Circle the wagons

Circle the wagons




From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the idiom. For the defensive tactic it refers to, see Wagon fort. For the Darkthrone album, see Circle the Wagons (album).
Circle the wagons is an English language idiom which may refer to a group of people who unite for a common purpose. Historically the term was used to describe a defensive maneuver which was employed by the Americans in 19th century. The term has evolved colloquially to mean people defending each other.

Etymology
Further information: Wagon fort
In America during the mid 1800s many pioneers traveled west by wagon. Typically these were Conestoga wagons and they traveled west in a single file line known as a wagon train. At night the wagons would form a circle around their encampment and livestock for defensive reasons.

"Circling the wagon" is still an idiomatic expression for a person or group preparing to defend themselves against attack or criticism.

English language uses
In contemporary English the phrase Circle the wagons is often used figuratively and idiomatically to describe members of a group protecting each other, for instance when political parties and groups defend their own views and chastise those outside of their group.

Cultural insensitivity
The term frequently describes rival factions banding together to support one another. Some indigenous people view the term as offensive based on its literal meaning stemming from the manifest destiny era. Critics have said the term is culturally insensitive and evokes racist images of Native Americans.

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Als Wagenburg werden zu einer Defensivformation aufgefahrene Wagen eines Wagenparks bezeichnet, die zum Uebernachten oder Verschanzen eine aehnliche Funktion wahrnehmen wie Wallanlagen oder Mauern bei Festungen oder Burgen. Als Form kommen bei Wagenburgen in erster Linie Kreis oder Viereck, je nach Gelaende aber auch andere geometrische Figuren in Frage. Sie sind seit aeltester Zeit als zweckmaessiges Schutz- und Verteidigungsmittel bekannt und wurden von Nomaden, wandernden Voelkern und ziehenden Armeen verwendet. Bekannteste Beispiele sind die Wagenburgen der germanischen Voelker und der Hussiten.