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What It Means to Be American

Where did we go wrong?

By Yoshio ChandlerPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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Declaration of Independence

American. What does that mean? What does it mean to be "American"? Does it mean one should be proud for taking the land from the indigenous (who still do not have equal rights)? Does it mean to be proud of discrimination of minorities and those who do not share the "Christian" values? Does it mean that one should be proud of a man who is misogynistic and racist? Or does it mean to hold true to the pursuit of life, liberty, and freedom, regardless of gender, race, or religion?

On July 4th, 1776, the United States of America drafted its Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Citing that they were looking for mutual respect, natural human rights, and that a government should be for the people, when it becomes too powerful, it no longer suits the prosperity of such people. Granted, at the time this was drafted, "human" was seen to be Christian and white. Over time, this notion was abolished and now includes ALL humans. Yet, we still struggle to allow natural human rights to all. Lawmakers in Washington D.C. look at this document as a guidance, rather than an inherent law, until the law works in their favor. For instance, all humans have the right to vote, but Native Americans did not achieve this right until the 1980's, and even still have trouble voting because the booths are far from where they are.

Secondly, "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness" has been deemed "illegal." In fact, even the mention or simply stating a possible overthrow is a federal offense. For more on that, see here.

Fewer "American's" have actually read the Declaration of Independence, and even fewer than that truly understand its view. This is evident in society's consistent struggle to allow basic human rights to all. For example, the LGBTQ community was only allowed marriage recently, and still struggle just to use the bathroom for their identified gender. Or perhaps that minorities (women included) did not receive equal rights for centuries, fighting to be seen as an equal, NOT a servant.

What are the basic or natural human rights? They are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The interpretation varies, depending on whom you are speaking with. Despite that, those are opinions. The facts are as follows; Life is distinguishing that you are an organic being, that you have the right to breathe, reproduce, teach and experience. Liberty is defined as freedom to live, to experience, to sustain life, to reproduce, to learn, and to grow. Lastly, the pursuit of happiness... That gets tricky. Happiness varies greatly among humans. Happiness for you may be living in a mansion, making billions, and never working. While, happiness for another may be helping those in need, with no attachment to material items. In fact, many argue that true happiness is human interaction in a positive way, helping each other to grow.

The bottom line is that we have the right to be happy with our lives, and pursuing our happiness without judgment (unless it is morally and ethically wrong). As there is a clear line between "right" and "wrong." So, what does it mean to be "American"? To me, it is simple. You respect and welcome all, regardless of religion, sexuality, gender, or ethnicity. That you encourage all to live a life worth meaning, to be happy, to be free. Being American is behaving in a manner that is BETTER than those before us, always working to make the world better, and our country better. It means standing up for what is right, no matter how hard it is. It means stop being afraid of what is different, and accepting them into life.

For Declaration of Human Rights, see here.

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About the Creator

Yoshio Chandler

Yoshio is a Kryptonian living on Earth, looking to help humanity prosper. He has a degree in Theatre Acting and Directing and Dance. He is also an entrepreneur, and adventure seeker. In his spare time he works out regularly and reads books.

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