American Revolution — a Costly Mistake?
By Jon Huer
With the Fourth of July coming up and bases getting ready to celebrate our Independence Day, I am beginning to have second thoughts: Maybe it was a mistake, a costly one, for the colonies to have fought and won the War of Independence against Great Britain. Maybe we should have stayed with England and we would be much happier and more peaceful. Before anybody gets mad at me, let me give my reasons.
First, we might ask: What have we gained from the war? After all, the worst we can imagine for us to be, if we had not separated from England or lost the war, is another Canada or Australia, which today happen to be among the best-run and happiest nations in the world.
They enjoy low crime rates, fewer divorces, universal healthcare, and little overall turmoil as a nation (in fact, Canada has been so tranquil that a magazine article recently asked, ``Whatever Happened to Canada?"). They seem to have everything better than us if it is a good thing (enjoying life); we have it ``better" than them only if it is a nasty thing (like crime or war). Our vaunted ``freedoms" (for speech or religion) are not much better than theirs. If the Patriots had managed their anger, instead of blowing up, we would have naturally become free and independent in time, just like Canada or Australia. And by the sheer evolution of size and development, America would have become the same dominant nation over Mother England in time without all the bloodshed, hardship and loss.
Second, the reason for the War of Independence turned out to be a bad thing for us. The Patriots revolted essentially over taxes (``no taxation without representation") and we have managed to avoid paying taxes ever since. Today, even with fairly decent representation, we are the least tax-paying nation among all advanced societies.
This precedent of tax evasion has produced two huge problems for us: One is our national deficit, equal to one year of our total GNP; the other is a tragedy for our children's education. A deficit occurs when expenditure is greater than income.
Nationally, we have been spending much more than what we are willing to pay in taxes, resulting in a huge national deficit that drains our national strength on the fundamental level. Also, our children are suffering because of our refusal to pay adequate school taxes for their education. The result is that schools have to find another way to finance the educational expenses. This dilemma opens the door to the wolves waiting outside to devour our children; that is, corporations which offer money in exchange for junk food, product advertisements in the classroom, and many other such exclusive deals on our helpless children. On the other hand, we hear nothing but good reports on Canadian and Australian education.
Third, the war gave America a blemish that most historians try to ignore: It gave us our first and only SOFA (status of forces agreement that Korea is familiar with and feels negative about) upon America's own soil by foreign troops, with America as the needy party. The fortunes of war needed foreign help, and France, upon our urgent pleading, sent 6,000 troops to the United States, promising ``good behavior" and ``discipline" on their part (still many American girls fell for the dashing Frenchmen). This national humiliation would have been totally unnecessary if the Patriots weren't such hotheads in a hurry to separate from their (somewhat demanding and ``unfair") parents.
Fourth, the war might have been fought illegally, as less than one-third of colonists supported separation and independence. (Today the Iraqi war is losing steam because less than one-third of Americans are supporting it.) In much of America, the two sides, Tory and Patriot, lived side by side as neighbors and friends, often attending balls and parties together, while the soldiers were fighting and suffering. Could this kind of war be considered legitimate and supportable today?
Finally, without the war or its borrowed victory, America might have become a happier society. Cut off from the Old World's anchor and wisdom, our restless energy for amusement and materialism only creates loneliness amid abundant entertainment and unhappiness amid unprecedented affluence. Without the Revolutionary War, the United States could still influence the world the way it does now, as the dominant member of the British Commonwealth, but with less turmoil and trouble, both external and internal.
Today, we are experiencing the same ``times that try men's souls," as Thomas Paine pleaded in 1776, but our souls are not on trial because they have been lost in the aftermath of post-Revolution-style freedom and independence.
We were in Australia last year and were wholly impressed with the way they were enjoying life in genuine security and peace, seemingly without a concern in the world. Then we thought about the United States back home, constantly burdened with world issues in war and strife, and now with the economic meltdown, living with false hope in Hollywood and Wall Street and struggling with loneliness and uncertainty.
Our conclusion: The Patriots should've been more patriotic and paid their taxes.
Jon Huer is professor of sociology at the University of Maryland University College and can be reached at jonhuer@hotmail.com.