The Empire of Liberty – Why I write

In the next few weeks, I will be publishing a series of posts on the blog I write for outlining the history of US imperialism since the founding of the first British colony at Jamestown in1607. I am basing these posts on both my study of US history and my experience in the anti-imperialist, anti-racist movement beginning in the mid-1960s. 

I date my understanding of imperialism and racism (both inexorably tied together) to my active opposition to the Vietnam War. I first became involved in the anti-war movement in the fall of 1966, as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, but moved quickly to adopting an anti-imperialist analysis. Funny how a few stints in prison can enlighten you to the workings of the imperialism and white supremacy.

Nothing that has happened since has swayed me from this understanding. In fact, looking at the events of the 50+ years since then has deepened my understanding of anti-imperialism and white supremacy and my commitment to the struggle against it. Although I have witnessed many setbacks in that struggle, I continued to be buoyed by the credo of FRELIMO, the 1970s national liberation movement in Mozambique, "A luta continua, vitória é certa". A better world is possible and we must continue the struggle, “if not for ourselves, then for our children and our children’s children”.

The US response to the war in Ukraine and the failure of many progressive forces to understand the role of US imperialism in the conflict has energized me to write a short history of US imperialism and its foundation in the paradigms of white supremacy. In previous posts I have raised the question as to why the horrors of this war are paraded before us as war crimes, but not those being waged against people of color in the Global South. The answer, of course, should be obvious, but sometimes you need to state the obvious.

I hope you will read the analysis and if it makes sense, disseminate it broadly. And please take the time to comment and criticize the posts.

George Vlasits

Student of history and anti-imperialist activist