(September 7, 2015 at 8:57 pm)Godschild Wrote:(September 7, 2015 at 8:41 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: The U.S. came into existence when the victorious and newly independent colonies adopted a constitution (first the Articles of Confederation and then our current Constitution). Prior to that, there were 13 English colonies in rebellion. The leaders of that rebellion would have been hanged as traitors and the Declaration of Independence wouldn't have been worth the paper it was printed on if the war had been lost, a distinct possibility in 1776. The DOC, as significant a document as it has proven to be, was a piece of propaganda aimed at an international audience to justify the extraordinary steps the rebels had taken -- nothing more. It never had, nor does it have now, any force of law.
Anyway, who are the "we" you referred to? I certainly had nothing to do with it and neither did you. We are just the fortunate beneficiaries of that revolution.
The we is this country, the people who fought the war. I understand what you are saying, but the war was waged as a unit not 13 separate units.
GC
And I understand what you're saying. It's worth noting, however, that the percentage of colonists who actively supported independence and the war might have been below 50%, and those who remained loyal to Great Britain were often cowed and persecuted through means that can only be described as domestic terrorism.
In any case, I'm done hijacking this thread. Carry on with the OP, folks.
