BACKGROUND OF THE CRISIS
"Understanding the Origins and State of America's Financial Crisis"
OUTLINE
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OUTLINE
(Click on link to jump to that section. Best viewed on computer or in PDF. Some of the layout will be out of proportion in mobile. Click index button for all website pages.)
PART 1: AMERICAN ASCENDANCY -- The Unique Place of the U.S. in the 19th & 20th Centuries
a. Our Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment Heritage --The bold, adventurous and pioneering character of America was forged out of its early settlers who were steeped in the protestant work ethic. Driven by economic and political suffering, and longing for the clear air of personal freedom, these people were willing to leave all the comforts and attachments of their native lands for the rough life of forging a nation out of wilderness. Practical values of life and work learned from the Bible merged together with Europe’s Enlightenment-age quest for knowledge. Together they produced a vision for a new kind of government; one that would not exist for monarchs nor for the elite, but a form of government that would create optimal conditions for individual freedoms and achievement to flourish.
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b. America’s Manifest Destiny – As the 1800’s unfolded, it gradually became apparent that the U.S. was going to become a continent-wide network of states, creating a vast country rich in resources with a youthful, vigorous and expanding population. It is a bit hard to fathom that as late as the year 1800 our Western border-states were Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. Westward development created an ongoing sense of growth and momentum that captivated every facet of American life and thought.
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