No, even in 1776, there were contemporaries who mocked a bunch of rich slave owners talking about freedom while stealing land from native americans. American freedom had always been the freedom for the ruling class to exploit the underclass.
correct, see for example the reactions to the US’s decision to invade and seize territory from Mexico, which was largely seen as a betrayal of liberal values that the country was supposedly founded on. Don’t worry, the US isn’t the only country to justify their revolution with promises of liberal ideals like freedom and equality only to expose their true priorities later (namely giving local colonial elites more power than those ruling monarchs in Europe). I recommend reading the chapter on Bolivarian revolutions from the history book Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America for more about the disappointments and failures of liberal revolutions to live up to their promises.
atlien51@lemm.ee 2 days ago
Wait wdym? Not even in the 18th-19th century?
Corn@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
No, even in 1776, there were contemporaries who mocked a bunch of rich slave owners talking about freedom while stealing land from native americans. American freedom had always been the freedom for the ruling class to exploit the underclass.
dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 days ago
correct, see for example the reactions to the US’s decision to invade and seize territory from Mexico, which was largely seen as a betrayal of liberal values that the country was supposedly founded on. Don’t worry, the US isn’t the only country to justify their revolution with promises of liberal ideals like freedom and equality only to expose their true priorities later (namely giving local colonial elites more power than those ruling monarchs in Europe). I recommend reading the chapter on Bolivarian revolutions from the history book Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America for more about the disappointments and failures of liberal revolutions to live up to their promises.
Bloomcole@lemmy.world 1 day ago
To ad to others that already commented:
Brutal colonialism and imperialism, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Philippines to name only a few.