Friday, May 16, 2025

US History Common Vision 5-16-25

In 2025, Trump selected his Cabinet Secretaries and Agency Directors to form a leadership team with a Common Vision.  The US has not had a common vision in it’s leadership since the Founders. 

The Founders set the US on the course of expansion from the Atlantic to Pacific that restricted its exposure to land borders. This process began in 1620 with the formation of the British Colonies and ended with the formation of the United States in 1783 and took 163 years.  The expansion was completed in 1848 and took 65 years.

In 1620, their first farming settlement began as a commune that failed. They allowed families to keep more of what they raised and it succeeded. In Europe, the Monarchy owned all the land and the new colonists learned to farm. Given the incentive to own their own land and pass their own laws, the new colonists succeeded.

The Plymouth Colony was the first permanent English settlement in New England, established in 1620 by religious Separatists known as the Pilgrims, who arrived on the Mayflower. The colony was named after the port in England from which they departed, Plymouth, England. They sought religious freedom and a new life in the New World, eventually settling in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=plymouth+colony

In 1763, the Colonists expanded their territory by serving in local Militias with the British Soldiers and winning the French Indian war (1754-1763) winning the territory west of the colonies.

By 1764, the Founders knew their history as British Colonists and used common sense to establish “land ownership” as a common bond in their Colonial Governments. They were elected by the Colonists and served in

The Colonial Legislatures. These Colonial Legislatures made their own laws. They based their laws on what they needed to succeed as Plantation Owners to provide food and Timber exporters. They sold timber to Europe to build ships and buildings. They used “Free Market” Economics and based prices on supply and demand. Prices were determined by costs that included losses from shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1764, the British Parliament began taxing the American colonies with the Sugar Act in 1764, followed by the Stamp Act in 1765. The Stamp Act, in particular, was a direct tax on printed materials like newspapers and legal documents, causing significant colonial opposition. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=british+parliament+taxes

In 1764, when the British Parliament passed Tax Laws to raise revenue to keep British Troops in the Colonies, the Elected Colonial Legislatures objected. They were accustomed to passing their own laws and determining their own taxes. The Colonies had Militias and were fully capable of protecting their Colonists.

The war nearly doubled Britain's national debt, from approximately £75 million before the war to around £133 million after it,

In the French and Indian War, Great Britain gained significant territorial control. The Treaty of Paris (1763) awarded Britain all of French territory east of the Mississippi River, along with Canada and Spanish Florida. This meant France ceded its North American possessions, including its vast holdings in the Mississippi Valley and Canada. Essentially, Britain obtained almost everything east of the Mississippi. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+land+did+the+british+win+in+the+french+indian+war

The American colonies at the time of the war covered an area of over 430,000 square miles.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+land+did+the+british+lose+in+the+revolutionary+war

The Ohio Valley covered 200,000 square miles.

Florida has a total area of 65,758 square miles. This includes both land and water. The state's land area is 53,625 square miles. 

Britain maintained control over Canada through a gradual process, from initially acquiring it in 1763 after the Seven Years' War through a series of policies and agreements. This included initially governing it as a colony, eventually granting it a degree of self-governance within the British Empire, and finally, recognizing Canada's full sovereignty through the Statute of Westminster and the Canada Act

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+did+britain+keep+canada

In 1783, General George Washington won the Revolutionary War. He presided over the 2nd Continental Congress and they enacted the Articles of Confederation that served as the United States' first constitution, adopted in 1777 and in effect from 1781 until 1789. It established a weak central government, favoring state sovereignty, and was replaced by the current Constitution. In 1789, the US Constitution was passed and established.

In 1789, George Washington was elected President of the United States with the task of paying off the Revolutionary War Debt. 

In 1794, President George Washington rode with his Troops from Philadelphia to stop the Whiskey Rebellion in Carlisle  Pennsylvania.  He appealed to the Rebels’ patriotism and they ended their rebellion, because they had known him well and trusted him.

In 1794, the United States owed approximately $75 million in Revolutionary War debt, and the total debt, including interest, was around $54 million. This included both federal and state debts, with the states owing an estimated $25 million. The Continental Congress, which governed during the Revolution, lacked the power to tax, leading to significant borrowing and the accumulation of this debt. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+was+the+us+revolutionary+war+

The U.S. Revolutionary War debt, a staggering $75 million by 1791, was not fully paid off until 1835, under President Andrew Jackson, according to TreasuryDirect. While Alexander Hamilton's plan in 1790 focused on managing the debt, it didn't immediately eliminate it. The debt had actually shrunk to zero by 1835. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=when+was+the+us+revolutionary+war+debt+paid

In 1802, the US made the Louisiana Purchase from France for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase encompassed approximately 828,000 square miles of land. This land deal, which took place in 1803, nearly doubled the size of the United States and stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+square+miles+was+the+louisiana+purchase

Here's a more detailed look:

Early Years (1775-1795):

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The Revolutionary War generated a significant national debt, primarily through loans from France. 

Hamilton's Plan (1790):

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Alexander Hamilton, as the first Secretary of the Treasury, proposed a plan to manage the debt, including incorporating state debts into a unified national debt. 

Funding Act of 1790:

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This act, based on Hamilton's proposal, focused on funding both domestic and foreign debts. 

James Swan's Role (1795):

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James Swan helped settle the U.S. debts with France, according to the Office of the Historian

Continued Debt and Growth (1790s-1830s):

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While the U.S. made progress in managing its debt, it continued to grow over the next few decades. 

Debt Elimination (1835):

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By 1835, the U.S. national debt had been completely eliminated, thanks to land sales and budget cuts, according to the TreasuryDirect

In 1848 the US won the Mexican-American War. The United States gained approximately 525,000 square miles of land from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War. The US paid Mexico $15 million for the land.

The Mexican-American War, fought between 1846 and 1848, was a conflict between the United States and Mexico resulting in a significant expansion of American territory. The war began after the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845 and a dispute over the Texas-Mexico border. The United States won the war and gained vast territories, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. 

After the Expansion was complete, the US entered a time when there was no “Shared Vision” beyond solving the “Slavery Problem”.  Britain officially outlawed slavery in its colonies through the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833, which came into effect on August 1, 1834.

The US entered the Industrial Revolution in 1860. The Civil War (1860-1865) brought the development of the Steam Engine to replace water power to run mills. 

The first steam-operated common carrier railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was chartered in 1827 and opened for public service in 1830. 

The Industrial Revolution in Britain is generally considered to have begun in the 1760s. It marked a shift from hand-made goods to machine-made products and a period of significant technological and social change. While some argue that roots of industrialization can be traced back to the 1600s, the most widely accepted start date is around 1760. 

Comments

The US Government followed the needs of the Industrial Revolution and Technology Innovation from the 1820s forward. Vast improvements have been made in living standards, transportation, medical care, manufacturing technology and other improvements.

The Trump Agenda is designed to reduce the $37 trillion US National Debt to avoid US National Bankruptcy. The National Debt was $5 trillion in 1988 and increased by $32 trillion by 2025. In 1988, the price of oil per barrel varied, but it generally fluctuated around $15-$18.  The oil price per barrel in 2025 is around $63. Fracking has allowed us to increase the supply and reduce the price to $50/barrel. Completion of oil and gas pipelines should reduce the price per barrel lower.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

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