The Glory of America
By Adam Graham (07/03/06)
I rarely think about the simple fact that I’m an American. As proud as I am of my Scottish heritage, I’m so grateful to have been born on this shore rather than any other on Earth. The opportunity that the 300 million of us have is amazing. We have access to more knowledge than the Greeks. We have more choice about our life and future than any people on the face of the Earth. We enjoy unparalleled religious liberty and freedom of political speech. To be an American is to have the whole world before you.
Yet, rarely do we ask why. I’d submit that America is the only World power founded on something more significant than greed. The Emperors and Kings of old conquered and subdued land to make themselves and their noblemen richer. When we acquired new land, we opened the doors of opportunity to decent, hard-working folks of little means to build a new life.
We’re a nation fundamentally founded on idea that the power of government is not unlimited and does not have the right to assault the God-given rights of men. It’s easy to focus on the hypocrisy, without realizing the seed of hundreds of years of progress towards racial reconciliation and respect for women was planted in 1776 with the idea that government was not God.
The other key foundational idea was that leadership was service and sacrifice. In olden times, kings and noblemen fought for more power and treasure. Yet, the Founders were mostly wealthy men who had much to lose and little to gain.
George Washington sacrificed much. He commanded the Continental Army without pay. He lived in uncomfortable of situations from Valley Forge until the end of the war. Through the ravages of war, along with his men. he suffered through the possibility of never seeing home. He engaged in ten major battles in the Revolution and lost seven of them. Yet, at the end of the Wan, America won and we recognized in our midst a man of regal bearing and of character. Many saw a king in General Washington.
But, General Washington didn’t choose the path of a King. He rejected a crown. In fact, he stepped in to help Congress as his men were preparing to mutiny because Congress had not paid them. At a meeting hall, he pled with them to not dishonor their own service and to give Congress more time. His arguments got nowhere until he started to read a letter and the men became concerned as he stumbled over several words. He then reached for something they’d never seen him wear, a pair of spectacles. He looked at his men. “Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown gray in your service, and now find myself growing blind.”*
That simple statement melted the hearts of his men. He resigned his commission, with the hope of retiring to his beloved Mount Vernon, but that was not to be. He helped craft the Constitution and the idea of him as President got it ratified.
Washington had no children of his own for which he worked. There was no great riches awaiting him. There was only duty well-done to God and country. Washington got power because his life was not about the pursuit of power. Fame or honor weren’t his goals, yet in life and death he received the well-deserved laurels of a man who sacrificed to serve his country.
Despite the fact that we now live in a world that is plagued by insufferable egotists who hire PR teams to make unexceptional men look like they’re fit to lead the free world, there is still hope for a nation founded on high deals. Washington and the other founders build up a “standard to which wise and honest men could repair” and left the rest in the hands of God.
At this time of year, it is easy for some to tear down the Fathers, pointing to each spot on their character and every foible to make us feel better about ourselves. Yet, no one ever claimed they were perfect. That would make them like the Greek gods—immortals whose high standards lowly men could never attain to.
Yet, they are examples of character and sacrifice. They are the type of men we are capable of being when we clean off the muck of materialism and selfishness. They are the type of men we must become if we are to continue to be a nation blessed by God.
*Our Sacred Honor, Edited by William J. Bennett
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