In honor of our last celebrated holiday, Independence Day, I thought I would take a look at what America really means and what it was founded on. I’ll be honest; I know the Fourth of July does not really make a lot of people want to go do research on the 1700s and the super powers and governments of the time, but as a history major, I will take any excuse I can get.
If you look back at how America was founded and why, it really is an incredible story that we as Americans can be proud of. From the very beginning, the United States of America was different than any other country, due to who founded it and what principles were established for this country. This difference can be easily seen in the Declaration of Independence. The most famous lines in American history, and pretty substantial ones for the rest of world history as well, came in the first three lines of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, “We the People...;” this simple phrase changed everything and I will tell you why.
The super powers at the time were all ruled by a monarch, so a country that was founded by the people without a ruling class or aristocracy like European countries, was completely “revolutionary.” The Founding Fathers did not stop there, The Declaration goes on to state that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…endowed…with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These amazing words gave the common person just as much right and protection as the wealthy. With the Declaration, America declared its independence from not only the rule of England but from the binds of its government systems. How amazing is that? The U.S and its beliefs changed the course of history with a single declaration! A little geeky, I know, but our history is remarkable.
Looking at America today, we do not always see this amazing equalizer, instead we see some of America’s greatest mistakes and awful happenings like war and destruction. Focusing on these type of things can cause us to forget what America was founded upon. I know that America is not perfect - no country is - but I still believe in America as a great nation; not because of the bad, but because of where we came from. America sprouted from a new noble idea that everyone holds a right to have a say in what happens in their government and has a right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Though Independence Day has passed, the Presidential Election is coming up and we should take our time and consider what it means to us. Will this election be something of shame due to atrocities or something of great pride for the noble beginning? I encourage you to think about what you want America to mean to you, because the fate of America and its legacy rests in our hands and we have the potential to make it the country that we have always wanted and dreamed it could be.
