The South Dakota State Historical Society has gotten hold of what appears to be one of the guidons General Custer's 7th Cavalry carried into Centennial defeat at the Battle of the Greasy Grass...
...which leads me to Lakota writer Alfred Walking Bull's Fourth of July meditation:
I really do love America. I think the idea, the concept and the ideal of America is a fantastic goal to always strive to become. In practice, however, we suck. And I do say we, because as Natives in this country, we were brought along for the ride, whether we wanted to be brought along or not.
The flip side of that is that during the Battle of the Little Bighorn (better known in Lakota communities as the Battle of Greasy Grass), we kicked the ass of Custer’s Seventh Cavalry. But not only that, the elders used to tell quiet stories about how the survivors of the Seventh survived on the prairie a few days by hiding from us and drinking their own urine, which may or may not be part of the saga of Lakota storytelling, but it signified that we had won, once and for all.
The thing that sealed the deal for us is that when the battle standard for the Seventh fell, Lakota and our allies picked it up. It was a symbol of not just our victory, but our new stewardship over this country that came to us and decided to call itself America. We have thought of ourselves, since that day, as the battle born victors and protectors of this nation. It is why Native Americans (particularly from the plains tribes) have a higher prevalence toward US military service [Alfred Walking Bull, "Happy Fourth of July," Tumblr, 2013.07.04].
We Americans are the conquistadors. We made treaties when it suited us; we broke them when it suited us better. The Lakota, the Cheyenne, the Navajo, and our other Red brethren fought us, fight us, and fight for us. Our native neighbors treasure the same flag we do, a flag they bloodied and captured in battle.
Even the Fourth of July, my happiest holiday, is fraught with irresolvable dichotomy.
We white guys think that the Fourth of July is when we got freedom from those Europeans and their dictatorships. Alfred is right that we need some improvement yet.
Life is fraught with such dichotomies. Good and evil mix and mingle within the hearts of individuals, communities, nations. They are not in this life entirely separable or even always clearly distinguishable to us. Even when they are, such things happen today as Joseph noted to his brothers in Genesis 50:19-20 (and the reverse in which people intend good and get evil, too). July 4th is not exempt (and neither are Christmas or Easter).
Thomas Sowell wrote a series of decent books looking at some of this - CONQUEST AND CULTURES, RACE AND CULTURES, and MIGRATIONS AND CULTURES. They're all worth the trouble of reading.
"We made treaties when it suited us; we broke them when it suited us better"
Standard operating policy for all kinds of governments. Treaties last as long as they benefit both or all parties. Henry Kissinger on real politics has the details.
The Lakota, et al made treaties with other tribes until they could slaughter them.
Bah humbug, the revolution was a flop.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-american-revolution-was-a-flop/2013/07/03/fd077db0-e02b-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html
John, we need more Canadians to serve as our country's conscience.