America, In Name Only

What if the early settlers of the original thirteen colonies had been of a different mindset than what caused them to uproot from home and seek a new life in a new land? After having depleted their original provisions, what if they waited anxiously for each new shipment of familiar goods from back home in order to sustain themselves? What would have been their life if their former government was the primary provider of security and societal order after landing at Plymouth Rock? What would have been their fate if they did not have the disposition and discipline to endure the many hardships they faced upon arriving to the new world?

The pages of America’s early history are replete with stories of the weather, harsh and brutal winters, causing the demise of scores of men, women and children. Not only did the winters take a human life toll, but it also made hunting an arduous task. Naturally, the summer season was more accommodating. However, the occasional hot and dry periods would inhibit the ability to grow sufficient food. Normal daily schedules consisted of sunrise to sunset activities of building shelters, hunting, fishing, farming and tending to the needs of children and family members. Assisting one’s neighbor with the same life supporting measures was not out of the ordinary for everyone in the colonies.

A special challenge confronted the settlers when the natives of the new land made their presence known. All parties were skeptical of one another, therefore a full comprehension of motives on either side was slow in coming to fruition. This mistrust, and perhaps, an attitude on one side to conquer and claim the new land, or conversely the other side desiring to maintain control of a homeland, brought with it enmity, war and additional hardship on the pioneers. Faced with constant natural adversities and, increasing pressure from abroad to colonize in the name of The Crown, life for the colonists was far from easy.

There must have an overwhelming influence working within the spirits of these progenitors, causing them to undertake incalculable odds, yet forge a path through the literal wilderness, and the desert of founding a nation built on what they understood and believed to be man’s inherent rights. The desire to establish a nation with individual freedom and liberty from the dictates of an all- encompassing government was that stimulus. The challenge of living under a government which is of, for and by the governed, at the time seemed daunting, but they knew it was a goal well worth reaching. After years of tireless exertion and what may have ended the quest of a lesser determined breed, the founders persevered and America was born. The idea and Ideals of a few has now translated into the fundamental principles of an entire homeland, with its inhabitants jubilant in that triumph. America is now poised to show the world that free people are the best determinate factor of their fate with The Constitution as the cornerstone and The Bill of Rights as a roadmap.

In a comparison of the rugged individualism and self-reliant approaches to life of those who founded this nation, to the ever-increasing dependency on government and the collective attitude of today’s citizens, one must wonder what happened to the instincts and compulsions which permeated the earlier culture. Those laudable qualities are being denounced and replaced by the same haughty assertiveness and authoritarian government which prompted the original exodus to what is now America.

Are we of this generation any less insightful than our forefathers? Can we not understand the transformation taking place before us? Since we are the government, we are authorized to halt the makeover of the nation and return it to what made it unique, prosperous and exceptional. Our failure to act will result in America existing only as a memory of what was.