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1724: The Year Trump Thought America Was Great
He Finally Told Us the Year
Ever since Donald Trump launched his “Make America Great Again” slogan, I’ve been trying to figure out what timeframe he was referring to when he said “again.” In a recent rally in Las Vegas, Trump finally acknowledged he wanted to take America back to 1724, 300 years ago.
“Let’s go back another 300 years. We are going to liberate our country!” — Donald Trump (29 minute 50 second mark)
I knew I had heard him mention “300 years,” but I couldn’t find the quote anywhere. Before coming across it, I listened to two full Trump speeches from this past weekend in California and Las Vegas. It’s always the last place you look.
So, what did the America Donald Trump desired to look like in 1724? It wasn’t a country yet, coming 52 years before the Declaration of Independence in 1776. There weren’t even thirteen colonies yet. North and South Carolina were a single colony, Georgia would become the last of the 13 colonies, and Florida would be controlled by either Great Britain or Spain until 1821, when it became an American territory.
The term Manifest Destiny wouldn’t be created for another 100+ years, though westward expansion was already a thing. Three European nations were laying claim to various parts of the New World. Spanish missionaries and forts expanded into what would become Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. France laid claim to the Louisiana Territory and much of Canada. Great Britain established colonies throughout the Northeast and South of Florida.
Trump claims America today is being sent criminals and people from insane asylums. The colonies in 1724 were a dumping ground for the worst criminals from European countries, plus those deemed insane. Britain was famous for sending its unwanted to Australia but also sent tens of thousands to America. After Scotland lost the Battle of Dunbar in 1650. Many of the losers were sent to America, Carolina in particular. You may have seen that play out in the Netflix series, “How accurate is ‘Outlander’s’ portrayal of colonial America? We break it down (ourmidland.com):” About 1,200 Jacobite prisoners that would now be considered terrorists were sent to…
