Cultural Conquest

President Andrew Jackson did not like indians. Like most European-americans of his day, he regarded them as heathen, unchristian savages, He wanted to appear noble, magnanimous, and generous, so he adopted a paternalistic, condescending attitue towards native americans, pretending to think of them as childlike barbarians, fundamentally good, but needing guidance.

For their part, the indians were generally terrified of Old Hickory, and nicknamed him "sharp knife", in deference to Jackson's brutality in battle. For many years the Cherokees in Oklahoma refused to accept twenty dollar bills, because of Jackson's image on them.

The underlying truth is, of course, that Andrew Jackson hated Indians. And why not? During his life, everybody in the United States, basically, hated indians, particularly on the western frontier, where pioneers feared the indians, and their local military superiority.

Jackson was one of these people, an indian fearing/hating pioneer. And that's exactly what Davy Crockett should have been; and indian fearing/hating pioneer. But Davy went a little bit deeper, thought about it a little bit, which Davy Crockett, despite his lack of formal education, was prone to do. Look deeper, think deeper.

After fighting the Indians, under General Jackson, Davy ended up admiring them, and understanding that they were human beings. And in this, during his time, he was practically alone. Many Northeasterners, Bostonians, New Yorkers, and such,  also supported the indian cause, but, of course, it was easy to do that in New York or Boston.

Not so easy in the wilds of 1820 Tennessee. Because of Andrew Jackson, the indians were herded across the mississippi into oklahoma reservations, and america in its present from became possible.

But what if america had done what crockett wanted; to honor treaties promising indian ownership of georgia, and other places, forever? what if amierica had honored treaties with the indians, instead of indian giving?

eventually, probably the same thing that happened anyway, only a bit more slowly; a gradual europeanization of american culture, and a gradual absorption of native culture into european, with a fair amount of residual, token, native culture, like we have today in the U.S.

One way or aonther, there was never any question the Europeans were going to conquer and domindate the western hemisphere. Just seems like they coulda done it a little nicer.

Please scroll down for the other articles in today's issue of The Truthless Reconciler!Thanks!