Welcome To 250 Years Of America: A Lot Comes With The Melting Pot
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
America is referred to as a "melting pot" due to its various cultures and people who come together to form a unified society. The metaphor highlights both the challenges and the promise that come with diversity and assimilation. Despite the various complications, the many reasons people continue to desire to land on her shores is because of the ideals of freedom and promise of opportunity for those who are willing to work hard.
On July 4, 1776, America adopted the Declaration of Independence. This weekend is the 250th anniversary of that event. The milestone honors the nation's historic break from Great Britain and the foundational belief that all individuals have unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". Along with the barbecues and fireworks, the country will reflect on the nation’s evolution over two and a half centuries. Depending on your history, you might be reviewing America’s greatest achievements, serious injustices, hidden hypocrisies or a combination of some or all.
Did you know that in 1770, at the same time businessman Samuel Ellis was buying a tidal of land, that would later become that hub of immigration recipients known as “Ellis Island”, some heritage Americans were fighting for their rights to be classified and treated as human? As a group, African Americans are the only group of people that can relate to and understand the complexities of reflecting through celebration with critique along with pride and pain. If America is the melting pot then for sure they are a major ingredient.
It has come to my attention, recently a growing group of Black Americans want to be called "FBA" which stands for "Foundational Black Americans." They are using this term to identify themselves as descendants of Black people who have been in the United States since before the Civil War, whose ancestry traces back to enslaved Africans and includes Indigenous American heritage. The term is being used to highlight lineage separate from more recent Black immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean.
This weekend a lot of individuals will reflect on America’s position in the world. Many will look at innovation, contributions to science, technology, and the arts as reasons to feel proud of the country. America is pioneering and has shaped modern life in countless ways. The airplane, the internet, influential figures in film, music, and sports, fast food, just to name a few, came from the minds of United States Citizens. Here’s to 250 years of celebrating an idea turned nation earned through blood, sweat and tears.
Comments