A Force of Character

While on a break from garden work, I came across this:

One of the many great things about Paul Johnson’s magisterial A History of the American People is that he begins that history in the Sixteenth Century. There was an identifiable, culturally distinguishable American People long before there was a Revolutionary War, a Constitution, or a central government. The American People, by their industry and ingenuity, didn’t just build successful businesses… they built the most successful nation in history — and all, somehow, without HUD, Fannie, Freddie, the EPA, OSHA…

[my emphasis]

From Andrew McCarthy's article up at PJMedia today. I don't know the book to which he refers (which was copyright 1985) but that second sentence reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from The Beards' Basic History of the United States (1944):

Years marked by wars, religious controversies and persecutions, political disputes, and royal despotism lay behind the decision to leave Europe and migrate to the English colonies. But there was something in the spirit of those who made the break-- a force of character not simply determined by economic, political, or religious conditions-- that made them different from their neighbors who remained in the turmoil and poverty of the Old World.

[my emphasis]

If I recall my basic population genetics correctly, we'd call this a 'founder effect.' Those with a force of character put an ocean between themselves and their weaker neighbors.

~~

By the way, you can purchase a used copy of The Beards' book for one red cent at Amazon. But don't get the one their son edited that came out in 1960 unless you want to see how easy it is to re-write history.