Looking back on History

 

The United States of America is a nation created by people with old world style and values. Some were adventurous, craving a new challenge, while others wanted a new way of life. It is a fabulous story to be told over, and over again, but for some reason we are not teaching this in our schools. Why do we allow ourselves to forget the sacrifices that were made for us over the years? The blood that was shed to sustain the liberties and the freedoms we now take for granted each day! 

As I travel this great country, I can still see the vast bounty that inspired the settlers to strive and ultimately survive so long ago. Strive for a better life than what they left behind. You can rediscover the majestic views that were once discovered by Lewis and Clark. Yet, we never seem to stop and enjoy them as often as we should. We find ourselves exploring other lands without understanding our own backyards. As our children learn about our history in school, we leave it up to teachers to teach them about this great nation, some of whom have never taken the time to see the beauty it has to offer first hand. They teach from books instead of life experience.

Take the Washington, DC area for example: I am fortunate to live in an area of Virginia that affords me the pleasure of visiting and revisiting so many historical sites in this area. With so much history surrounding us, one can always find something new to explore everyday. I can walk the streets of Alexandria where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Marquis de Lafayette once walked. The old structures and cobble-stoned streets give your imagination the opportunity to wonder, “What part of history happened within that brick and mortar?” 

As I walk through the streets of the most powerful city in the world, Washington DC, I cannot help but feel the power of James Madison, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, who once walked these same streets! It is overpowering at times to think, that from the hopes and visions of this new land of promise, these men shaped the great country we now call home. I often find myself returning to two very special sites nearby, to help give me the peace and tranquility I need to survive in this town; these are the United States Marine Corps Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. They remind me of the sacrifices that have been made so I can be free. It never fails to amaze me as I gaze out over the majestic view of the Potomac River to see our nation’s capitol, the beauty and spender of the monument’s lights flickering under the moonlight. “History transcends time when one looks out over this magnificent city,” Charles Dickens once said. He once described this city to a friend in a letter dated 1842, "It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent ntentions."  

This is the most powerful city in the world, but to me it’s home. It is powerful, eclectic and diverse all at the same time! When both House and Senate are in session, there are people from all over the country and all occupations scurrying around the city. There are young staffers, who come with amazing hopes and dreams of making a difference. Lobbyists, who represent special interests groups, focus on wanting to gain more power and greed. Politicians, like their staffers, come in wearing rose-colored glasses, only to realize they cannot accomplish what they set out to do in one term. It seems nothing ever gets accomplished from one election to another, except an never-ending circle of compromise and favor-trading because they gradually sell their souls to continue getting back into office, until they can’t do the good they set out to do, and still keep the promises elicited to get them back into office. 

Although the view evokes an overwhelming sense of pride in one’s heart, it is a double edge sword; both comforting, yet scary at the same time. I often wonder what our founding fathers would say if they could sit with me and review what has become of their precious new world. Would they be able to tell me where we went wrong in the last sixty years? Where we have allowed ourselves to chip away and destroy the very foundation they left us? 

Historians will say the early 1700’s was a rough existence, for some reason, I cannot believe this. It was a gratifying and simpler lifestyle. They had the ability to create everything they needed to survive; from their clothes and furnishing, to the candles that allowed them to read at night. Although they struggled to endure, they were grateful to be in a new land they could call their own. They had every right to be grateful, they worked for everything and it was theirs, a making of their own two hands. As a community they worked together to grow crops and raise their animals. Granted they did not have the luxuries that we have today. Could we live without air conditioning on those hot summer days? What about living without running water, electricity that runs everything; heat, televisions, cordless telephones, hair dryers or even alarm clocks? Could we live without our current transportations systems? Let’s not forgot the convenience of the grocery store where everything we consume has been grown, picked, bottled and shipped right to us. Do not overlook the internet, where everything we do is wrapped around e-mails and storage of personal files for faster and more convenient ways of communication. Oh and one cannot disregard our precious cellular phones. Could we survive without these luxuries as they did? I doubt it! The majority of our generation would be devastated. 

Although the luxuries we enjoy today were inspired by small inventions, most of which were created by some of our founding fathers, and the brilliant people who came after them. Somehow, along the way, we seem to have forgotten the reasons why. Instead of reflecting, we tend to concentrate on materialistic items, rather than the purpose and reasons why this country was created in the first place. 

Thanks to men like Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Pierce, and Washington, who were rebels in their day, they fought for freedom from political and religious persecution and eventually won. Although they labored over the potential ramifications of their actions, they also discussed various social and economic issues, before deciding on how this country should be governed. As they debated over long-range issues, their main concern was for independence, versus immediate results and their next election. Some of our current day politicians should take a lesson from these men in looking at the good of the nation versus their own personal agenda. 

One has to wonder what would have happened back then if they had the luxuries of today. Would they have been able to accomplish what they set out to do in less time? Maybe they could. It took ten years, but they created a country with a solid foundation to govern by, and that same foundation has sustained us until now.

Comparison:

I found myself rereading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution these men created on our behalf. Although I read these documents in grade school, I forgot just how brilliant these men were. It was evident that the Religious freedoms we enjoy today were very important to these men back then. Their religious beliefs gave them the ability to understand that a higher being was the “Creator,” which is why they highlighted this word and the following statement in this famous document, “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them a decent respect to the opinions of Mankind.” This was and still is the foundation of this great nation. By including this statement in the Declaration of Independence, these men created this country to be protected by a being higher than one self; not a King, nor President, no man or woman that lives on this earth! This statement also gave us the “unalienable right” to worship any God we choose to worship, the God that lives in our hearts, while instilling the freedoms and values that would eventually create a stronger unity of our very own. In those times, although they were rebels by today’s standards, these men were true visionaries! They created this country to be better than the oppressor they fought to get rid of. Yet, we as Americans have allowed our present day elected officials to chip away at the foundation they created. Now I wonder what will be left for our children and generations to come.

It is very interesting to compare then and now, only to see all the obstacles they had before them, and were able to accomplish the creation of a new government. With today’s bureaucratic obstacles, it is a wonder our representatives in Washington get anything accomplished. They are not visionaries as those men once were, they cannot accomplish one percent of these men’s accomplishments in their whole lifetime.

If we were to compare our past to the present, we would realize that we were given the rights and protections from a world of oppression and religious persecution. This shield also protected us from a monarchy or dictator with rules and regulations that would have held us back for many years to come. Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of the reasons why this country came to be. By doing this, we have taken for granted what they selflessly sacrificed to give us. Precious freedoms they struggled to leave us, as Americans, we have somehow overlooked and taken for granted because we were born here. This is a strong heritage we have been born into, but so many refuse to understand and appreciate. Power and greed has taken hold of this country and for the right dollar amount, we are willing to sell off our land and freedoms to the highest bidder, even if the buyer isn’t a citizen of this country.  Each Forth of July marks the day in which we, as Americans, celebrate our independence from the old world and our independent governance over this new land. It is a day in which we are to remind ourselves that a group of men took it upon themselves to stand up for what they believed was right and declared our independence. Today, it seems to have taken on a different meaning: a day off from work to watch colorful fireworks, enjoy that annual cook out with our family and friends, and to some, dusting off that American Flag. 

Over the years, I have seen a decline in parents teaching their kids about the heritage of this great nation. Parents do not talk about the sacrifices that were made for us to celebrate this day. Nor do they discuss the blood that was shed, or even the reasons why it was shed. A few years ago, while discussing this problem with a friend, his lady friend stood along side us and confessed that she was embarrassed with her nine year old son’s response when he was asked, “Do you know what the Forth of July means?” his reply, “I get presents?” Although she was embarrassed to give his answer, she knew she had a lot of work to do to instill a sense of pride in her son’s heart! Until that moment, she thought the schools were teaching this kind of stuff. I could not believe my ears! Here was an American Citizen, intelligent and well educated, who was under the impression that it was the responsibility of our school system to teach her son a sense of pride in his own country. She was a few years older than I was and I could not believe my ears! How can any American born citizen believe the school system should be responsible to hand down one’s legacy! The school system is only partly to blame in failing to teach our children a sense of pride through American History education. Our educational system allows teachers to interject their political views rather than insisting they take pride in their country and teaching civic pride! Therefore, it is the responsibility of each parent to teach their children about civic pride, it is the responsibility of every parent to pass this pride onto their children! 

Each of us in our own way can relate to so many things our founding fathers enjoyed. Passion for gardening as Jefferson and Washington; a love of reading as Jefferson, John Adams, Franklin and Payne; disgust for injustices as Samuel Adams despised and of course a love of writing as they all enjoyed. Unfortunately, we do not give enough of these men credit for their accomplishments. Many writers try to destroy their credibility, because they were our first politicians. Therefore, they tend to want to find the dirt and destroy their true accomplishments, instead of realizing that they had their faults as all men and women do. We all know from our own recent history, each politician begins their career with love of country in their hearts and want to make a difference, while being the voice of the people. It is not until they come to the magnificent city that they realize the true reality and impossibility of accomplishing what they set out to do. 

Today - Power Versus Greed

We, as a nation, have become wrapped up in our daily lives, trying to survive. We have forgotten to look at the bigger picture of what is happening around us. Today’s motto is “if it does not concern us at this moment, why bother getting involved?” Therefore, we can only blame ourselves as we allow our basic liberties and freedoms to be destroyed. Social issues that have been neglected since World War II have continued to be overlooked and are chipping away at the very essence of our country’s foundation. A thirst for power and greed plagues us as Americans and allows our historical pride to be destroyed, while essential liberties are taken away from us with every breath we take. How could we have allowed these issues to take a toll on our country with little chance of regaining what has been lost?

Issues We Need to Address Here at Home.

We have allowed the First Amendment of the Constitution – “Freedom of Speech” to be misused and abused. Responsibility of one’s actions is no longer the subject of respect. Speaking out against the government when a travesty has come to light is one thing, but to allow frivolous acts of disrespect that result in lawsuits claiming First Amendment Right violations are ludicrous. On a daily basis, we continue to allow cases to be brought before our courts based on freedom of speech infringements that include; disrespecting private property, defacing national monuments, all because they wanted their personal fifteen minutes of fame before the cameras. It seems if an argument sounds good and is good enough for a lawyer to get their name into the law books, they will bring a case forward, so they can set precedents for future cases. Judges, who wish to clear their dockets or gain recognition, misuse their power as a Justice to create laws or precedents rather than uphold or interpret the existing body of law; sometimes even granting an award for a stupid claim in the bargain. One has to wonder if our legal system has completely lost its perspective on what its role is in the three branches of government, over-reaching far into legislative or law making rather then being judges.

When the Founding fathers included the Second Amendment for us to Bear Arms, it was not their intent for each American to own an Uzi, or a machine gun. This Amendment was to bare arms against invading forces in the protection of their families, property and freedoms. Many Americans hate the National Rifle Association for their lobbying to keep the Second Amendment alive. This is because most do not understand this amendment! I happen to agree 100% with the Second Amendment! We must uphold our rights as Americans to bare arms against an invading force, more so today than ever before. This amendment was not created to aid the objective of every drug dealer and criminal in the country. Making guns illegal prevents honest citizens from baring arms, criminals will break the law to get what ever they want, that’s what makes them criminals. This is a social issue that needs to be addressed separately from the second amendment. If we eliminate it together as a nation, maybe politicians will stop using the criminal element as a smoke and mirror issue to cover up their faults on Capitol Hill. 

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt created what was called, “The New Deal Act." The New Deal Act was to help those less fortunate provide a living for themselves as well as their family. I cannot believe his original intent was for people to be on this program for twenty or thirty years. Nor do I think he intended to have the government take advantage of American citizens by violating their 4^th and 14^th Amendment rights. A portion of this New Deal turned into the Welfare program, which was later renamed Social Services.

Social Services and Welfare is a problem all its own. There are many cases of power and greed running rampid throughout a system of financial incentives and lack of accountability. An investigation into social workers' gross misconduct and neglect should be conducted, before another child is put in danger by this system. Although there are many cases of actual abuse, something I do not condone in any way, there are thousands upon thousands of unsubstantiated cases brought against innocent people. Some of these unsubstantiated cases are cases brought against our military personnel who have been accused of abandonment because they are serving their country in either Iraq or Afghanistan. 

How do we Change Things?

As a Nation, we must be willing to step up to the plate and personally take responsibility in the initiative to preserve our history and guard against the loss of our liberties. We can no longer expect our elected officials to watch out for us and protect the unalienable rights we are so worried about losing. We as a community must begin to question major issues that affect us all and ask ourselves how they relate to our neighbors as individual Americans before making a final decision. One cannot expect our government to do everything for us, because if we leave it up to them, our voices will never be heard. This in and of itself is a dilution of rights. It is time to begin to look at the future and let your voices be heard. Until we address these issues separately, with calm voices, they will not go away. The one right every American has is their right to vote. Do not allow that right to be taken away too. Do not vote for a political party, vote for the individual who you feel in your heart will represent you and your rights as a citizen of the United States of America. We need representatives to represent us all, not their own personal agenda. Representatives who will stand up and go through the security check points the same, as you and I do, without incident or making it an issue of race or religion. Representatives, who will take action to preserve our rights and benefits as Americans, not sell them off to the highest bidder because they wish to stay in office. The time to stand up for the legacy of America is now! Should we not demand that our Country be preserved and respected for future generations instead of immediate gratification?

The above is an exert from my book, Soul of an American Warrior: A Writer's Journey Comes Full Circle. 

Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, journalist. business professional, and creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a Masters in Criminology and a BS in Business Management who stepped out of the loop for a while, but who is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel, photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.