A Nation Like No Other (9 page)

You don't need to live in America to be struck by the grandeur of American Exceptionalism; foreign observers of our nation have long admired Americans' adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit. Indeed, the American Dream is understood far and wide, enticing tens of thousands of people every year to give up everything they have to create a new life of opportunity in America.

The following passages are testaments, offered by new immigrants to America as well as foreign observers, to the American character and the unique promise of this land. Ranging from world leaders to war refugees, these speakers offer a heartening reminder of the unique passion that America inspires.

The chief circumstance which has favored the establishment and the maintenance of a democratic republic in the United States is the nature of the territory which the Americans inhabit. Their ancestors gave them the love of equality and of freedom, but God himself gave them the means of remaining equal and free, by placing them upon a boundless continent,
which is open to their exertions. General prosperity is favorable to the stability of all governments, but more particularly of a democratic constitution, which depends upon the dispositions of the majority, and more particularly of that portion of the community which is most exposed to feel the pressure of want. When the people rules, it must be rendered happy, or it will overturn the State, and misery is apt to stimulate it to those excesses to which ambition rouses kings. The physical causes, independent of the laws, which contribute to promote general prosperity, are more numerous in America than they have ever been in any other country in the world, at any other period of history. In the United States not only is legislation democratic, but nature herself favors the cause of the people.

. . . In Europe we are wont to look upon a restless disposition, an unbounded desire of riches, and an excessive love of independence, as propensities very formidable to society. Yet these are the very elements which ensure a long and peaceful duration to the republics of America. Without these unquiet passions the population would collect in certain spots, and would soon be subject to wants like those of the Old World, which it is difficult to satisfy; for such is the present good fortune of the New World, that the vices of its inhabitants are scarcely less favorable to society than their virtues. These circumstances exercise a great influence on the estimation in which human actions are held in the two hemispheres. The Americans frequently term what we should call cupidity a laudable industry; and they blame as faint-heartedness what we consider to be the virtue of moderate desires.

From the very beginning, the American dream meant putting into practice the dreams of the Old World.

From the very beginning, the American dream meant proving to all mankind that freedom, justice, human rights and democracy were no utopia but were rather the most realistic policy there is and the most likely to improve the fate of each and every person.

America did not tell the millions of men and women who came from every country in the world and who—with their hands, their intelligence and their heart—built the greatest nation in the world: “Come, and everything will be given to you.” She said: “Come, and the only limits to what you'll be able to achieve will be your own courage and your own talent.” America embodies this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance.

Here, both the humblest and most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That's what constitutes the moral value of America. America did not teach men the idea of freedom; she taught them how to practice it.

And she fought for this freedom whenever she felt it to be threatened somewhere in the world. It was by watching America grow that men and women understood that freedom was possible.

What made America great was her ability to transform her own dream into hope for all mankind.

Why I came here? The main reason is: America is the land of opportunity. You can achieve whatever you want. I am a student of mathematics at Hunter College. In Europe or in Turkey, to be a student at 43 years old is very difficult—there are a lot of barriers there. But, here you can. Here you could be an artist even if you are 80 years old. To be able to go back to university to study what you want, to be able to do what you want in the future, makes you feel happy. Freedom is a big concept. For me, America is a place with no barriers. This is a great country with big opportunities. I love America!

For my parents' generation, the defining image of America was the landing at Normandy. Your “boys of Point-du-Hoc” . . . risking everything to help free the world. For my own generation, the defining image
of America was the landing on the moon. My classmates and I were sent home from school to watch the great moment on television. I'll always remember thinking that day: Americans can do anything. Americans helped free the world of my parents' generation. Americans inspired the world of my own youth. I stand here and I see the same brave and free people today. I believe you can do anything still. There is a reason the world always looks to America. Your great dream—life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—inspires us all.

. . . You have a friend in Australia. And you have an ally. And we know what that means. In both our countries, true friends stick together. . . . [I]n both our countries, real mates talk straight. So as a friend I urge you only this: be worthy to your own best traditions. Be bold. In 1942, John Curtin—my predecessor, my country's great wartime leader—looked to America. I still do. This year you have marked the centenary of President Reagan's birth. He remains a great symbol of American optimism. The only greater symbol of American optimism is America itself. The eyes of the world are still upon you. Your city on a hill cannot be hidden. Your brave and free people have made you the masters of recovery and reinvention. As I stand in this cradle of democracy I see a nation that has changed the world and known remarkable days. I firmly believe you are the same people who amazed me when I was a small girl by landing on the moon. On that great day I believed Americans could do anything. I believe that still. You can do anything today.

I am living an American Dream now. America is the best country in the world. You guys just do not really know how blessed you are, because you take it for granted. I came to the U.S. with little English, no knowledge of any culture, $50 in my pocket—and I survived. That's a story about America. That's not a story about me. I am blessed, I am really blessed. And now you ask me why I am so motivated? Because I am so thankful for this country which allowed me to survive and be happy.

If you have an idea, you have the freedom to do it or pursue it. Whether you achieve it or not, that's another question. I am Farooz . . . from Iran. I drive a taxi cab. . . . My passion from childhood was art. So I got my BA and Masters in fine arts. I am a painter.... New ideas and new trends in everything—whether it is in politics, or art, or movies, whatever—starts here in the United States and spreads across the world. This is because of the freedom that exists in this country, in every respect. And each person in their own field are free to do whatever they like.

I was born Christian. And this is my religion. I am not going to give it up because my government doesn't want me to be Christian.... I think this is the country where people can speak up. Everyone has rights. And nobody would deny your rights.

Americans can be all that the rest of the world sometimes accuses them of: brash, loud, insular, obsessive and heavy-handed. But America is great for a reason. It is looked up to, despite all the criticism, for a reason. There is a nobility in the American character that has been developed over the centuries, derived in part, no doubt, from the frontier spirit, from the waves of migration that form the stock, from the circumstances of independence, from the Civil War, from a myriad of historical facts and coincidences. But it is there.

That nobility isn't about being nicer, better, or more successful than anyone else. It is a feeling about the country. It is a devotion to the American ideal that at a certain point transcends class, race, religion,
or upbringing. That ideal is about values: freedom, the rule of law, democracy. It is also about the way you achieve: on merit, by your own efforts and hard work. But it is most of all that in striving for and protecting that ideal, you as an individual take second place to the interests of the nation as a whole. It is what makes the country determined to overcome its challenges. It is what makes its soldiers give their lives in sacrifice. It is what brings every variety of American, from the lowest to the highest, to their feet when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. Of course the ideal is not always met—that is obvious. But it is always striven for.

The next years will test the American character. America won't be loved in this presidency any more than in previous ones. But America should have confidence. That ideal, which produces the optimism that generates the achievement, is worth all the striving. It is the most precious gift a nation can have. The world is changing. New powers are emerging. But this does not diminish the need for that American ideal. It reaffirms it, renews it, gives it added relevance. There is always one, more prosaic, test of a nation's position: Are people trying to get into it, or to get out of it? I think we know the answer to that in America's case, and that ideal is the reason.

A friend of mine whose parents were immigrants, Jews from Europe who came to America in search of safety, told me this story. His parents lived and worked in New York. They were not well off. His father died when he was young. His mother lived on, and in time my friend succeeded and became wealthy. He often used to offer his mother the chance to travel outside America. She never did. When eventually she died, they went back to recover the safety box where she kept her jewelry. They found there was another box. There was no key. So they had to drill it open. They wondered what precious jewel must be in it. They lifted the lid. There was wrapping and more wrapping and finally an envelope. Intrigued, they opened it. In the envelope were her U.S. citizenship papers. Nothing more. That was the jewel, more precious to her than any other possession. That was what she treasured most. So should America today.

I was doing my chemical engineering in India, and during my sophomore year, I always thought that I wanted to specialize in petro chemicals, and I was always watching Westerns and Hollywood movies in India, and always imagined Texas as a big state with a lot of space and big cars and big hats and everything big. So I came to Texas to get a degree in Masters of Petroleum and Tech Engineering.

I make chemical warfare protective clothing for U.S. Army soldiers. Right now we are trying to come up with material that is better protective and has less logistic burden so that it saves lives. I was in the United States during 9/11. I was very sad that morning, so I chose this research area so that we can do something to protect the freedom of the United States and protect the people and the soldiers who are fighting for that freedom of the U.S., of which I want to become a citizen.

It is very important for me to become a U.S. citizen. It gives me an opportunity to choose in elections people who share the true democratic values which I believe in. It really means a lot to me to become a citizen of the United States—I am in the process—because then I can consider myself as an American. I am really proud to wear any colors that are red, white, and blue.

From the dawn of the Republic, America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation's founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the “self-evident truth” that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God. The course of American history
demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations.