Independent Spirit

Please enjoy this song as you read, keeping in mind that it was written by Irving Berlin, an Israeli American, and performed, in this case, mostly by Celin Dion, a Canadian American, to benefit the Twin Towers Fund.

American ideals were built with freedom in mind. People who came here dared to dream of a better life. They came seeking freedom from religious and political persecution. They came seeking freedom from poverty. Yet the American Dream didn’t work out for all who pursued it.

My husband has a shirt which states, “Think you can trust the government? Just ask any Indian.” Native Americans helped early settlers and paid heavily for it with their territory and their lives. So many horrible crimes against humanity were committed in the name of Manifest Destiny, the belief that settlers were destined to expand across North America. So many promises were broken. People of African and Chinese descents didn’t fair any better. So many people were belittled, treated inhumanely, and sometimes murdered just because of their ethnicity. Why is it that we have not learned from these mistakes? Why is it that there are people who are still persecuted? The adage, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it” comes to mind.

We are a young country. We are still learning day by day, mistake by mistake. Yet, how many mistakes do we have to make before we truly learn from them?

Did you know that more American lives were forfeited in the Civil War than all other wars combined? There were cases of families being pitted against each other, loved ones lost to “the other side,” and instances where people were killed just because they didn’t want to fight. Why did this happen? Because the Southern states, feeling underrepresented in governance, wanted to secede, and the Northern states wanted to end slavery.

America is called a melting pot, a mixture of people from around the globe. Some people worry that the pot will boil over.

“Shut the gates!”

“Don’t let anyone else enter.”

“Build a wall.”

Yet, who should be excluded? How do we know if we’re turning away the next Albert Einstein, Jackie Chan, Carlos Santana, Sammy Sosa, Nikola Tesla, or Hakeem Olajuwon? All these people, and so many more, were born elsewhere and chose to become American citizens.

Emma Lazarus, one of the first prominent Jewish American authors, wrote a poem, “The New Colossus,” for an auction to raise money for the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty now stands. The poem was later inscribed on a plaque and placed on the base of the statue. You will most likely recognize this excerpt:

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

America’s strength is in its independent spirit and solidarity, which sounds like an oxymoron. How can we be independent and of like mind? It’s exactly the American way of thinking. I can be my own person and belong to something greater than myself. I can seek my own path and find a path in common with others.

Think of how Americans stood together after Pearl Harbor, during “the miracle on ice” hockey game during the 1980 Olympics, and after the tragedy of September 11, 2001. When we rally, we are so much more than the sum of our parts.

As we celebrate our nation’s 245th birthday this summer, I implore you to think of our colorful history, including the darker parts. I implore you to learn from it and pass it on to those around you.

May our country be ever mindful of those less fortunate. May our country continue to shine as a beacon to those who seek freedom from oppression. May God bless America, my home sweet home.