American Myths

[Rob C]

Watched the first part of a new (to me, at any rate) BBC series on the above topic, and it was quite amusing stuff, showing that fake news is absolutely nothing new.

Paul Revere, apparently, was but one of three different horsemen who spread the word (much
like a relay race, then); the war for American independence from the UK was not won by amazingly dedicated and excited farmers, but by enlisting the aid of the French army, without whose help not a lot would have happened. Except that perhaps France might not have gone on to lose all its colonies in the new world, and its royalty might all have retained their heads, thus continuing with a tourist attraction to rival the Brit one. However, the farmers and their muskets were the foundation of the militia concept that became enshrined in laws for the times, that, never rescinded, today see folks shot to bits in school, at nightclubs, shopping malls.

The Liberty Bell, it seems, never did ring at a certain important moment, as quoted as understood fact by several recent presidents, but only about seventy years later in its history.

The Statue of Liberty, another French enterprise, was originally designed for Egypt, where wearing the customary veils, it would have graced the entrance to the Suez Canal, except that Egypt decided it was going to be way too expensive, and passed.

Newspapers were already telling it like it wasn't, and Hearst went on to create an empire out of fibs. Some newspapers played games on one another: an example was one creating a false story, and then when another paper picked up on it, reporting as if it had conducted its own investigation, the first paper revealed it as a hoax.

The Boston tea party was not exactly as it was later reported to be. Many people objected strongly to the idea of disruption because it was bound to damage trade; dressing up as Indians was an effort that's the equivalent of the ubiquitous Hong Kong face mask: protect the identity.

A very funny hour; look forward to the next part.

Oh - if Keith is reading: Engrenages returns on Saturday night! I think it's a new series.

:-)

[jeremyrh]

Oh - if Keith is reading: Engrenages returns on Saturday night! I think it's a new series.

:-)

Really?  If THAT turns out to be fake news I'm going to be very pissed off !!

[faberryman]

Really?  If THAT turns out to be fake news I'm going to be very pissed off !!

Yes, Season 9.

[jeremyrh]

 

[RSL]

Really, Rob? The Beeb had the balls to air something like that? Wish I could have watched it. Most of what they covered is well  known to anyone who's actually dug into history. In any case, what country in the world isn't founded on mythology? Britain has a lot more myths in its founding stories than America has because it's been around a lot longer. But the stories are fun, and they make people happy. Good old Henry VII.

[Rob C]

One aspect of life being short is that one will never know how history will view the current mess, lies, counter-lies and smoke and mirror games surrounding Brexit. I suspect it will end up as a single, brief line and almost totally forgotten as its relative importance, compared with the weightier questions of how some of the effects of climate change might have been prevented during the same period, are debated.

That, of course, depends on whether Ark 2 has electricity.

[KLaban]

Oh - if Keith is reading: Engrenages returns on Saturday night! I think it's a new series.

Thanks, Rob.

V beat me to it and set up for the series link over the weekend.

[Alan Klein]

It is true that France helped America win.  But that was later in the war after American patriots won some important battles.  Because of the earlier wins, Benjamin Franklin, Ambassador to France, was then able to convince the French king we would win.  So the king committed some troops.  He wanted to stick it to the English.  It took Franklin some time to convince the king as debonair Franklyn was very busy entertaining young French mademoiselles of the royal court. Apparently he was in no hurry to go home. 

Interestingly, the first major battle the Americans won was when General George Washington crossed the ice-clogged Delaware River depicted in that famous painting.  He marched on to war at the Battle of Trenton where on  Christmas Day he attacked and easily defeated German Hessian troops. Germans?  Hessians?  Where were the British soldiers?  Oh.  Apparently, they brought with them a huge contingent of German mercenaries.  So apparently, the British were fighting with foreign troops as well.  In order to get their hostility up against the Americans, the British generals told their German allies that Americans don't take prisoners, a complete lie.  At Trenton, we actually took about 900 prisoners after killing around 30-40. The British also claimed they didn't start the fire in New York City a few weeks earlier when half the city burned down.  They said it must have happened due to the fog of war or something.  Up to their usual tricks. 

[Alan Klein]

The famous revolutionary painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware.
http://www.theroamingboomers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Washington-Crossing-the-Delaware-Leutze.jpg

[petermfiore]

The famous revolutionary painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware.

And that's the second version of the panting. The original was burned in a studio fire of the painter Emanuel Leutze‎, the creator of this fiction. Fiction is in the depiction, not the history. The Delaware River at the spot of Washington's crossing in quite narrow. Compared to the sea that is portrayed in the painting. I have been living along the Delaware for thirty-one years and we get ice, but not epic ice.   


Peter

[JoeKitchen]

And that's the second version of the panting. The original was burned in a studio fire of the painter Emanuel Leutze‎, the creator of this fiction. Fiction is in the depiction, not the history. The Delaware River at the spot of Washington's crossing in quite narrow. Compared to the sea that is portrayed in the painting. I have been living along the Delaware for thirty-one years and we get ice, but not epic ice.   


Peter

Come on, it's like taking the shot with a wide lens vs. with a long lens, but yes, that spot of the Delaware is very narrow. 

Insofar as ice, I have lived in Philly nearly my entire life and have never once seen ice on the river.  This painting always makes me think of the Hudson, but in February, not December. 

[JoeKitchen]

Watched the first part of a new (to me, at any rate) BBC series on the above topic, and it was quite amusing stuff, showing that fake news is absolutely nothing new.

Paul Revere, apparently, was but one of three different horsemen who spread the word (much
like a relay race, then); the war for American independence from the UK was not won by amazingly dedicated and excited farmers, but by enlisting the aid of the French army, without whose help not a lot would have happened. Except that perhaps France might not have gone on to lose all its colonies in the new world, and its royalty might all have retained their heads, thus continuing with a tourist attraction to rival the Brit one. However, the farmers and their muskets were the foundation of the militia concept that became enshrined in laws for the times, that, never rescinded, today see folks shot to bits in school, at nightclubs, shopping malls.

I hate to be a bummer Rob, but we really did not get any help from the French army.  France did supply us with much needed supplies and capital, along with Spain, Austria and other countries.  They also sent along their navy that helped keep the British navy at bay and from resupplying its troops more often, although no direct navel battle happened between the two fleets.  So yes, France did provide a lot of support, but their army, with the exception of some advisors, did not land in the country to fight along side ours. 

Additionally, even the most important foreign military advisor, Baron von Steuben, whom essentially trained the continental army into a force that could hold up against the British, was not French but Prussian.  (As an aside, I do realize that Baron von Steuben is rumored to have been forced to leave Prussia due to pedophilia, but that had nothing to do with his army expertise.)  On top of that, although the militia were a big part of the revolution on our side, we did have a very well trained army, albeit not until the middle of the war. 

Next, we Americans did have some technological advances you British did not have, such as riffling.   Although riffling was invented in Europe, the English army was slower to acquire them and continued to use mainly muskets in the Revolutionary War.  Whereas Americans had long been using riffles for greater accuracy with hunting, which helped give us an edge in accuracy of infantry men, or at least those using riffles instead of muskets.  We also did not allow ourselves to be held down by the good manners of war whereas officers were not chosen as targets.  Our "snipers" with their better and much more accurate riffles actively sought out British officers as targets, whereas the British were unable to be as effective here due to their use of muskets. 

Now, as Alan pointed out, all of France's help actually did not start coming until after we won the Battle of Saratoga, so it is not like the French can take all of the credit.  France would not actually commit itself to us, but after this victory, it showed them we could actually win. 

Last, probably the biggest downside for Europe with France's involvement in our revolution is that it bankrupted them, created the perfect storm for their revolution, the eventual rise of Napoleon, and the Napoleonic Wars that turned Europe upside down.

[degrub]

“No good deed goes unpunished”

[Alan Klein]

Maybe we should be like France and stay out of Syria until the Kurds can show us they can win against the Turks?  Or better yet.  How about if the Netherlands or GB or someone else sends troops to help them?  Else we might wind up like France.  Broke and in another civil war.