U.S. History? - Page 6

[twomers]

:@ I find this thread racist! What about Irish history

...

Sorry :)

[joshSCH]

lol irish history? ;)

[EnderX]

Hmm...wasn't there something about a bunch of dead potatoes?

[joshSCH]

haha..

[twomers]

>> Hmm...wasn't there something about a bunch of dead potatoes?
I'm not sure. There might have been. I think the blight affected the more exotic foods though -- There was Kangaroo Jerky blight etc. We've no more kangaroo's in Ireland. No more lions, tigers and bears, oh my.

Hey, anyone got any good sites I can read up about American history on? It's one area I really have to improve in. PM me or something. Might distract the point of the topic (in light of this last sentence, ignore my previous post on this thread :))

[joshSCH]

http://www.ushistory.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States

http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/history/chapter1.html

American history should be a required course for everyone in the world since we are the greatest country in the history of man ;)

[sk8ndestroy14]

Every country has its flaws.

[jbennet]

history should be a required course for everyone in the world since we are the greatest country in the history of man

Lol. Maybe you should learn British History then

[sk8ndestroy14]

I would be really interested in Roman history. Our school doesn't offer anything like that though.

[joshSCH]

Mayan history is the most interesting.. They expect the world to end on december 23, 2012 or somethn like that..

[sk8ndestroy14]

I know. They've been able to predict just about anything that happened in history. They were just as advanced if not more advanced than us when it came to time and space. But during their wars with the Europeans most of their documents were destroyed and there isn't really anybody left to ask about it. But apparently the end is coming soon.

[joshSCH]

Yea, their astronomy methods were extremely advanced.. I don't know what your talking about concerning the europeans.. From what I've learned, the entire Mayan people just disappeared one day. The Europeans walked right into their city with no struggle b/c there were no people..

The Mayans also made very interesting patterns on the ground that could only be seen from above.. Many people believe they had contact with alien life.. It's all very interesting..

[jbennet]

I hate being described as european. I hate it as much as canadian people hate being called american.

[WolfPack]

canadian people hate being called american.

Aren't they american?

[EnderX]

@Mayan Calender:
The date set for the end is Dec. 21, 2012. According to a show I saw about it a few days ago, that date is also supposedly predicted by the I Ching and the prophecies of at least one Merlin.

I'm a bit suspicious about the date, given that it's on a 'famous' day...in this case, the Winter Solstice. Also, I'm suspicious about the chinese variant, given that the actual 'prophecy' was created sometime in the near past, from computer analysis of the original or something; you can, with the right algorithms, get a computer to produce pretty much any output you like, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was done that way on purpose.

The final 'predictor' they listed was some kind of websearch project designed to look for recurring words, phrases, or themes across the 'net; at a guess, it's based on something like the 'collective unconcious' idea, although they didn't actually say that on the show.

[joshSCH]

ohhic.. It's all very interesting..

Aren't they american?

No, not really. It's the same with people from South America. Only citizens of the United States can call themselves Americans b/c we are better than all those other countries ;)

[jbennet]

Aren't they american?

They are from the continent of america just as I am from the continent of europe but that does not make us european or american

[Icarus_Night]

I also think we need to move away from the politics, and try to have more educated people running for office... The problem is, so much money is spent ... Something should definitely be changed as to the campaigns and special interest groups..

Ah, but where to begin? You can't eliminate special interest groups without jeopardizing that portion of pork that you somehow feel is necessary. The Lower House is elected every two years, which means they spend half their time campaigning.

The original Congress was not paid for their service. Now, anyone lucky to survive one term is set for life. What can you glean from that disparity?

[sk8ndestroy14]

As James Madison put it, factions are undesirable, yet inevitable in a democracy.

[sk8ndestroy14]

Yea, their astronomy methods were extremely advanced.. I don't know what your talking about concerning the europeans.. From what I've learned, the entire Mayan people just disappeared one day. The Europeans walked right into their city with no struggle b/c there were no people..

The Mayans also made very interesting patterns on the ground that could only be seen from above.. Many people believe they had contact with alien life.. It's all very interesting..

I saw a documentary about it a while ago. From what I remember I think it was some European nation (sorry jbennet if it was England/Scotland lol I don't remember) that came in and fought with the Mayans and many of their documents were destroyed. They didn't agree with human sacrafice and other things and that created a dislike for the Mayans. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I remember it.

[joshSCH]

Yea, I think it was a little of both. The Mayans had no capital city.. And it had been during their decline when the Spanish (? maybe) attacked, and took a couple of their cities. However, I think a majority of the Mayan people simply dispersed from its civilization, and not much is truly known about why they all left.

[Aia]

I saw a documentary about it a while ago. From what I remember I think it was some European nation (sorry jbennet if it was England/Scotland lol I don't remember) that came in and fought with the Mayans and many of their documents were destroyed. They didn't agree with human sacrafice and other things and that created a dislike for the Mayans. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I remember it.

Are you sure that it was England or Scontland?.
Bishop Diego de Landa from Spain is very "well" known for ordering to destroy by fire almost every known Maya book. If my memory do not deceive me, only 6 examples survived that monstrosity.

[edit] I found this link about it in wikipedia [edit]
[edit] Only three books survived [edit]

[jbennet]

I saw a documentary about it a while ago. From what I remember I think it was some European nation (sorry jbennet if it was England/Scotland lol I don't remember) that came in and fought with the Mayans and many of their documents were destroyed.

Im pretty sure that you are referring to teh Spanish Inquisition ?

[Icarus_Night]

I'm pretty sure that you are referring to the Spanish Inquisition ?

jbennet,

I believe you are referring to the Spanish Conquest, which commissioned such Conquistadores as Vasco de Gama, Hernando de Soto, Ponce de Leon (yes, Atlantans, it is more than a street name), and Columbus. Cortes wiped out the Aztecs, and Pizarro took on the Incas. The Mayans have already been discussed.

The Spanish Inquisition took place on the European continent. If you don't want to look it up, PM me, and I'll give you the nutshell version.

The U.S.A. is the last remaining superpower in the world. Like it or not, our problems started many years before the current Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary leadership, but national decline is something we all share.

The British Empire is but a shadow of its former self. The Spanish navy never recovered from the loss of their armada. The Japanese no longer rule the Pacific. The U.S.S.R. is now a loose confederation of states (that don't play well with each other, by the way), and recent attempts to unite groups of nations into a larger power have by and large failed. The UN is as dysfunctional as you can get, and even OPEC members hate and fight against each other. So much for one big happy.

Looking at history, all previous world powers have fallen. This includes the Mayan, Roman, Egyptian, Persian, and Babylonian cultures with no exception. I am one who loves my country, but who can say that one nation will be able to break that cycle?

My solution is to look at the factors that caused these other nations to crumble and to take steps to prevent that from happening. If there is a cancer, cut it out. If there is something good that is struggling, nourish it so it may grow. This negativity is killing us as a global people. I haven't been around as long as Ancient Dragon, but I've learned a lot from the wisdom of his generation, from books and online studies, and also in my travels to other parts of the world.

Trying to get back on the intended topic of this thread, the point of the matter returns to if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. I call myself a historian, and I decry those who change the facts of history for their various purposes.

I'm sure I stepped on someone's toes out there, but that's the way I see it. I'm nothing but a canary in a coal mine on this topic.:-/

[jbennet]

i agree

[joshSCH]

Yes, we must learn from history or else we are doomed to repeat it. However, the United States will one day fall.. it is inevitable. There is nothing we can do to stop this, nothing. Everything that has a beginning has an end, and as you can see from past empires.. all have fallen except the ones in existence today. It is simple logic. We don't know when it will end though.. It could happen in our lifetime or it could happen 1000s of years down the road..

[sk8ndestroy14]

I like the way you said that. They have all fallen except for the ones in existence today. Lol. But anyway, I didn't say it was England or Scotland. I just knew it was some European nation.

[joshSCH]

haha.. I know, sounded bad when I wrote it. I hoped you wouldn't catch that :p

But seriously, Every nation in the history of man has had a rise to power, a climax, a fall, and destruction. Reasoning and logic tell us that we shall suffer the same fate :)

[twomers]

>> Every nation in the history of man has had a rise to power
I can see it now ... You don't realise how small Ireland really is.

[joshSCH]

Hey, I didn't say it had to be a large rise in power.. A quick, very sharp and undifferential curve may be more like Ireland ;)