--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's something deeply rooted in…" description: "\"There's something deeply rooted in American culture. You can pretty much identify what it was. You take a look at the history. It was internal conquest..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/noam-chomsky-42_american-culture_there-s-something-deeply-rooted-in-ameri_2844098.jpg" --- # There's something deeply rooted in American culture. You… ![“There's something deeply rooted in American culture. You can pretty much identify what it was. You take a look at the history. It was internal conquest. You had to defend yourself against what the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, an enlightened figure, called the attacks of the…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/noam-chomsky-42_american-culture_there-s-something-deeply-rooted-in-ameri_2844098.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/noam-chomsky-42_american-culture_there-s-something-deeply-rooted-in-ameri_2844098.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/noam-chomsky-42_american-culture_there-s-something-deeply-rooted-in-ameri_2844098.jpg) > “There's something deeply rooted in American culture. You can pretty much identify what it was. You take a look at the history. It was internal conquest. You had to defend yourself against what the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, an enlightened figure, called the attacks of the "merciless Indian savages," whose known way of warfare was torture and destruction. Also you had a slave population, you had to protect yourself against them. You needed guns.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Analyzes American foundations in terms of internal conflict, violence, and the need for defense against both indigenous peoples and enslaved populations. **In simple terms:** America built on internal wars and oppression. Key Takeaway Recognize complex historical roots. Themes history conflict colonialism Mood critical somber Type historical political When to use this quote - education curriculum - public discourse - policy making Key Concepts power dynamics national identity Questions to Reflect On - How do we reconcile these narratives? - What lessons guide current policy? A Different Perspective Simplifies nuanced history. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Declaration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration/) [Declaration of independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration-of-independence/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian/) [Savages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savages/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) ## Related quotes > [Thomas Jefferson understood the greater purpose of the liberty that our Founding Fathers sought during the creation of our Nation. Although it was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/thomas-jefferson-understood-the-greater-purpose-of-the-liberty-that/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“The document that heralded our national revolution, the Declaration of Independence, was penned by Thomas Jefferson. Within that text, he did not cover any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-e-fanonne-jeffers/the-document-that-heralded-our-national-revolution-the-declaration-of/) Honorée Fanonne Jeffers > [“ Tom Paine has almost no influence on present-day thinking in the United States because he is unknown to the average citizen. Perhaps I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-edison/tom-paine-has-almost-no-influence-on-present-day-thinking-in-the/) [Thomas Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-edison/) > [“We hold these truths to be self-evident. { Franklin's edit to the assertion in Thomas Jefferson 's original wording, 'We hold these truths to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-franklin-s-edit-to-the/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Without Thomas Jefferson and his Declaration of Independence, there would have been no American revolution that announced universal principles of liberty. Without his participation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/without-thomas-jefferson-and-his-declaration-of-independence-there/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/it-was-right-then-that-i-started-thinking-about-thomas-jefferson-on/) [Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/) > [“Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/here-was-buried-thomas-jefferson-author-of-the-declaration-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Thomas Jefferson, the leading Enlightenment figure in the United States, along with Benjamin Franklin, who took exactly the same view, argued that dependence will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thomas-jefferson-the-leading-enlightenment-figure-in-the-united/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Thomas Jefferson had rather serious concerns about the fate of the democratic experiment.28 He feared the rise of a new form of absolutism that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thomas-jefferson-had-rather-serious-concerns-about-the-fate-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“...The Presidential election has given me less anxiety than I myself could have imagined. The next administration will be a troublesome one, to whomsoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-presidential-election-has-given-me-less-anxiety-than-i-myself/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [America, to me, is this enormous contrast between the heady idealism of founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson, who said, 'All men are created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/america-to-me-is-this-enormous-contrast-between-the-heady-idealism-of/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/probably-the-greatest-concentration-of-talent-and-genius-in-this/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Thomas Jefferson was a real poet. He was slick with that 'pursuit' of happiness because the 'pursuit' puts it back on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/thomas-jefferson-was-a-real-poet-he-was-slick-with-that-pursuit-of/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More American culture quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [And certainly in British culture, as I'm sure it's the same with American culture, we warm to cultures where people can make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/and-certainly-in-british-culture-as-i-m-sure-it-s-the-same-with/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [Canada could have enjoyed: English government, French culture, and American know-how. Instead it ended up with: English know-how, French government, and American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/canada-could-have-enjoyed-english-government-french-culture-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In contemporary American culture, the religions are more and more treated as just passing beliefs - almost as fads - rather than as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/in-contemporary-american-culture-the-religions-are-more-and-more/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [Being educated in the United States gave me a good understanding of American culture. I think I got a lot of influence from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/being-educated-in-the-united-states-gave-me-a-good-understanding-of/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [“From the isolated, individualistic perspective of most white evangelicals and many other Americans, there really is no race problem other than bad interpersonal relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-smith/from-the-isolated-individualistic-perspective-of-most-white/) [Christian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-smith/) > [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [In American culture at large, but especially in African American culture, it's a sign of weakness to ask for help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/in-american-culture-at-large-but-especially-in-african-american/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Browse all 437 American culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's something deeply rooted in American culture. 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