Free college? That doesn’t sound very American, does it? America. Land of the free, land of the brave, land of earning everything you get. Including your college education. America wants us to work for our education, because, well, it isn’t included in the Bill of Rights, is it? Now I never took AP Government, but I’m pretty sure it’s not. But neither is the “American way.” No, this ideology goes back much further than the Constitution. I would speculate that the notion that you only deserve something if you "work hard" for it proves as inaccessible as the American Dream, and can be attributed to the same people who (claimed to have) founded this country.

Driven by the belief that this land was theirs for the taking, our Founding Fathers, conveniently ignoring the humans who were already occupying it, moved West and constructed an empire. But many people who have an understanding of U.S. history— or have seen the trailer for Birth of a Nation— know that our Founding Fathers did not build this country on their own. But they still earned it, right? Earned it despite decimating nations and stealing those people’s land. Earned it despite capturing and enslaving a race of human beings and later denying them the title of human. Earned it because it was “God’s Will.” “God’s Will” that they were chosen for this. Chosen to found their country, no matter how many innocent lives were violated and lost. Chosen to found their country, no matter how much (forced) assistance they utilized.

Is it also “God’s Will” that 44.2 million American students are burdened with a cumulative debt of over $1.2 trillion? It must be. What else do we tell college graduates with obscene amounts of debt before they’re 22? Or the countless qualified students unable to attend the four-year university they worked so hard for because of its price tag? Do we say that it wasn’t “God’s Will?” Do we say they didn’t work hard enough? Do we throw up our hands and say, well that’s just the “American way?” Or do we say, this country wasn't built on borrowed help?

No, because to say that is to lie.

Free college may appear un-American and against the ideals that built this nation; however, free college proves in accordance with the practices that built this country. I do not, and will not ever, advocate for this practice, yet claiming America herself earned everything she has is a lie. Therefor, saying free college opposes American ideals brings to light America's hypocrisy, rather than her virtues.

But we can change. Schools across the country teach students that they should never be afraid to ask for help. So why won't the country listen? We live in a changing world where a Bachelor's degree holds the same weight as a high school diploma did under 50 years ago. We have to change.