of our nation's foibles over the past centuries, as I clearly noted in my original post, but, as a British subject, apparently you see it differently. So be it.
Jim
