I’ve been reading that the political situation in America before the revolution was pretty chaotic. Over the previous 200 years (before the revolution) the population of indigenous people native to the eastern parts of the continent had grown knowledgeable of the immigrant culture, acquired the English language and European bargaining savvy. By consolidating various tribal groups in the common interest of securing their indigenous lands Native Americans fought back against the new settlers.

At the same time the various colonies established by the immigrant Europeans had disparate economic concerns, had trouble in presenting any sort of united front in opposition to the taxes and restrictions imposed by the imperialist English. The colonists’ ire manifested itself in attacks against their British overlords, destroying property and generally raising havoc.

The British found the slave trade quite lucrative, kidnapping thousands of native Africans from off their tribal lands to work southern plantations and to sell for household slaves. In some parts of the American south, the black population came to nearly equaling the white colonists in numbers. Enslaved Africans, like their native American counterparts readily adapted to the white culture and although suffering devastating reprisals rose in opposition to their enslavement adding further instability to colonial life.

At the same time wealthy colonists sought to acquire lands for themselves west of the Appalachian Mountains, a land-grab that pitted the colonists against the King’s Royal ownership of all American lands and further upsetting the indigenous population who knew for certain who’s land it was.

I guess we all know who the winners and losers were in these early power struggles. 250 years later, with guilty consciences, talking reparations for injustices perpetrated, we’ve hopefully come to realize the actions of the new immigrants of the time were less then purely heroic.