American Creed Through Words, Symbols, and Rituals
The ways of expressing the American Creed.
Introduction and Thesis
To express the American creed, one might ask, what is American Creed? The term was first formulated by Thomas Jefferson and later passed by the U.S. House of Representatives as a resolution after William Tyler Page wrote a poem with the same title. As we all know, America is a country that has people from diverse backgrounds. It is home to many foreign-born citizens. However, something holds us all together, and that one thing is American identity. Beliefs and ideas that the United States of America was built upon. As mentioned in the document, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they r\are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence: A Transcription).” Freedom, equality, justice, and the pursuit of happiness are the foundations of the American creed and help us define as a nation. Words, symbols, and rituals are some of the powerful ways to express the American creed.
Words
Words like freedom, equality, and opportunity help express the American creed. Many people migrate to the United States for freedom and opportunity. People are free to practice their speech and religion, which are sometimes hard to achieve in other countries worldwide. Some countries punish their citizens for speaking out against the government, but the freedom that the United States of America offers attracts many people around the globe.
Everyone in America has an equal opportunity to achieve their goals through hard work. As Thompson (2021) said, “The United States of America was made great precisely because its ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ philosophy liberated ordinary people to achieve great things both individually and cooperatively (p. 49).” People are treated equally, born here or moved from a different nation. People from all grades have equal opportunities to get an education, work hard, and make a better life for themselves and their families.
Symbols
The U.S. flag is one of the main symbols of the American creed. The American Flag is the symbol of unity as the fifty stars on the flag represent the fifty states of this country, and the thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies of this nation. The flag is the root of everything. The flag reminds us that this country is a land of promises and all the hurdles we have overcome to gain independence.
The Statue of Liberty is another symbol of the American creed, which stands in the heart of Liberty Island in New York. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France in 1885 to commemorate the friendship between France and America. Since we received the statue, it has become a symbol of freedom. Back in times when immigrants used to arrive at Ellis Island, they looked up to the Statue of Liberty and used to realize that they had come to the land of the free where they could achieve their American Dreams. The Statue of Liberty has a tablet in her left hand that dates from the Declaration of Independence of the United States. On her right hand, she has a torch that symbolizes that liberty is enlightening the world while showing the path to freedom.
Finally, the bald eagle has another significance in the American creed as it is the emblem of our nation and the national bird. The fierce bald eagle symbolizes the freedom and strength of America. The bald eagle features on many coins and dollar bills and the Great Seal of the United States.
Rituals
Rituals like celebrating the Fourth of July are an important day in every American’s life as we get to express our appreciation for freedom. The Fourth of July, our Independence Day, has been celebrated every year since we got independence from the British on July 4, 1776.
Families and friends gather up to celebrate America and freedom each year on this particular day. Celebrating July 4 is similar to expressing the American creed because the nation would never have existed without this day. We get to convey the American creed only because the birth of this nation happened in 1776. From that day onwards, we got freedom, justice, and equality. On the Fourth of July, there is always an excellent fireworks display where everyone shows up on the street with an American Flag. Many show up wearing the flag color red and blue while little kids put a painting of the Flag on their faces, and others wear the Flag as a cloak. Celebrating July 4 helps us connect to our values. On this day, we celebrate America. People get to share their patriotic views and gratitude for the Declaration of Independence document, which is the integrating part of the American creed.
Why Is It Important?
Through the American creed, all Americans get to share common beliefs. It also gives us our national identity. American creed reminds us of this country’s foundations and promises. We express the American creed in our daily lives by using words, seeing symbols, or participating in rituals like celebrating national holidays. As long as this country remains, we all will be reminded of our American creed and get to express it somehow.
References
“Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript.
Thompson, C.Bradley. “What America Is.” New Criterion, vol. 40, no. 1, Sept. 2021, pp. 41–49. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=lkh&AN=151945791&site=ehost-live.
