What has Made America Great?

One could state technology, agriculture or manufacturing but that would be just scratching the surface. What’s behind all that?

It’s the people. The people are the ones who make it happen.  They were given the opportunity and resources to let their imagination run wild, a free reign to create. I get chills just thinking about it. The constitution certainly encouraged such endeavors, the philosophy that anything you set your mind to, combined with your powerful drive and ambition, could happen. 

But what is it that one common thread that has pulled the nation together, all the people? What is that one commonality that ensures as a nation we stand united, assimilation?

It didn’t matter if you were just off the boat from Ireland in the 1800’s, brought here as a slave, or ostracized for being a German or Japanese after WWII, everyone eventually assimilated into the American culture by first learning to speak English and eventually adopting  the customs, sometimes even more so than the families that have been here longer.

One such memory is when my husband and I were invited to a Russian friend’s 4^th of July celebration. It had the usual amount of food, celebratory mood and fireworks. However, I couldn’t figure out what was so odd about it. I finally realized what it was. I was surrounded by people from Russia, Romania and Slovenia who recently became citizens. I was the only one there who had a family history of being US citizens.

Everyone celebrated the event but for them it had greater meaning.  I guess coming from countries without the freedom we take for granted does that to people. The people I was with were successful in their fields even more so then many of the people I knew at the time. They had embraced the American Dream.  It all made sense when I asked the Russian host when he had become a US citizen, He replied, “I’ve always been an American”.  Hmmm, that told me that inside he’s always had the entrepreneur spirit but wasn’t able to express it due to his government.

Yes we are the melting pot and assimilation is what helps the people unite.  It’s the commonality that brings us together not the differences.  Let’s focus on that!

Bring Back the UNITED in United States

Which would you rather be united or separate? There’s a reason the United States are called the United States. Separate territories united under a common philosophy of how they wanted their new country governed.

Image if that had not happened. What if the original 13 colonies had become individual countries each with its own government and infrastructure? What would the continent look like then? What if the U.S. never purchased the Louisiana Territory? The U.S. would be more like Canada but with a much larger portion of its citizens speaking French. I could go on about the Indians and Mexican territories but I think you get the picture. Our whole country would be different. The U. S. would instead be more like Europe with whole countries the size of one of our states possibly speaking another language.

Instead our forefathers had the foresight to realize the beauty and power of having all the territories come together as a whole. They knew this country would be stronger if it were united instead of separate, which brings me to my next point. There seems to be a tearing apart, to make separate, or highlight differences more in the media and from people of influence than there is to bring people together. This, in my opinion, is a disservice to the country.

What brings people together is their commonalities like the philosophy set forth in the Declaration of Independence or the safety of our children. There will always be differences between people, to be sure, but they can be overcome when people find common ground. It’s the core fabric of our nation. When the World Trade Center towers were destroyed many people came together to support and help out however they could. Everyone now has a common experience to share with others that will bring them together. Just like people remember where they were and what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, people will remember 911 the same. “Where were you when the towers went down”?

Early immigrants came here for various reasons; freedom of religion, the opportunity to own land and thus create a better life, to escape tyranny, to keep the money they earned.  They left their family and friends and risked everything for a chance at a better life. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy but knew it was going to be worth it. They came from many different parts of the world, each with their own cultures and language. But you know what? They all adapted to their new surroundings. Over the years they eventually learned to get along and speak the same language, they had to if they wanted to succeed.

It’s the commonalities that unite us. It doesn’t matter if your black, Asian, Spanish, gay, Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Pro-life,  Abortion Supporter, women’s rights or environmentalist, in order to be a strong nation we have to stay united. We MUST! Our forefathers understood that. Let’s not blow it.