This poll doesn't concern today's politics, but American views on the country's past. The poll asked respondents what were the worst mistakes in the country's history and the best moments in that history. It should come as no surprise that slavery ranked as the worst mistake. It was an odious chapter in that history, and one that no decent American can help but be ashamed of. And the same can be said of the second place "mistake" -- the genocidal treatment of Native Americans.
What I did find interesting though were the two events that tied for third place -- the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. The Iraq War did not cause the deaths of nearly as many Americans as the Vietnam War, but it has quickly become very unpopular with the public (who now don't think it was even necessary to wage that war). The government should take notice. Americans are tired of fighting unnecessary wars in other countries.
Another interesting thing is that one event made both the worst and best lists -- the New Deal. There's little doubt that one is ruled by politics (with the left-wing liking it and the right-wing hating it).
the one thing that surprises me most on these charts is how low the figure is for the japanese internment. these were loyal american citizens that were imprisoned, many of which who had family members fighting in our armed forces at the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That was a dark moment in our history, and should have been higher on the worst list.
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