Being An American Should Mean Something

I am at least a third generation American by birth, maybe more.  I'm not entirely sure how many more, but that's another story.

A lot of people were hurt, bled, were abused and died in the making of America.

While the Constitution said all men were created equal, people were still treated as if they weren't men.  Human beings lost their land, their lives, their dignity because of how the Constitution was being interpreted.

At the same time, even while many people were being oppressed in America as it was forming, many other people were coming to America because they believed it held the chance for a better life for them.  For those already here, many stayed because whether the oppressors liked it or not, this is their America also.

They CHOSE to come to America because even while many groups of people were being treated unfairly, it was still better than the places they were coming from and there was hope.  Hope that the injustices would change.  Hope that America would change to accept those it held back before.  Hope that their children's lives would be better than their own.

America stands for Hope.

People chose to become Americans because they could do things here that were not able to be done where they were coming from.  They could choose what they did for a living.  They could choose what church to belong or not belong to.  They could choose who represented them in the government.  They could choose to be who they wanted to be.

America stands for Choice.

For many, they came because where they were wouldn't allow them to speak their mind.  If they did, they would be jailed or even killed.  They couldn't go where they wanted, the government or some other group restricted their activity and movement.  They couldn't change their career.  Some gov't agency or religious group would keep them fixed into a place and would not allow them to change.  They wouldn't allow the children to change.

America stands for Liberty.

I am here in America not because I "have" to be here.   I could move anywhere I want to.   I choose to be an American because nowhere else can I go to have the liberties  I enjoy under the U.S. Constitution.  Nowhere.

I choose to be an American and because of that,  I will not sit quietly while those who do not appreciate what they inherited try to squander it.

Being an American means something to me and a lot of other people like me who, every day, CHOOSE to be an American.