Post #3560885
2026-07-03 12:16 UTC
"The 4th of July, 1776, as an act of rebellion, triggered a war. The Star Spangled Banner is a song about war (have you ever seen the full version?)
Was it inevitable? Was it necessary?
Was it as revolutionary as we like to think?
A thoughtful discussion on this week’s New Yorker Radio Hour podcast asked the question, “What did the American Revolution look like from Britain?”
More provocatively, host #DavidRemnick asked, “In the long-run, are we better off than we would have been had we remained part of the Commonwealth like #Canada, #Australia, and #NewZealand?”
I would like to suggest a #Jewish angle to this question for your #Shabbat table:
Which country has been better for #Jews and #Jewish life: the #USA, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand?
Some points to consider:"
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/was-the-4th-good-for-the-jews/
Replies (1)
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@josh0@babka.social 2026-07-03 14:44
@dukepaaron@babka.social I’ve pondered the question of whether or not American independence was actually a good thing, but ultimately it comes down to being unknowable. The biggest argument I tend to hear in favor of remaining British was that Britain ended slavery much sooner than the US. However, part of the reason Britain was motivated to end slavery was because, having lost control of the American South, it was no longer a money-making institution for Britain. Had the American colonies remained in the Empire, it’s entirely reasonably to assume the Empire would have been happy to continue profiting off of enslaved labor.