Midterm Project: American Studies by Jake Tripptree

trippuconn — 2025-03-13 18:48:06 UTC

The myth that occurred for the Founding Fathers suggests that independence was won only by a handful of brilliant leaders, almost as if they built the nation all by themselves. But in reality, this just oversimplifies history, ignores the revolutionary political, economic and global complexities that this nation went through. The American Revolution was not just about the ideas made by a few men, but instead it was influenced by enlightenment ideas, European conflicts, and financial interests. Also, internal debates and divisions between the Founders are very often downplayed to portray a false reality of the unified and heroic narrative. By adding independence just to these figures, the myth marginalizes the collective efforts given by soldiers, women, and even enslaved individuals who also contributed.

trippuconn — 2025-03-13 19:38:24 UTC

trippuconn — 2025-03-13 19:55:16 UTC

The Declaration of Independence is seen as essentially marking a complete break from Britain, and really reinforcing the myth that American independence was immediate as well as absolute. But in reality, independence was a long, complex trial and error process rather than one totally singular event. Even though many of these loyalists remained loyal to Britain, economic ties with England remained, and the new nation really struggled to establish itself politically. Also, the rhetoric of freedom in the Declaration did not extend to all groups, specifically enslaved people as well as indigenous communities. The myth simplifies the nature of independence, which presents a single transformation nature instead of a prolonged and contested struggle.

trippuconn — 2025-03-13 20:20:40 UTC

The myth that American independence essentially made it seem like freedom was promised to everyone, but this was clearly not true. The declaration of independence said that “All men are created equal,” almost making it sound like all people would be free and have freedom within this country. But, this promise did not include enslaved people, women or Native Americans! The founding fathers spoke about liberty and yet kept systems in place that denied so many people their rights. This myth made citizens believe independence meant freedom for all people, but in reality it was clearly subjected to certain groups, which mainly pertained to white men, who were given the full benefits of the new nation.

trippuconn — 2025-03-14 18:43:10 UTC

The myth about American independence also implied that having this breakaway from Britain would bring complete self-sufficiency, but this was clearly far from reality. The colonists believed they could “now govern themselves”(197), but the new nation stayed economically and politically dependent on foreign powers. The US relied a lot on loans from France and trade with Britain even after this war. But internally, the weak Articles of Confederation had shown that true independence was a lot harder to achieve than expected. This myth had reassured citizens that they were free, but in reality the young nation struggled to stand on its own.

trippuconn — 2025-03-14 19:13:48 UTC

This presents a challenge to the myth that independence brought true freedom for all. Yes, the revolution did end the oppression of British rule, but oppression within the new nation was far from over. Enslaved people remained enslaved, indigenous communities were stripped of their lands, and rights continued to be denied to women. Even in some cases, gaining independence seemed to deepen inequality, with southern plantation owners gaining increased autonomy with acts like the fugitive slave laws coming into place. The westward expansion also resulted in the displacement of indigenous people. This myth of freedom clouded the reality of the situation, making it ultimately seem as if independence had been beneficial to everyone. But in truth, independence was primarily the securing of power for white landowning men while leaving many people mistreated and unrespected.

trippuconn — 2025-03-27 17:51:52 UTC

This podcast talked about the myth within the United States as a “nation of liberty”, which contradicts itself due to its foundation in slavery. Just how Zurara justified enslaving Africans by dehumanizing them, some early American leaders did the same to match ideals of “freedom” with the reality of slavery. The great law of peace among the Haudenosaunee really emphasised human dignity and collective governance, yet the US constitution would ignore those principles by upholding the slavery. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that “all men are created equal” and yet enslaved people were excluded. The hypocrisy really revealed how foundational myths masked systematic oppression.

trippuconn — 2025-03-27 19:53:39 UTC

The idea of race as a biological reality has played a crucial tool in maintaining systemic oppression. In the podcast, Kumanyika said "Race isn't real biologically but it is very real as a way that society has been structured." This fake idea of race became carved in U.S. institutions in their support of the enslavement of Black people, the segregation of society, and other obvious forms of discrimination. While the Declaration of Independence stated that "all men are created equal," in reality, it meant that white men were empowered while Black people and other groups deemed not white were restricted. The entirely false idea of biological race has shaped policies and social norms for centuries, so the more deeply rooted a myth becomes, the stronger its power in upholding situations of inequality and exclusion.

trippuconn — 2025-03-27 19:59:25 UTC

trippuconn — 2025-03-28 19:06:22 UTC

The podcast showed how the Founding Fathers had built a nation that prioritized the wealthy elite while excluding many people from democracy. Although they might’ve spoken of freedom, they upheld slavery and had denied rights to women as well as indigenous people. The myth of the founding fathers presents them as visionary leaders, but they were really just priorities on their own power. The episode emphasised how economic interests tend to shape the new government, ensuring that landowning white men remained in control. This counters the idea that America was built around universal liberty, it instead offers a history of exclusion and inequality.

trippuconn — 2025-03-29 02:01:42 UTC

In the podcast, Ibram reminds us that the Portuguese writer Zurara played a huge role in racist ideas. Kendi said, "Zurara was the first articulator of racist ideas... describing that people as inferior." This gives way to imprint in people's minds that Africans are less than human and sort of to justify slavery. Similar to this is the same concept invoked by the myth of Manifest Destiny for justifying the occupation of North American lands. Kendi also indicates, "they created Blackness...Blackness, of course, cannot really operate without whiteness." In that idea, the ideas of white superiority have served to justify both the phenomena of slavery and the claim that it was a right for America to expand.

trippuconn — 2025-03-29 02:08:48 UTC

In the podcast, Kendi explains that during the colonial era, the idea of "independence" needed justification for the exploitation of enslaved Africans. Kendi said: “the concept of the beast becomes sort of the way in which, for instance, the first British slave traders described African people.” Thus, it shows how Europeans, who were calling themselves free and independent, were calling upon these terms just to justify the brutal treatment and enslavement of African people. Their so-called "independence" is a myth built upon the oppression and exploitation of others, whereby freedom attained thereby was far too costly for them to acknowledge.