Class War is in America's roots

[Joanne98]

"The U.S. has never been a society riven by class resentment."
- David Brooks

According to wealthy conservatives, class and wealth inequality has never been a factor in American history. Of course these are the same guys who believe that the Boston Tea Party was about high tea taxes when in fact it was a protest against government tax breaks for a huge multinational corporation.
Can you imagine today's Tea Party movement protesting corporate tax cuts? I can't.

Today's Tea Party, which is largely ignorant about the event that it is named from, would be shocked to discover the revolutionary spirit of America was founded on class war.

gjohnsit's diary :: ::
Bacon's Rebellion

A century before the Declaration of Independence, America was undergoing a revolution. However, this revolution was not based on a desire for independence from England. This revolution was all about fighting class and racial oppression.
Society in the Virginia Colony of the 1670's was beginning to resemble society of England. The Tidewater Gentry made up only about 5% of the population of the colony, but owned nearly all the best land. The lower classes were pushed into the interior country were Indian attacks were frequent and the land was rocky.

The causes of the rebellion were included such items as lack of protection from native American attacks, high taxes, restrictions on the right to vote, and subordination to an aristocratic minority.

The two protagonists were William Berkeley, already 70-years old during Bacon's Rebellion, and Nathaniel Bacon, 40 years younger than Berkeley.
Both were members of the ruling class, but only Bacon fought for the interests of the lower classes.

It became a rebellion of the poor and landless against the established planters of the day. Further intensifying this division, Bacon freed all servants who would agree to take up arms against their former masters.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/11/27/923615/-Class-War-is-in-Americas-roots

[rfranklin]

1. They were protesting a VAT tax which is a darling of many conservatives...

which means many Teabaggers. They are so ignorant it hurts, i.e., "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!"

[DBoon]

2. "raise less corn and more hell"

when class warfare engulfed the midwest