PROUD TO BE AMERICAN

With attacks to nationalism and patriotism coming from all sides, I thought it appropriate to provide some of the reasons why Americans should be proud that they are Americans, especially since our public schools usually teach the misdeeds of the U.S. but none of its numerous great achievements and countless acts of kindness and heroism.  A recent survey showed that only 16% of generation Z were proud to be American.  Americans, however,  have many reasons to be proud, a few of which I cite below. Before I do, let me first debunk the allegation that the U.S. is racist from its very beginning because of slavery.

Our founding fathers were initially reluctant to secede from England, but after repeated failed attempts at reconciliation, decided to do so.  They explained their reasons for secession in the Declaration of Independence. Since slavery was legal and prevalent in America under British rule, America inherited it and had to keep a limited form of it in order to have the Southern States ratify the Constitution and join the Union.  Seventy-five years after the Constitution was ratified by the 13 Colonial states, the  U.S. fought a Civil War to rid itself of this evil.  It cost the U.S. 650,000 lives, including that of President Lincoln, who was assassinated shortly after the war was over.  Had President Lincoln lived, reconstruction in the South would have been much easier.  In fact, there  remained significant systemic racism in the U.S. until the 1960’s and  the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.  Despite this, America survived, overcame its problems, and prospered.

The United States helped save Europe from Hitler’s Nazi Germany in World War II.  In addition, it saved about a million Japanese and American lives through its judicious use of the atomic bomb, which significantly shortened the war.  After that war, in the Cold War, the U.S. prevented the Soviet Union from instilling tyrannical communism throughout the world (with all of the poverty and suffering that accompanies it). These examples are not anomalies…the U.S. has come to the rescue of peoples throughout the world to liberate and assist them.  To be sure, America has made mistakes, but its intentions were usually good.

There are countless examples of the United States helping other countries and peoples throughout its history.  In addition, its medical and technological advances have made life easier for everyone on the planet.  A useful way to look at it is to imagine a world without the United States (see Dinesh D’Souza’s movie, “America, Imagine a World Without Her”).  The U.S. military has no equal and as such many would-be evildoers are kept at bay, knowing full-well, that if the U.S. got involved, it would destroy them.  Aside from the greatness of America, its people are the most generous in the world, so when disaster strikes anywhere in the world, Americans run to their checkbooks and credit cards and give.

From its inception, America has stood for liberty and freedom around the world.  Our Statue of Liberty is recognized all over the world as a symbol of freedom.  It was given to the U.S. by France because America stood for freedom and was a role-model for France, as described in Alexis de Tocqueville’s book, Democracy in America.  A simple measure of the desirability of the United States is to see that millions of people from all over the world  immigrating to it, some legally, some illegally.

America is and has been an exceptional nation, but if the Far-Left prevails, and it currently is, America will cease being exceptional.

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