Do you know what it means to be an American and what America stands for? Whether you realize it or not when you say “I am an American” you are saying something so profound and unique that it goes beyond referring to your citizenship status or where you were born. It is much deeper than that.
At the core of being American involves understanding that “We the People” are independent and free. This means realizing and understanding that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights and among these rights are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
These rights are self evident and unalienable. They can not be taken away because we are endowed by our Creator with them. “We the People” instituted a government to secure these rights and we empowered this government through a legal contract called the Constitution of the United States. This government derives it’s just power from the consent of the governed. This is a historically profound statement. We are citizens who have empowered our government to secure our rights and liberties. We, as Americans, are not subjects to a government, dictator or king. The only power the government legally and rightfully has over us is the power we have given it and allowed it to have.
It is important for those of us who claim to be Americans to have knowledge of what being American means. Samuel Adams, the Father of the Revolution, said, “If Virtue & Knowledge are diffused among the People, they will never be enslav’d [sic]. This will be their great Security.” Americans used to intently study history and we were very much aware of our rights and the Constitutional limitations of our government. But fewer and fewer Americans today even know what the 1st amendment to the Constitution is. My fellow Americans, Samuel Adams warned that this lack of knowledge means we no longer have our “great Security.” How are we to know if our government is still following its contract (the Constitution) with us if we have not studied it? How will we know if our rights are slowly being encroached upon if we do not fully know and understand what our rights are? How will we know what independence means if we haven’t read the Declaration of Independence? I challenge every American to read the Declaration and to read the Constitution. It is the essential first step towards understanding what it truly means to call oneself an American.
Constitution of the United States
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Great job, the site looks great!
I think we are slowly realizing that we need to care what it means to be American. Otherwise, we will enslave ourselves to government. Unfortunately, we are the ones voting for slavery.
Thank you, forgottenliberty! I turn on the news and hear how Obama and his administration are attacking our freedoms every day in a power grab for control – control over our finances, our jobs, housing and even healthcare! He’s running at mock speed in this grab for control, and if people don’t wake up, we won’t recognize our country in a short while! It’s frustrating to see it happen while most aren’t aware of the rights we stand to lose! Thank you for starting this blog!