That "blue line" looking extra thin in comparison right now.
There has ALWAYS been more that "We the People" have had in common than we ever had in difference.
America became a country in 1776.
The first police department in the United States was established in New York City in 1844 (it was officially organized in 1845).
That means America existed for nearly 70 years w/o an official organized police force.
...and do you know why it was created???
Beginning in the early 19th century, large numbers of immigrants from
Germany and
Ireland settled in the steadily growing urban centres of New York City and Boston. Their
cultures and lifestyles initially offended the sensibilities of Americans whose families, mainly from England and The Netherlands, had settled in the country in the previous century or earlier. Indeed, the existence of large immigrant populations in the crowded cities of the East was perceived as a threat to the very fabric of American society. Eventually, the political, economic, and social dominance of Americans of English and Dutch extraction was eroded. Meanwhile, crime, rioting, and other disturbances became
endemic in the cities reflecting the vast inequality between the established white folks and the newly arrived white folks.
The original MAGA.
Where do you think terms like "Paddy Wagon" come from?
The first theory is the poor Irish folks were turned into cops because no respectable Englishman would take such a lowly job and who better to keep these "new" immigrants in line than other immigrants who knew the culture, spoke the language, and were eager for someone to look down on.
Think "Gangs of New York"...
The second theory goes back further, to the 1840s and 1850s, when according to some accounts the majority of people being transported by police were poverty-stricken Irish Americans acting out against their destitute conditions.
Here's where some of the confusion begins: the term "Paddy" has not always been derogatory. In fact, the Irish have historically used the term to describe themselves, with it only becoming a slur when it was co-opted by others.
Sorta like the N-word is today but not exactly.
The first usage of the word that I can find dates back to 1798, to an anti-British folksong, claiming that the English, who were occupying the island, were hanging the Irish for wearing green clothes. The song plays as a conversation between Irish exiles, and the word "Paddy" is used as a stand-in for all the Irish people.
The lie is coming to an end.