Meldrum’s 14 Factors Claiming Proof of an Apalachicola, Florida, landing site for Lehi – Part VI

Continued from the previous post regarding an evaluation of Meldrum’s 14 factors, and why a voyage around Africa for Lehi and a landing in Florida is ill-founded. The first 8 factors were posted in the earlier articles, here we continue below with Meldrum’s 9^th Factor:

9. Promised Land: Book of Mormon speaks of a Land of Liberty. (36 others) USA, not Mesoamerica.

It is important to understand the meaning of liberty and how it has been used throughout history. The term “Land and Liberty” (Spanish "Tierra y Libertad," Russian: Zemlya i Volya") is an anarchist slogan, and originally used as a name of the Russian revolutionary organization in 1878, then by the revolutionary leaders of the Mexican Revolution, which was fought over land rights, and the leaders such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa were fighting to give the land back to the people from whom it was expropriated. Without land, the peasants had no liberty—the slogan “Tierra y Libertad” means “Land and Freedom.“ 

 

Left: The Russian Revolution” Right: The Mexican Revolution

 

Similarly, during the Russian Revolution, the main concern of the people was to free themselves from subservience to landowners, to get a plot of land if they had none, or to expand on their land holdings. "Zemlya i Volya" means "Land and Liberty".

In addition, according to Julian Hoppit, Professor of British History, University College London—England was considered a “Land of Liberty” during the years before the rise of their colonies in North America (Julian Hoppit, A Land of Liberty: England 1689-1727, New Oxford History of England, Oxford University Press, 2002). Both Russia and Mexico obtained their liberty, though the Russian liberty was short-lived.

In addition, a land of liberty is not exclusive to just the United States, generally called America, except in Latin America, where the people and governments of Central and South American also consider themselves Americans, and the world recognizes the American continents as America. We, in the United States outside of governments are one of the few peoples on the globe that think the term “American” means only the U.S.

While the United States is considered a “Land of Liberty,” and has been, perhaps, the freest country during the latter half of the last century, most of the countries in South America have been free—meaning people there are free to live their lives as they choose, and liberty abides in almost all of the land. In addition, people of Scandinavia, France, Denmark, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, South Pacific Islands are among many of the countries that are seats of liberty.

Having said that, there is no question Liberty abides in the Western Hemisphere, and the U.S. has become the “shining city on the hill” and has been the seat of very important events in Church history; however, since Lehi was promised a land, and his descendants after time became the indigenous peoples of the Americas, we find the area where Lehi’s posterity—the Lamanites—“shall blossom as the rose” (D&C 49:24-25; emphasis added) more in South America than elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere.

First of all, while Peru gained independence 45 years after the United States at which time Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Argentine and Chile were already independent.

The battle for Ecuadorian independence

 

Ecuador and Brazil followed Peru a year later; Bolivia, and Uruguay four years later—between 1810 and 1825, 10 countries in South America gained their independence—almost all through civil wars—following the example of the U.S. Today, Peruvians are about 80% Native American, 16% European, and 3% African, with indigenous people making up 45% of the entire population. While native Americans in the U.S. have broken into tribal groups, with no national or even regional ties, the native Americans in Peru have formed national and regional groups for various reasons—usually for political or social purposes.

Such indigenous peoples are beginning to hold important positions in government and public offices in South America than elsewhere in the Americas, and are involved in the shaping of their country’s far more than in the United States, where the indigenous peoples of native descent have isolated themselves in individual enclaves of tribal groups where squalor is far more prevalent, with advancement at any level outside the tribe rare. There are 2.7 million indigenous people in the U.S., and four million indigenous people in Peru (which land size is about twice that of Texas but less than the size of Alaska.

Some U.S. people may think of themselves as having the only “land of liberty,” but that is simply not so—liberty exists in many lands. However, the U.S. have been isolated for most of its existence, and even today, see themselves separate from the rest of the world—thus thinking of themselves and their land as separate (and to some, superior) from other lands.

Crops growing round Tallahassee, Florida

 

10. Abundance of Food: Oman and Florida both called “A” Land Bountiful

To most of those in the east, Florida is noted for its mild climate, its ice-free living, and flora growth; it holds the same position as California does to those in the West. However, Florida does not possess a Mediterranean Climate where plant growth, food crops, fruits and vegetables grow in great abundance—the economy of the State of California is the largest in the United States, boasting a $3.2 trillion gross state product. If California were a sovereign nation it would rank as the world's fifth largest economy, ahead of India and behind Germany; on the other hand, Florida's gross domestic product reached $1 trillion. If Florida were an independent nation, it would have the 17th-largest GDP in the world, ranking just behind Indonesia and ahead of Turkey, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Argentina.

California grows over 200 different crops, some grown nowhere else in the nation, with over a third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of the country's fruits and nuts grown there. According to Richard Cornett, Director of Communications, Western Plant Health Association, California leads all of the other states in the country in farm income and is positioned as the agricultural powerhouse of the United States. About 73 percent of the state’s agricultural revenues are derived from crops, which generates almost $8 billion annually, more than any other state. This is because California produces a sizable majority of U.S. fruits, vegetables and nuts; 99 percent of walnuts, 97 percent of kiwis, 97 percent of plums, 95 percent of celery, 95 percent of garlic, 89 percent of cauliflower, 71 percent of spinach, and 69 percent of carrots with the list going on and on—a lot is due to the soil and climate. No other state, or even a combination of states, can match California’s output per acre (“What happens if US loses California food production?” Farm Progress, Informa Markets, New York, Oct 31, 2013).

Almonds are the second largest crop in California, producing 5½-billion dollars per year—grapes are number one, producing 6 ¼-billion per year

 

In fact, California leads the entire U.S. producing almost all of the country's almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, walnuts, and producing 90% of the country’s tomatoes. It also leads in the production of avocados, grapes, lemons, melons, peaches, plums, strawberries, and oranges—only Florida produces more oranges.

Broccoli and carrots rank second followed by asparagus, cauliflower, celery, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Cotton, hay, rice, corn, sugar beets, and wheat are also grown in large quantities—only Texas grows more cotton than California. If any state is going to be called Bountiful, it would be California.

The top five food producing States in the U.S.

 

As for being called “A” Land Bountiful, Lehi gave that name to the area in southern Arabia—where he settled for about two years while Nephi built a ship, that today is considered to be the Salalah Plain in Oman. Only some members of the Church refer to Oman as being a land Bountiful. As for Florida being “A” land Bountiful, that is not a name associated with either Florida or California.

The Bountiful city in Utah was first known as “Sessions' Settlement,” but with the Church designation of North Canyon Ward, both titles being employed rather indiscriminately until 1855, when it was officially named Bountiful. A more fitting appellation could not have been chosen for what was even then called the garden spot of Utah. In any event, the name Bountiful is not something that can be used to validate the Florida landing site, or the location of the Nephite lands.

(See the next post, “Meldrum’s 14 Factors Claiming Proof of an Apalachicola, Florida, landing site for Lehi – Part VII,” regarding an evaluation of Meldrum’s 14 factors, and why a voyage around Africa for Lehi and a landing in Florida is ill-founded)