Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Looking back over the span of American history since 1607, what Essay

Looking back over the span of American history since 1607, what historical evidence supports Kinzer's assertion - Essay Example They vary in heritage and their ancestors came from different coasts. However, they share commonalities in valuing enjoyment of rights, liberty, fairness, and equal treatment of people which serves as purposive guide in their way of life. It is from this context that America has been historically intervening in varied nations in the name of freedom. It’s also from this political purview that Stephen Kinzer, prominent writer author of Kinzer, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq, pointed that America perceived itself as ‘a peculiar, chosen people, the Israel of our times.’ Kinzer (2006), a political analyst, perceived that most of the intervention done my American government in other sovereign nations is motivated to protect its business interests from possible restriction and regulations-- such as demands for taxation, labor laws and environmental protection, through geopolitical strategies. Kinzer (2006) pointed that these rest rictions imposed by nations, where American multinational companies are operating, are perceived anti-American, repressive or probably dictatorial. When conflict is heightened, the intervention could either be considered economic, political or an operation for liberation from perceived tyrannical governments. He cited that US lead-participation in overthrowing governments was evident in Hawaii in1893 to Iraq in 2003. Kinzer (2006) also contended that American-led or supported coups d'etat in Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Nicaragua, Honduras, Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam, Chile, Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan, and Iraq was a result of similar causes and motivation. Critical of its view, Kinzer argued that in 1898, US helped local rebels in Cuba to overthrow the Cuban government. Is this messianic political view of America indeed evident in the anal of its history? In the 16th century, under Colonial America, it was reckoned that Europeans traversed to America for economic r easons, to escape religious persecution and they settled at what they called the New World. Many of them lived with the assistance of Native Americans and started farming to produce corn grains and tobacco. They also engaged themselves in mercantilism to increase political power and wealth—thus, the extraction of gold and silver from North America and subsequently brought to London market. Mercantilism was protected by government through trades’ regulation and by providing subsidies for emerging industries to develop exports and control imports. The period was however characterized with smuggling, an American way to dodge out trading restrictions of European nations. Conflict rose as pirates launched several attacks. Conflict heightened until Seminoles from Georgia killed the remaining Indian residents at Florida. The regions of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, California and Kansas were also explored by Spanish conquestadores. Missionaries were sent in these a reas to propagate Christianity and to declare historic claims. American conquered and recovered the sites

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