What makes us who we are? Is it our religion, political views, favorite song, those we love, or those who love us? I would say that we are a culmination of all those things, every quality we possess or hope to attain, and still something more. We are the roots of our character. We are our past – our history. In this same way, America is her history. It is also much more. America is her success, her failures, pride, shame, ambitions, and goals. She is all that she was and all she hopes to be. Her history has shaped what she is and who her citizens are. America has stood witness to some of the greatest movements in history, and these movements are crucial to observe, to learn, and to understand. History propels us forward to a brighter future. Today, and every day that follows, will be shaped not only by the people we are today, but also by the people we were yesterday. That said, I am hopeful.
The United States of America has been the prime location for some of the most important moments of history. She has led revolutions and battles, advanced the rights of her people, and established herself as the pinnacle of human achievement. A word that comes to mind is “revolutionary.” She was born through a revolution, and she continues to live in the same manner. Where would we be today if some of America’s great citizens had not stepped up to challenge the ideas of the time? Before the United States even became a country, the American spirit was embodied. Seeking religious freedoms, pilgrims journeyed across an ocean. They had the pure uninhibited desire to be free to worship their God as they saw fit, even if it meant abandoning all that they have ever known. For this resolve, they were rewarded with a land that they could call their own. A land of the free.
Decades later, the founders of America gathered in a humble courthouse in Philadelphia. They wrote down the foundation of what America would forever be. They established our government, our society, and our rights. The document they created over two hundred years ago, the United States Constitution, is still the basis for American civilization today. When we call attention to an injustice, we cite the Constitution. It is one of a rare sort of object; it made and changed history.
America’s history is beautiful. It’s full of underdog stories, rebellions against injustice and evil, and amazing stories of indomitable American spirits. However, America is also haunted by her mistakes. The figured of the past whom we revere were human and were subject to human errors. The United States is marred by such atrocities as massacres of Native people, hundreds of years of slavery, and the imprisonment of over one hundred thousand Japanese-Americans in detainment camps. We still feel the effects of these choices. Instead of ignoring them or shrugging them off as “how things were back then,” we need to recognize them. We need to address them. We need to have open, honest difficult conversations about them. They serve as reminders as what can happen to us if we let hatred and fear take precedence over mercy and good will. These horrible events propel us forward. They should make us want to be better. We can’t and shouldn’t hope to erase these events from our minds. For as horrible as racial division, senseless violence, and domestic terrorism are, they offer us a chance to learn. From wars come alliances. From injustice comes understanding. From pain comes healing. History is more than names, dates, and places. It is cause and effect. It is people making mistakes and living with the subsequent consequences. It teaches us what works and what doesn’t, what is morally just and what is not, and why we stand for what we do.
We as a country hope to leave behind us a better world for our children than the one that was left for us. We want to give them their best possible chance to succeed and be happy. One day, the decisions we have made may be revered as turning points in history. We must strive to make choices that will withstand the test of time and that future generations will look back with gladness. Titus 2:7-8 says the following: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” There is no way of knowing how to best serve our future generations or how to leave them with their greatest prospects. What we can do is try. We must honor those who have led us, fought for us, died for us, and sacrificed for us. We must live every day as though history has its eyes on us because it does.