Now that I understand the history and context of colonialism a bit more, I've come to a few realizations.
I already knew that the United States founded on slavery and land theft. I have ancestral connection to many of the lands that were taken and exploited. In addition, many of us know that United States would have never been able to achieve its status if it weren't for the outright shameful institution of slavery - importing black people from Africa and forcing them to work under abysmal conditions, while they lost connection to their previous lives and culture. Capitalism, locally and globally, would not have flourished without the exploitation and degradation of fellow human beings - an extremely problematic mindset that would continue to operate oppressively for centuries to come.
For the United States, the idea of "freedom" was a farce for marginalized people of color from its conception. For indigenous people, colonization meant a permanent end to the freedom enjoyed prior to settlement. For the Indians that survived, continued survival meant forced assimilation. Our great grandparents had no choice but to live under the submission of the oppressor - there was no other way. It was carried out by a deliberate show of force.
After it became bad PR for settlers to continue to carry out a genocide, assimilation became the new policy and "kill the Indian save the man" became the famous motto. While boarding school institutions were formed to kidnap Indian children and force them to adapt the ways of the white man, historians were rewriting and whitewashing the story of what was happening to that of bold conquest. Andrew Jackson, Indian killer, was a Western hero. Manifest destiny was widely romanticized from the "Old World" aka Europe to their new world. As the newly formed nation became a major player in the global scheme, public relations became key to managing internal rebellion.
They tricked us into thinking slavery ended. Because of internalized pressures, those in power knew the new colonial empire would cease to exist if they continued to be so open about their cruelty. So their solution? After a bloody war and many massacres, the abolition of slavery in the United States was achieved. It was a tremendous breakthrough that gave hope and a brighter future for many, though waged through continued oppression and discrimination.
Slavery then became exported. Companies like United Fruit waged war on indigenous peoples, polluted their water, and enslaved others. Governments waged guerilla wars, sponsored by the United States, against some of its own people many countries in South America, Central America, Africa, and beyond. The United States continues to make a profit from the conflict that stems from prior conflict. Global hegemony and dominance were made into standard practice. The United States caught up on its PR game too. They began to condemn the very countries they were exploiting and wash their hands of all liability. In the interests of capitalism, it paid to have others do the dirty work, literally. Colonialism and slavery went global, fueled by the hegemony and greed of every Euro-centric country that espoused it for their benefit.
I have no doubt that good people are excited about the recent Harriet Tubman spotlight. She was a woman who literally was a guiding light to freedom. She worked to dismantle slavery - courageously risking her own life to free her own people. I mean, we could all use some inspiration, right? We need people like Harriet Tubman to look up to. We very much should celebrate those who have righteously stood firm for decent treatment as human beings.
However, we shouldn't be fooled either. A lot of us, myself included, were fooled by our state sponsored education system into thinking slavery ended. But exported slavery is still slavery... and people of color worldwide cannot claim the same victory. Colonialism continues to enslave and exploit.
Given this history, it is understandable that the call was made to replace Andrew Jackson's colonizer face with Harriet Tubman's. But isn't it just a little bit ironic, making Harriet Tubman the global face of capitalism of U.S. Dominance and supremacy? Would she have wanted that? Andrew Jackson was a tyrant - but he perfectly represents what that green piece of paper stands for - consumerism, capitalism, and colonialism. Harriet Tubman would be a misrepresentation of the face of currency - her worth is so much more than that.
