569. The Roots of US Wall Mentality

The Great Wall of China, a symbol of Chinese civilization, has had a meaningful impact on the culture of the United States, and perhaps unexpectedly so. In recent months, the idea of the Great Wall has frequently been employed in the context of President Donald Trump’s controversial Mexican American border wall. However, the notion of the “Chinese Wall” extends beyond this context and into fields as disparate as business, education, and the military. The Great Wall has cultural roots originating in the nation’s colonial era, when Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin and George Washington recommended that a similar barrier be constructed protecting and maintaining the newly born nation.

In this essay, I will examine the Great Wall’s influence on American culture, with the intent of exploring how broader Chinese cultural elements have imprinted the nation’s history. I will begin this essay with a brief history of the Chinese wall, and then discuss its impact on the young United States prior and immediately following the American Revolution.