American isolationism predates the founding of the nation. When he relinquished command of the Continental Army, George Washington famously told his officers, “Avoid entangling alliances”, which meant the new country shouldn't get caught up in Europe’s wars. The irony wasn’t lost on some of those soldiers, since France had just helped the Americans win their war with Britain. Circa 1850, the US birthed the Know Nothing party, which opposed immigrants of any kind and the Roman Catholic Church, among the laundry list of other dangers. In the early 20th Century, GOP Senators sank the League of Nations because they didn’t want the pointless Rest of the World bothering the good old USA. There are echos even now when somebody says, “Why do we spend all that money on foreign aid? Why aren’t we helping people here?” Here’s why.
© 2024 John Oliver
Substack is the home for great culture