FREEDOMGUIDE
2005
What have our people died for?I'm writing this on Memorial Day; established by the Government to commemorate all the
people who died fighting for it… and presumably our Country. Presumably, because what have
our people fight and hurt and die for? Here's a overview, in roughly chronological order of allthe wars the United States of America has fought, and some commentary as to why.The American Revolution(approx 1775-1783)Remember, pre-
Revolution, Americans were British Citizens… they were Subjects of the
Crown. So, the British Colonials were looking for a new opportunity beyond the long settledand parcelled up England that had formed a crusty class system. The lower classes, ratherthan crudding up British cities more than they already were, were encouraged to come toAmerica. There, they settled new farms, businesses, and pushed west-no, the British Crownset a stringent limit on settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. A settler, even afterseven years of indentured servitude(willingly selling yourself into slavery) to get over herebecame trapped between breaking the law and heading out into the frontier, and all theNative Americans not happy you're invading, or trying to buy ever more expensive legallysettleable land. They certainly didn't appreciate the taxes Britain levied to pay off the debtsincurred from fighting the Seven Years War, which was certainly a world war. Populist anger
grew…
The landed rich in America also resented England's policies; so much so they sought to asserttheir own colonial governments. The British Crown, being a imperialistic government,resented their colonials attempts at usurping authority so they sent troops to round upconspirators and confiscate arms. The Colonial British, having tasted freedom, were not soeasily shackled to government authority as their modern day descendents are, so at Lexingtonand Concord
they fought the Redcoats… and THAT'S when they can rightly begin to be called
Americans!It was eight years of desperate fighting, a British Civil War-ordinary, and some not so ordinarycitizens, pitting themselves against their own government. The British were the strongestsingle empire on Earth and had more than enough resources to crush this rebellion. Yet, theydidn't.Why?People romanticize guerilla warfare too much. Certainly if you know your battlefield andwere willing to put up with whatever deprivations came along and were smart and resourcefuland sucessful you can wage such hit and run raids for a long time. Sooner or later however, ifyou want victory, you have to take on the enemy force and defeat them. Guerilla fighterswith scavanged and otherwise second rate arms and training are at a huge disadvantagebecause to win against a determined enemy you have to meet them on the battlefield and