It’s very easy to think the world today operates pretty similar to the way it did 200 years ago – the younger you are, the more you assume things have always been the way they are today.
Let’s turn the time machine backwards and list the technologies that did not exist in 1776 to appreciate how the world was different
Things that did not exist in 1776:
Cell Phones
The Internet
GPS
Computers in the home
Communications Satellites
Television
Transocean communications cables
Radioactive Carbon Dating
Nuclear Energy and Weapons
Machine Guns
Radio
Nylon (Synthetic fibers)
Airplanes
Concrete Road Paving
Automobiles
Air Conditioning
Light Bulbs
Recorded Sounds
Telephones
Movies
Asphalt road paving
Hot Typesetting for Newspapers
Telegraph
Electricity Generation
Electric Streetcars
Typewriter
Batteries
Plastic
Sanitary Sewage systems
Steel
Smokeless Gunpowder
Sewing Machines
Horse Carriages
Stagecoaches
Railroads
Photography
Vulcanized Rubber
Rotary powered printing presses
Steam Engines
Oil Refining
Coal heating
Fountain Pens
Bicycle
Powered Looms for making cloth
Refrigeration / Ice Box
Coal gas lighting
What did exist:
Horses, Horse drawn plows, paths, wooden bridges
Postal mail by horseback
Sailing Ships, Canoes
Paper
Plagues from diseases of unknown origin
Manual printing presses using movable type
Muskets
Cannons
Whale oil lamps, candles
Wood fireplaces
What also existed in the eighteenth century:
Really bad politicians
Political corruption
Taxes
Other things that did not exist:
Marxism /Socialism
Feminism
Darwinism
Freud/Psychobabble
Hundreds (Thousands?) of Syndromes/Isms other excuses for selfish behaviors blamed on others or society in general
Would you prefer feudalism? How about slavery? Women as chattel property? Forced conscription by the King? Debtors prison? An average lifespan below 40 years old… (less in the South)
One word prevents me from waxing nostalgic about yesteryear, at least to the point that I want to go back there. Dentistry.
Foyle… Marxism/Socialism did in fact exist in the 18th Century in the form of the French Revolution. Marx, Engels, et al used the French Revolution as the foundation to their Manifesto.
The hatred for Christianity and the formation of a state-backed religion, the Terror that ensued which swallowed some of the creators, and even something rather simplistic as abolishing the calling of each other “mister” and replacing it with “citizen” really shows the direction taken by “L’incorruptible” and his followers.
You are correct JayMar, the philosophies of the 18th century certainly paved the way for Marx/Engels and the American Revolution followed by the French Revolutions demonstrated the “new world” of “human potential” that had begun.
I believe there is a direct line that can be drawn from those events and philosophies not only to Marx/Darwin/Freud but also to runaway Federal Government (courtesy of Lincoln) followed by Woodrow Wilson & the Progessives (birth of the nanny state), WWI & II, the rise of Mao/Hitler/Stalin, etc etc
Events do not happen in isolation. Looking back at history and then examining where the world is in 2010 portends a very bleak future for those willing to open their eyes and see it.
A few other things to consider: 95% of the population of America lived in a rural setting, mostly on their own farms. There were few stores (as we know them today) and that includes grocery stores, so most people were largely self-sufficient and had an independent streak a mile wide. Business was often done on a hand-shake and so was hiring a new employee. Resumes did not exist, nor did most people leave a paper trail. Credit was based on personal experience, not an application, and a person’s reputation was everything. Modesty was a positive personal characteristic, as were piety, prudence, frugality, prudence and moderation. Alcohol was watered down. School was not free and not paid for by someone else. Laws were few and the average person could both know and understand them. Deodorant and any type of shampoo were unavailable to most. Hearing aids consisted of a small horn and glasses were only for the ultra-wealthy. Fans were powered by human muscle and heat was provided by an open fire. Closets didn’t exist because no one had enough personal possessions/clothing to need one. Hallways were also unheard of – who had a home big enough to need one? Music was live – always. Memories were treasured because there were no photographs or video tapes. Actors were considered the scum of society. Books were rare and expensive. Childhood was brief and adult responsibilities came fast. No one could legally claim that he/she had a right to be taken care of by another, and most people wanted the freedom to make their own choices and to take care of themselves. Land was the ultimate expression of wealth and power. One of the jobs available was that of picking up buckets of “crap” (they used a different word) from households when they were full. Sewage treatment plants didn’t exist. A vaccine for smallpox was just becoming available, and most people bore the scars of an encounter with the disease on their face.
Many things change – some for the better, some for the worse. Wouldn’t it be nice if humans all took a bit more time making choices about the path to go down?
One thing I left off – the list can get quite long – is we did have oil painting and statues. That’s how we know what George Washington looked like. It was a tedious process, but it was also possible to print artwork. The distinction was that a photograph captures what the camera sees, not what the artist wants something to look like (of course a good photographer can also infuse the image with their own perspective)