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Patriotism, history, and our best words.                                                                                    

Posted at: Dec/07/2023 : Posted by: Mel

Related Category: Society, Watching America,

Despite all the home-grown complainers, America is still considered the “Land of Opportunity.” With our freedoms and the chance for prosperity, the U.S. is the most sought-after immigration target on the globe. Nearly every other democracy is either patterned after or inspired by America. The power of words and ideas, along with the opportunity to freely express them is a key element to what has created the American experience and fostered its success.

Since before its founding, our country has been blessed with extraordinary leaders who steeled our resolve for independence. They invented a new form of government by the people and for the people. Each brought different skills and talents to the cause of freedom demonstrating they were the right leaders for their time. Those who followed guided us ably through nearly two and a half centuries of often treacherous challenges and grave threats. One way to explore American history is through the lens of historic documents that have been honored and preserved for our national heritage.

The American experiment had its genesis in the power of words and ideas. Our historical documents are not just the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, it is also critical essays, speeches and letters. We owe our unparalleled success to the exemplary statesmen —and women— who expressed them. Bold and transcendent figures of their time who defined what it is to be an American and to control our own destinies. Over time, others helped transform public sentiment to advance equality and opportunity, empowering generations that followed. Their eloquent beliefs and convictions along with their ability to transform their ideas into words is worth exploring.

Patrick Henry stirred the nation with his passionate vow, "Give me liberty or give me death," it was the undisputable logic and "common sense" of Thomas Paine that galvanized Americans to declare their independence when he wrote, "Resolution is our inherent character, and courage hath never forsaken us."

John Adams cautioned that only the ballot box in a representative democracy would prevent men in power from becoming "ravenous beasts of prey." Alexander Hamilton and James Madison penned a brilliant set of essays known as The Federalist Papers that guided the American people in understanding the Constitution and led to its adoption. Madison acknowledged the flaws of our system when he wrote, "That which is the least imperfect is therefore the best government." Winston Churchill said something very similar 170 years later.

As he left office, President George Washington warned that divisive political parties would become "potent engines of unprincipled men" who would "undermine freedom and enfeeble good governance." He vigorously counseled against them, to no avail. The insight spoken here is profound, but it is also the nature of humans to band together for strength both physically and philosophically.

Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, abolitionist icon, and confidant of Lincoln delivered a powerful lament on the hypocrisy of American slavery by arguing that "We, the people" does not mean "We, the white people." In plain language he deplored the cruelty and depravation that rendered "four million of our fellow countrymen in chains…and sold on the auction-block with horses, sheep, and swine."

In one of the greatest acts of strategically timed words and moral courage Abraham Lincoln proclaimed, "that all persons held as slaves shall be forever free." At Gettysburg he reminded Americans that "all men are created equal." Written in haste, his Gettysburg address, while less than 3 minutes in length was so poignant that those in attendance could barely remember what Edward Everett said in his two hours as the primary speaker. In Lincoln’s Second Inaugural he sought to salve the wounds of war by uttering the words, "With malice toward none, with charity for all."

As the suffrage movement gained momentum, Elizabeth Cady Stanton condemned the tyranny of sexism, leaving "women to feel aggrieved, oppressed, and deprived of their most sacred rights." Victoria C. Woodhull correctly argued that "the Constitution makes no distinction of sex" and "women are the equals of men." (She was referencing the right to vote) In one of her more quoted speeches, Susan B. Anthony, who was indicted for casting a ballot, posed the vexing question, "Is it a crime for a citizen of the United States to vote?"

At the dawn of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt shattered the Gilded Age of ruthless monopolists and robber barons with his promise of a "square deal for every man, big or small, rich or poor." Drawing from the principles of Lincoln, Roosevelt moved aggressively and successfully against corporate corruption and what he called "the sinister influence or control of special interests" in government.

President Franklin Roosevelt led the nation through the suffering in the Great Depression by reassuring Americans, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His innovative fireside chats buoyed the spirits of a nation in despair. When the U.S. was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt shortly thereafter delivered his famous "a date which will live in infamy" address before Congress. He vowed that "The American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."

As Germany initiated World War II in Europe, the renowned theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, sent a secret letter to Roosevelt warning him that the Nazis were attempting to develop a new and frighteningly powerful weapon —an atomic bomb. Einstein’s concerns triggered the covert operation by the U.S. to build its own weapon in the highly classified Manhattan Project.

When Harry S. Truman ordered two atomic bombs dropped on Japan, he revealed to the nation that "The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East." A few years later in the face of Soviet aggression, Dwight D. Eisenhower sought peace through strength by urging a halt to nuclear proliferation as he warned, "Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

Ronald Reagan became the unabashed voice of conservatism and opened his presidency with a masterful address declaring, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." He precipitated the end of the Cold War when he challenged the Soviets Union to remove the physical barrier in Berlin. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," Reagan demanded. Two years later, the wall came tumbling down. And so did the Russian communist empire.

The common denominator among all these exceptional men and women was their abiding faith in our country’s greatness fortified by a devotion to patriotism. In their memorable words, Americans found both solace and inspiration. That doesn’t mean America is perfect, but it does mean we have the capacity to evolve and improve without having to tear down our institutions and start over.

Many months ago, an Australian tourist made the news during an interview commenting on seeing the American flag displayed in so many yards and businesses across the country. She recalled her own national flag being displayed in only a handful of places and did not understand and to some extent thought our flag waving was naive. What she did not understand is that despite all the loud rants about the need to change this or that, most of us our proud of our country. Patriotism is not dead. That mythical beast called the “Silent Majority” is proud of their country. Proud of its history, proud of its potential for future change.

American patriotism has always baffled outsiders because their only analogy for it is the nationalism movements, they are more familiar with and that the Nazis took to its apogee. Thus they, accuse anyone who is patriotic of being a Nazi. What they don't seem to grasp is that the idea of American patriotism is not to a German Volk of the Nazis or "God and Country" of the English. When someone becomes an American Citizen they pledge allegiance to The Constitution, our founding document that lays out the principles we require every American to adhere to. Similarly, every member of our military is sworn to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The Constitution is not an airy, vague declaration of lofty-sounding principles, but a concrete implementation of those principles that you must adhere as an American. Successful social movements in our country like Suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement have succeeded by appealing to those documents rather than railing against them.

We have throughout our history continued to evolve the American experience guided by the words and wisdom of our leaders. We are a country of ideas; ideas lead to words and bold words can lead to change. The value to reading and knowing this history is recognizing that change is part of the American landscape and that we can and do change without having to tear everything down and start over. Along the way we can still be proud of the country we have created.

We continue to seek ways to improve the human experience and strive for "a more perfect union." (Preamble United States Constitution)

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