The History Of The U.s.a.: Sometimes Too Easy To Forget

Interesting and perhaps (I'm on the other side) reminder that our British Empire days weren't exactly all sweetness and light. It prompted me to read the lyrics, something I'm not sure I've done before.

As far as anthems go, I'm not that fond of the tune although I consider our God Save The Queen a pretty awful dirge to sing.

The Welsh one is pretty rousing though.


Even as an English person (albeit one who had spent some of his primary school years living in Wales) find it as a song is something you can get swept up in. Better though is the Welsh hymn Calon Lan (pure heart) which I sometime mention. At the risk of numerous repeats I'll give it again but use a source I've not used before. This one call's itself The Cape Town Youth Choir so maybe South African? Great voices whatever.

 
Interesting and perhaps (I'm on the other side) reminder that our British Empire days weren't exactly all sweetness and light. It prompted me to read the lyrics, something I'm not sure I've done before.

As far as anthems go, I'm not that fond of the tune although I consider our God Save The Queen a pretty awful dirge to sing.

The Welsh one is pretty rousing though.


Even as an English person (albeit one who had spent some of his primary school years living in Wales) find it as a song is something you can get swept up in. Better though is the Welsh hymn Calon Lan (pure heart) which I sometime mention. At the risk of numerous repeats I'll give it again but use a source I've not used before. This one call's itself The Cape Town Youth Choir so maybe South African? Great voices whatever.


I studied the British Empire in college. I found that the debates centered around the nature of the Empire were very similar to those occurring in the so called American Empire. Often times, the imperialist ventures were engaged in for the sake of "freedom and democracy" although this was often a veil for purely economic exploits.

Interestingly, missionaries, particularly early Methodists, were responsible for establishing many of the schools in the former British colonies.
 
A lot of US history is forgotten.

Slavery.
Slaughter and terrorism against indigenous people.
Illegal seizure of land.
Destruction of legally obtained governments.


But then the rest of the world does the same.

So I always remind people to be wary of jingoism.

Being mainly European, mixed with African-American, Chocktaw, and Chickasaw, believe me, it is hard for me to forget these things.
 
Being mainly European, mixed with African-American, Chocktaw, and Chickasaw, believe me, it is hard for me to forget these things.

I'm not quite sure what to say here but that's quite an amazing background. You must be able to see things from a lot of aspects?
 
Being mainly European, mixed with African-American, Chocktaw, and Chickasaw, believe me, it is hard for me to forget these things.
Forgive me for not knowing the answer to this one, but is African, mixed with European-American the same as European, mixed with African-American?

My wife's parents are from Romanian, but I believe have citizenship in Romania and America. I think that would make her parents Romanian-American. My wife was born in Seattle though. So now I am curious if because my wife has only citizenship in America, does that make her 100% American, or is she half American, half Romanian-American, because of her parents? Or does the child get a half from each, so because both her parents are Romanian-American, would that make her also Romanian-American? When I first met her, she told me she was Romanian. Hmmm.

Also, I agree with boltardy, and think that's a very cool background.
 
Just picking up the background part, "where"

My own is English although my mother's home place (on the border) would suggest I probbably (and no to be confused with me living there) do have some Welsh ancestry. My father's sid'es the only one we tried to trace. At one time it seemed that we may have been Flemish, escaping to Norwich during one of the religious persecutions when craftsmen in the woollen trade moved to East Anglia. I am actually a Freeman of the city by birth but later research (say in 2013) by a sister in law seems to indicate we bought into it and maybe I don't have the Flemish ancestry after all.

Still I think the topic of our ancestry can be interesting in terms of our our own beliefs. I do for example wonder how much of say our own patriotism can colour our own vision of God.
 
Back
Top