American Creed
The meaning behind words, symbols and rituals that express the American Creed.
Introduction
The American Creed is a statement first formulated by Thomas Jefferson and elaborated by others like William Tyler Page. This statement defines elements of the American identity. Many of the things that we Americans do or see in our every day lives represent the American Creed like seeing or talking about the words freedom and equality, seeing symbols like the American Flag or the bald eagle, and participating in rituals like saying the Pledge of Allegiance and celebrating 4th of July.
Words
There are many words used to describe America that don’t only encourage more people to come to the United States but it also inspires the people who already live here. One of those words is freedom, protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Freedom represents the American Creed because in America, we are given many different freedoms like freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Freedom of speech gives Americans the opportunity to express themselves without fear of retaliation. Freedom of religion lets Americans choose a religion or not chose any religion at all. In America, the word freedom has a big significance because it gives people the opportunity to be who they want to be.
The word equality is also another word that is found in the American Creed. The first three words of the constitution are “We the People”, which implies that a group of people came together to speak with equal voice. The word equality in America does not mean that everyone has to be equal but that everyone should have an equal chance to succeed. In America, we have social equality which gives everyone an equal opportunity to take advantage of aspects of society and provides equal rights like freedom of speech, economic equality, health equality, and equal access to social goods and services. Furthermore, we also have political equality which gives all Americans equal opportunity to vote or run for a political office, and participate in the political life and affairs of the country.
Symbols
The American Flag is one of the most important symbols that shows the American Creed due to showing America’s history itself. The Flag represents America’s 50 states through the 50 stars and the 13 original colonies through the 13 stripes. Furthermore, it also represents justice, purity and valor which are all very important themes shown by the American Creed. In the United States, the flag can be found outside of houses, schools, sports arenas and many other places demonstrating how proud people are of their nation. Usually, the first thing that people think of when speaking about the United States is the flag because it is a symbol that combines both freedom and equality that we have in America and the true meaning of being an American. Our flag, has been with us through many hard times but also through our greatest days.
The bald eagle is another symbol that represents America, it has held an important position in our culture and continues to do so. The eagle was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America on June 20, 1782 because of its strength, majestic look and also because it was believed to only exist in America. “ It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. “They are shrieking for Freedom,” said the patriots”. This symbol is shown on currency, stamps, government related facilities and many other buildings and official seals of the U.S. government. The bald eagle represents freedom and the strength of America.
Rituals
Saying the Pledge of Allegiance in citizenship ceremonies, school, government meetings or pretty much whenever we want, is a ritual that we Americans do to show loyalty to our flag and to the United States. The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August of 1892 by Francis Bellamy and in September, the Pledge was published. Bellamy wrote this Pledge to be recited by children across the country on Columbus Day of that year. In 1942, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise between us citizens and America, our promise to stay loyal to our country and our flag.
Celebrating the 4th of July is another ritual that we Americans do that shows the American Creed. On July 4th, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence declared our independence from Great Britain and allowed America to officially be its own country. On 4th of July, Americans and everyone across the United Stated display fireworks to celebrate and recognize the day of the birth of American independence.
Conclusion
There are many ways to show and express American Creed. Words like freedom and equality hold a big significance because they are two of the most important values in America. Symbols like the American Flag and the bald eagle are great part of the American Creed because it holds the values and intangible ideas that make our country unique. Rituals like saying the Pledge of Allegiance and celebrating 4th of July are important because they motivate us and remind us how lucky we are to live in the United Stated of America.
Work Cited
Bald Eagle, US National Emblem — American Bald Eagle Information, www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle9.html.