238 Years of Success

‘238’





         The War Between the States was one of the deadliest wars in American history. This war pitted son against father and brother against brother. American society found itself split into two distinct and competing regional areas: the North and the South. The Civil Rights Movement was a revolution in which African Americans fought for equal rights through boycotts and mass marches. Not to mention, the many slave revolts that took place against slave owners during the 1800’s.

         A revolution is a change that takes place over a relatively short period of time. There have been many revolutions in history. All of them have resulted in economic, social, religious, or cultural changes. It is also the one thing that all of these events have in common.

          I won’t pretend to be an expert on the American Revolution. Here’s what I do know: America won its independence the same way we fall asleep; slowly and then all at once. Once the concepts of liberty and self-representation were lodged in the hearts and minds of American citizens, the only remaining course of action was compromise or war. Long before the Revolution was ever waged on the battlefields it was decided in the hearts of the American people. Once the Patriots had dedicated their lives, fortunes, and honor to creating a rupture in the traditional system, it could not easily be closed. The American Revolution marked the beginning of a society dedicated to the concept of liberty and equality. The Revolutionary war was one of the most pivotal moments in American History. It was also one of our most grueling battles, at home and in the fields; the victory, one of our greatest achievements.

          I am not a mathematician, either, but here’s what I know about numbers: I know America’s thirst for freedom from Britain started in 1775.The conflict arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. I know that we dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor to protest taxation. As a result, eight acts were created, enforcing unfair taxes. I know that despite the war being in full-swing, a five-man committee sat and planned out the Declaration of Independence.That same month, determined to crush the rebellion, the British government sent a large fleet, along with more than 34,000 troops to New York. I know that there were 36 battles total in the war and I know that 380,000 men stood amid the battle fields. 25,000 of them died; 8,000 of them died during battle and the other 17,000 died because of diseases. I know that the war lasted for nine years before ending in 1984 and that America has been an independent country for more than 200 years as of 2014.

          A wise man once said “Our best teacher is experience.” No matter how many scientists or historians or “wise men” there are, some things science and numbers cannot answer; some things some of us may never know. We don’t know how it feels to stand in the face of death and war and not cower in fear. We don’t know what it’s like to watch all of the men that you have stood beside in battle die of a deadly disease or get gunned down beside you. We don’t know what it felt like for the little boy or little girl who hoped that their father would come home. We may never know what it feels like to be so willing to give our lives up or how scared some soldiers were to do just that. We don’t know how the wives of the soldiers felt, awaiting their husbands return and knowing it might not ever come. We may not understand their reasoning for putting their lives on the line. We don’t know what it’s like to walk into a battlefield, unaware of what might come next but hoping that you’ll be alive to see. Or, what it’s like to be dispirited and discouraged in the bitter cold and unable to back down. We may know the number of physical casualties, but we may never understand the psychological ones.

         We may never know or understand the things that the men who fought for our country endured. It is not something that can be learned from the internet or our textbooks. But here’s what I have learned: Our days are numbered. And one day we will all die; everything in this world is temporary. The men and women who fought in the war understood this more than anyone. And despite the knowledge that they might be shortening this number, they stood proudly in the face of war and devastation, exhaustion and disease; they did not cower. I may not be a mathematician, a historian, or a scientist. And I only try to be wise. But one thing I am is a proud American; to live in a country that was achieved through courage and bravery. The American Revolution was not just a victory because we won our independence. It was a victory because we won an opportunity for something greater: a better life within our numbered days.

After the war, American hardship may not have ended but we did not stop fighting for a better life. We often spend time focusing on the widespread war, devastation, and poverty, rather than the positive side to American history and the events that made America what it is today; the land of the free and the home of the brave. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said all people have the right to the pursuit of happiness. The American people have spent 238 years after the war in this pursuit, resulting in some of the greatest moments in our history that deserve to be acknowledged.

         Arriving at the consensus was not an easy task, however in 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and got all thirteen colonies to agree to its terms. Jefferson completed the document in two weeks before passing it on to be edited by others. Once it was officially complete, the thirteen colonies all signed it on July 4, 1776.

          A few presidents later, Lincoln entered The White House with his strong beliefs in the union. He often said that he believed that the purpose of The Civil War was not about race but about the union. Because of this, in 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This did not free all slaves but did free slaves located in the states who refused to lay down arms at the time Lincoln declared the war over. Ultimately this freed 4,000,000 slaves and became, what many consider, the end of slavery.

          Women’s suffrage was yet another success of the American people through perseverance. It was no easy feat for women to win their right to vote. Women fought through mass marches, strikes, and backlash against husbands who were opposed. New Zealand granted women the right to vote first and then by 1920, America followed suit. With Wilson in presidency, the 19th Amendment was put in place, granting women their suffrage.

         Forty-four years later America faced another dilemma, and with it came another great achievement: civil rights. For the most part, the Civil Rights Act pertained to African American’s who were not given the same rights as their white counterparts. However, there was an addition to the bill of sex as a protected category. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racial discrimination may not have been dead, but it was dying.

         One of our next greatest achievements happened in 1969, when Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. In addition to this, Apollo 11, the first manned lunar mission also made contact. The most memorable quotation for this great moment in history was “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

         Now, in 2014, 238 years later, we watch one of our greatest, still on-going achievements. It was a symbolic moment in history when the last racial barrier in politics was breached after Barack Obama was elected president. Year earlier, the man who now holds position as our could have been owned as property. Today, however, we identify him as the first, black president of the United States of America.

         During our fight for independence, when Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men have the right to the pursuit of happiness, he understood something- to pursue happiness does not ensure it will be achieved. America has suffered pain and loss, war, slavery, poverty, and famine. But with this pain came joy, achievement, and perseverance. With it came something far greater- hope. No matter what, the American people have not stopped in their pursuit of happiness. That is our greatest quality, not just achieving great things, but our unrelenting pursuit in doing so. Congratulations on 238 years of success and may we be around for 238 more.