As Americans, we are in the midst of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. That original date of July 4, 1776, kicked off an extraordinary epoch in the history of Western Civilization. After years of intense, and far more bloody than often remembered, civil war, the 13 colonies had won their independence.
In 1787, just over a decade from the original Declaration, our Founding Fathers came together in Philadelphia to replace the inadequate Articles of Confederation with a “more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Preamble to the Constitution)
At the Constitutional Convention assembly, they had no guarantee of consensus. Benjamin Franklin stood to address the convention’s president, George Washington, and his fellow delegates with these words,
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, whereas we were sensitive of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. Have we now forgotten this powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?”
History records that, seeking Divine guidance, our Founding Fathers produced the U.S. Constitution, now the oldest surviving foundational government document in the world, as we prepare to celebrate its 250th birthday.
Although there have been increasing numbers of Americans who question the wisdom of the truths embodied in the Constitution, or are merely grossly ignorant concerning what they are, a significant number of Americans appear to have absorbed many of its truths.
A recent poll by The Associated Press found that 70% of Americans believed that the USA should be a country with an essential culture held in common. What are the beliefs and values of that essential culture? Eighty-eight percent of Americans said a fair judicial system and the rule of law, as defined by the Constitution, were essential. Eighty-four percent said individual freedom as defined by the Constitution. Furthermore, 73% said speaking English was important in maintaining America’s identity.
So, what do a significant majority of Americans believe the United States of America is? Clearly, they believe it is a country that should embrace the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, speak the English language, and protect human dignity.
It should be noted that none of these core values is racial or ethnic: the rule of law, the Bill of Rights, or even the English language, which, although the common language at the origin of the country, requires no ethnic origin to speak. This is exemplified by the tens of millions of naturalized citizens who have become English-speaking, although it was a foreign language in their country of origin.
America is the only country in the history of the world that was not founded on “blood or soil,” but on a core set of beliefs that are embodied in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
America would be wise to emphasize these truths in American primary, secondary, and undergraduate education so that America’s uniqueness is perpetuated in our country.
These poll results reveal that America is still a country where anybody can become an “American” by embracing and pledging allegiance to the truths embodied in our Constitution and pledging to obey America’s laws.
That means, among other things, that there is always room in this country for people who want to come to America legally, embracing the rule of law and pledging themselves to the American constitutional ideal. As President Theodore Roosevelt explained over a century ago, people may come here from wherever they are from, be it Poland, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, France, etc., and they can become Americans. While they may be proud of their country of origin, be it Polish-American, Italian-American, Irish-American, etc., the emphasis must be on “American” if you are going to be an American citizen and embrace America’s essential, unique identit