Remember reading and studying American history in school? Remember the dreams of the Founding Fathers? I do. And I am willing to bet that your remembrance of the dreams and aspirations of the Founding Fathers, as well as the hopes and goals of the men and women, who built this great nation, are very similar to mine. I am willing to bet that every time you think of our nation ― The United States of America, and what it stands for, a slew of democratic principles come rushing to your mind: We believe in fairness. We believe in equality. We believe in justice for all. We believe in the rights of the individual. We believe in freedom. We believe in unity. We believe in our motto ― In God We Trust. We believe that although our nation is far from perfect and it has its faults, concerning social issues like racism, sexism, inequality for gay Americans, class warfare . . . we’re moving in the right direction, and things are going to get better. I am willing to bet that these democratic principles were first planted in your mind by parents, relatives, community leaders, ― and teachers in American history classes. We were told that these were “the principles upon which this nation was built.” These were the principles of Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Madison, S. Adams, Hancock, Paine, J. Adams . . . who were determine to build a nation that celebrated, more that anything else, the rights of the individual to practice his faith, raise his family according to his beliefs, pass down the customs and traditions of his ancestors, and earn a living through his creative and innovative resolve to be successful: These were the values of individuals who would work in concert with their fellow citizens to promote the principles of our democracy ― for the betterment of all of humankind. It's important to understand that these are the true beliefs of the majority of American people. More importantly, the American flag represents their values -- not he values of the oppressors, racists, sexists, and others who are only concern it their selfish, greedy motives.
In these very trying times, the principles of the Founding Fathers are worth remembering, for they are the ingredients in the glue that bind us together ― in spite of our differences!
