I just discovered something rather shocking about America the other day that I had never realised.
I was watching an American history teacher on YouTube reacting to "Philamena Cunk on America", because Diane Morgan (plus Charlie Brooker's writing) is absolutely hilarious and to also get an American history teacher's perspective, so you can see if he agrees with this spin on American history. Which he broadly does.
He makes a comment about "Manifest Destiny". That idea that America had a God-given right to spread all the way to the Pacific coast, which it did.
But then he drops the bombshell. Did you know that the British Crown had a peace treaty with the Native Americans in 1763?
It's called "The Royal Proclamation of 1763".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Proclamation_of_1763 wrote:The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by British King George III on 7 October 1763.
[...]
The Proclamation at least temporarily forbade all new settlements west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains, which was delineated as an Indian Reserve. Exclusion from the vast region of Trans-Appalachia created discontent between Britain and colonial land speculators and potential settlers. The proclamation and access to western lands was one of the first significant areas of dispute between Britain and the colonies and would become a contributing factor leading to the American Revolution.
Woah. I did not previously know this. This is a dark chapter of American history that's kept quiet.
The Brits actually made peace with the Native Americans. Drew a line and everything West of that is an Indian Reserve, respecting their sovereignty.
And this was actually one of the initial sparks that started the American Revolution. Because the King was forbidding any expansion West. To respect and leave the Native Americans alone.
And the "Manifest Destiny" land speculators and settlers really didn't like this. They wanted to expand West and push those darn-totting "Indians" out of the way, taking all their lands. From sea to shining sea.
I can see why the Americans don't fanfare this motivation, as it hardly makes them look good. If they kicked off the American Revolution in part, so that they could happily break the peace treaty - as it no longer applies, when it was agreed with the British King - and just invade and conquer all that Native American land.
But it's strange - much like the similarly rarely told story of the "West Africa Squadron" - that none of this is ever mentioned in British history.
Just before the American War of Independence, Britain actually brokered a peace with the Native Americans to leave the Western side of America alone.
And that Britain did not only abolish slavery, but actually formed the "West Africa Squadron" - a fleet of ships patrolling West Africa to directly stop the Atlantic slave trade.
David Olusoga taught me about the HMS Black Joke. A clipper built in Baltimore, she became the Brazilian slave ship Henriquetta. Part of the Atlantic slave trade, shipping slaves to the Americas. The Royal Navy captured her, and then purchased the ship into the fleet. Then this former slave ship was posted to the West Africa Squadron to stop the Atlantic slave trade.
Such an interesting story of a slave ship that became part of a fleet to stop the slave ships.
Like, these are actually events that should be taught in Britain. That the British Empire did, on occasion, do the right thing. Particularly because, in both these cases, it didn't have to do anything, but proceeded out of a principled stance to get it right.
"Words ought to be a little wild - for they are assaults of thought on the unthinking."
- John Maynard Keynes
