A couple of semesters back I took American Literature II with Terri Lowry, who is the instructor in a Creative Writing class that I take over and over again to maintain some level of skill. It should be noted that while I hold a minor in English, none of my coursework is in American Literature.
In fact, I avoided it when I was going through undergrad the first time.
I could have gotten more out of the class than I did, all things considered. It can be incredibly difficult, playing college student and college history instructor at the same time. Turns out that your teaching takes priority when the rest of your life isn't. That said, Terri had a question which she put to the class.
What is America? What does it mean to be an American?
There is no right answer in my mind, though I hear a lot of answers that simply exasperate me.
A common narrative theme in American History classes is this.
The United States of America is an aggressive, racist, imperialist superpower which is bent on crushing everything beneath her feet. It ruthlessly exploits the resources of the planet as well as non-Americans, engaging in wars of conquest which rival that of the Roman Empire or Nazi Germany. It is a pseudo Christian theocracy which suppresses dissent and demands conformity.
That is off the top of my head but I think that is a pretty accurate reflection. It is a theme I heard repeated over and over again when I went to Park University for my undergrad in the mid-1990s. It was prominent in the news media of the time and if you tune to the right channel, you'll hear it again and again. Go for a stroll in the Livejournal Science Fiction Community and you'll see variants of this narrative as well.
Basically, America is evil personified. She needs to have her wings clipped.
A narrative like this has some basis in fact. Let's run through them.
1. The systematic conquest and oppression of the Native American populations of North America.
Sometimes this is referred to as genocide, which I think is overstating the case. Efforts were made to reach some sort of understanding with various Native American tribes which would preserve them. Yes, agreements were made and frequently broken. Yes, the United States did engage in wholesale slaughter but genocide in my mind is indicative of an effort to completely exterminate a given population. I do not think this is the case.
Which doesn't really matter, semantics aside, what was done to the Native Americans was pretty bad.
Yet you ought to ask yourself if it could have happened differently. I personally do not think so though some historians would argue, "If only we had been more respective of their culture." Expecting someone like George Armstrong Custer or Andrew Jackson to embrace the concepts of tolerance, multiculturalism and diversity is not much different than expecting Julius Caesar or Marcus Tullius Cicero to start holding forth on the better points of the Enlightenment.
2. The United States is a racist, Eurocentric society which systematically oppresses people of color.
Historically, this is valid. Slavery, Jim Crow Laws, Segregation, the Chinese Exclusion Act, etc, etc, the list goes on.
3. The United States is an imperialist power.
I suppose that depends on how you define "imperialist power." We do not presently have significant colonial possession in the traditional sense. Granted, you could argue that this is because we have either let them go, such as the Philippines, or made them states, like Hawaii.
But would you call South Korea a colony? I think think they'd appreciate such a comparison even if their peers in the North would make just that point.
There is Iraq and Afghanistan but neither of them look like colonies to me. Afghanistan doesn't even possess anything of real value when you get right down to it. We are there mainly due to the events of September 11th. As for Iraq, I'd argue that putting paid to a dictator like Saddam Hussein was a good thing, not a bad one.
4. It ruthlessly exploits the resources of the planet.
We have a population of 300 million plus living in a petroleum based economy. Show me a first world nation that isn't exploiting the resources of the planet ruthlessly? Show me a developing nation that isn't exploiting the resources of the planet ruthlessly?
5. It is a pseudo-Christian theocracy.
Speaking as a militant agnostic, borderline atheist, I would argue that there is plenty of religious diversity in this country. Granted, the country is not particularly friendly towards the Islamic faith at the moment but then one might want to refer to a hole in NYC as the cause.
6. It isn't much different from Nazi Germany or the Roman Empire.
Hmm. There is a saying about the Romans, something to the effect that they make a desert and call it peace, meaning that they do not play patty cake with their enemies. The United States operates a little differently but I'll get to that in a second. As for the comparison with Nazi Germany, I simply do not see it.
Or consider this, if the United States of America did operate the way Nazi Germany did, here is how history might have unfolded since September 11th.
First, the response probably would have been nuclear in nature. I suspect a truly Fascist state would not hesitate to bomb whole populations out of existence simply on principle alone. Second, we probably would have invaded any state suspected of harboring people sympathetic with Osama Bin Laden.
In other words, we would have given Bin Laden exactly what he wanted.
Third, we would simply lock up/execute anyone considered to be either a terrorist or a dissident.
Strange thing. You can't really do that here in the United States of America, at least not for long, as someone will eventually find out and stop you.
Still, the record is pretty damning.
Does the United States of America have any redeeming traits? Or should it be relegated to the dustbin of history as soon as possible?
Well, I wouldn't write us off just yet.
Here is a narrative theme that I explore in my classes.
The United States of America is a work in progress, flawed in many respects, prone to mistakes and yet she constantly strives to better herself. She has expanded the rights and freedoms of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights originally reserved for white male aristocrats to ever growing numbers of people. She has sent her own sons and daughters overseas to help restore order. She offers aid and comfort to other nations in times of need and in the aftermath of various wars fought through history. She is a center of technological, cultural, and political innovation, pushing forward to improve the standard of living for everyone.
A more perfect Union. I think that is what America is. We are constantly arguing with ourselves as to what that means, who will be included in it, and how they will be included in it. We have committed crimes in our past but I think our accomplishments, our contributions, and our ongoing self examination give us some shred of redemption from those who would cheerfully damn us.
What did we get right?
First off you have the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights. These two documents helped to frame a Federal Republic which would serve as a model for other nations as they moved away from absolute monarchy and/or tyranny. It is an amendable document which enables us to correct flaws contained within it such as the 3/5th Clause and adapt to changing conditions in the society with amendments that permit women and ethnic minorities the right to vote.
Second, over the last two centuries, we have expanded the ability of all of our citizens to participate in government.
Third, we have overturned laws which discriminated against people of color. We have also passed laws which are designed to redress grievances created by decades of systematic discrimination.
Granted, personally, I agree with the grievances but not the current solution, which I think punishes people for crimes they did not personally commit. That said, as a historian, I count programs such as affirmative action as a sign that we are trying to right the wrongs of the past.
Fourth, we helped Europe get back on their feet after World War II. This was as much out of economic self interest as anything else.
Fifth, we have served as a powerhouse of industrial and technological innovation. We may be moving away from this, the jury is still out, but our contributions in science, industry and technology can not be disputed.
Sixth, we feed the planet. While we are an industrial nation, we are also an agricultural nation.
Finally, in terms of culture, I think we have done a great deal to push forward the ideals of equality and egalitarianism. Granted, our greatest problem is that we do not always practice what we preach nor do we always live up to those ideals, but I think we strive to reach them as best we can.
So I guess I'm not as down on my country as many writers and historians are. I am not particularly a "My country right or wrong," sort nor do I see my country with rose tinted lenses.
But I don't see us as the arbiter of all that is evil, corrupt and wrong on planet Earth either.
In these ramblings, I do not know if I really answered the question Terri put to us. When I wrote a paper on this topic in her class (this is not a reproduction of that paper but I suspect if I found it that it would cover similar themes) I do not think I ever came up with a satisfactory answer either.
I will say this.
The United States of America is my homeland. She isn't perfect by any means, but I'm proud to live here while acknowledging her flaws.
And her contributions.
Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri
9 hours ago