What Makes America Great

*All opinions and views reflected in this article do not reflect those of HonorSociety.Org*

If you’ve lived in America for more than a year you have taken an American History course, in fact you’ve probably taken more than one. And that course was not offered as an option, you had to take it so you could go on to the next grade or enroll in your next semester of classes. America is in no shortage of pride for the things we’ve done, the wars we’ve won, and the good we’ve brought to our allies. So why do I feel like this country has forgotten its roots? Roots that go back to the first boat full of people, fleeing persecution, that crossed an ocean in search of a better life.

We all know the story of the 13 Colonies, we all learned about the pilgrims coming to the new land to escape religious persecution, we all know about the first Thanksgiving where the Native Americans gave the pilgrims food and taught them to farm (we then killed the majority of these people and the ones who survived did intense manual labor). Columbus, Plymouth Rock, the Constitution, all of these are historic moments in our country’s history that we all can, and will, spout out the dates and facts for if someone questions our American heritage.

America has always been regarded as a melting pot, or a gumbo pot, or whatever other metaphor you’ve heard to describe the American population. All of which are used to show that America is a country of people that come from all different races, backgrounds, religious preferences, and skin color. The original people that came to America (besides the Native Americans) were settlers from European countries seeking refuge from political and religious persecution.

The great thing about America is that this country has been used and viewed by millions all over the world as a place of refuge, as a place where dreams can and do come true. A place where Koreans, Africans, Europeans, Chileans and Syrians can come and find a better life; a better life free from persecution, free from dictators telling them what to do and a place free from constant terror.

I am afraid though, that we as a country have forgotten our past. When did this country become a place where a person that isn’t a Christian is viewed as un-American? And when did people start chanting for the deportation of their American brothers that may not look the same as them or wear a headscarf, become a political platform? Have we so quickly forgotten the struggle that our ancestors faced upon arrival in the New World?

It is amazing to me that there are people shouting on TV that we need to ban all Muslims from entering this country, that we need to deport all Mexicans, and that some people are blaming the decline of this country on the immigrants who spend their entire lives saving money, working hard, and then trying to come to a country that used to guarantee a better life to those who would work for it. And yes these immigrants ARE working for it, they are doing the jobs and the dirty work that none of us want to do, because we think we are too good for it.

So quickly we forget where we came from and the work that we have done as a nation to make this place “the land of opportunity.” The idea of the American Dream wasn’t coined by some, what some call lazy, immigrant. A person, who worked hard all their life to create circumstances that the people in their home country couldn’t even fathom, coined it. When I say that, I need you to understand that a life they couldn’t even fathom means food on the table every night, a job they can rely on, and a real education system for their family; running water, running CLEAN water, running drinkable water.

The idea of the American Dream was given its name by the thousands, even millions of people who fled to this land to work hard and escape a life of prosecution, fear, and poverty.  This country was made great by the men and women who immigrated here so they could worship freely, so they could love freely, so they could work and make a livable wage, so their family wouldn’t have to live in squalor, so their kids could get educated, so they wouldn’t have to live in fear of their government.  

Fear mongering and hate have no place in this great nation. The only thing that this country has room for is growth, love, and the ideas that the constitution guarantees us, freedom of speech, religion, press, and to assemble. These ideals, the freedom that this country offers its citizens, our past, our immigrant ancestors, and the places we all come from as Americans, are the things that make America so great. What makes America great is the happiness and relief that thousands of immigrants feel upon touching American soil, it is the promise of a better life that awaits them on the other side of the ocean, it is the idea that these immigrants, our brothers and sisters will be welcomed, as they have in the past, with open arms. I’m not sure when we forgot where we came from, and I’m not sure why hate is running so rampant in this country, but I’m determined as a student and American Citizen to make us remember how this country got started and why. Let us not forget the blood that has been shed for this country, and let us not forget why we all live here, in this nation that guarantees us ALL the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

So America, lets make America great again, truly.