Janice R. Andrews
In 1975, I immigrated to America. I had to rapidly get up to speed on the culture of my new nation, as I was attending first grade in New Jersey that September. They shared a language, which was helpful to me, but other than that, things were completely different.
We faced the blackboard, placed our right hands over our hearts, and swore allegiance to the flag every morning. In my former schools in France and England, this was not done. My new hometown was crucial to the founding of the United States of America. Princeton served as both the temporary capital of the United States and the site of a Revolutionary War fight.
We staged historical reenactments in 1976 for the Bicentennial celebration, honoring the signing of the Declaration of Independence in neighboring Philadelphia two centuries earlier. Like the majority of students in both public and private schools, I understood what makes America exceptional and distinct from other countries when I studied American history in the eighth and eleventh grades.
China, Iran, and Russia are formidable opponents, but our nation is still young. Compared to his own inauguration, President Joe Biden was born nearer to Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration. We would only be on the third guy in this historical relay if a baby born at the beginning of the American Revolution had lived that long and passed the baton to a successor born in that year, and so on. My father just turned 85. However, it’s astounding how far we’ve come in those three lifetimes.
In 1776, like in 64 B.C., it was common for one individual to be the property of another. Richmond was a week’s travel from New York. After COVID-19, “the science” may have lost some of its credibility, but in 1799, medical knowledge was so limited that when George Washington lay dying on his Mount Vernon bed from a severe cold that he had contracted from riding his horse in the rain, his doctors kept cutting him to drain his blood into a bowl, believing that this would somehow help.
However, some of the knowledge and actions of our ancestors have endured over time. The first is the Constitution, the best piece of writing in the history of a free people. Our Constitution, together with the following 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, was drafted by a group of extraordinary, highly educated, and well-seasoned men. It has proven to be a reliable guide even in these rapidly changing times. It was intended not only for pious and moral people but also for fallible, conceited, greedy, and erratic human beings.
It has so far overcome numerous obstacles. The division of powers, which keeps the three parts of government in check and balance, was a crucial component of the Founders’ original plan. Recent rulings by the Supreme Court have either pleased or enraged political supporters on both sides. Though I don’t agree with every decision, I do appreciate each and every one of them. That’s a crucial distinction. I find it disheartening, therefore, to hear Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., refer to a “disgraceful decision by the MAGA Supreme Court,” as if the justices’ moral character were compromised in addition to their disagreement with the ruling. That’s a really dark route to go.
Compared to most of the rest of the world, the United States is more rich, free, and safe. That’s because we follow guidelines in addition to the fact that we work hard. It is the primary responsibility of all citizens, not just the courts, to defend those laws. Naturally, knowledge of our history is the fundamental requirement for that task for citizens. Therefore, it is more than just a scandal that just 15% of American high school students are skilled in American history—rather, it poses an existential threat.
The second requirement is that we honor the court’s decisions, even if we use our First Amendment-protected, God-given right to free speech to criticize them. It will be incorrect for both parties to disparage specific justices or overcrowd the court. We’ve seen this adage come to pass all around the world: what’s good for one is good for all.
Important policies, such as whether to have borders and protect them or to admit anybody who turns up, are topics on which we disagree today. “The Congress shall have the power… to establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization,” states the Constitution. Thus, Congress determines who is allowed to enter the country, who is allowed to stay, and under what circumstances, not the president or the courts.
Three centuries later, Ronald Reagan repeated John Winthrop’s prediction that America “shall be as a city upon a hill.” Everyone’s eyes are focused on us. That metaphor suggests that there are alternative cities and locations that are generally less appealing. Throughout human history, cities have frequently been walled or constructed on high elevation for a purpose. There were forests, deserts, savages, and/or anarchy beyond.
Your civilization will collapse, just as did Carthage, Rome, Constantinople, Persia, and every other power before or since, when you stop policing the city gates and keeping out those who have no business being within from those who wish to enter. It doesn’t seem to occur to globalists who think that everyone has the freedom to travel wherever and that boundaries should not be enforced.
I have faith that the United States will surpass its current heights of excellence and that we may bridge our divides in time—perhaps in the span of another 85 years. This July Fourth, I’ve decided to hold onto that belief, to have faith in the youth to carry on our traditions, and to have optimism for a bright future.
