History is always written from the winning stand point, with a look back at what opposing forces did prior to the "new norm".
American history was made in:
1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
1787 Constitution of the United States of America was signed.
1863 Battle of Gettysburg took place.
1865 the 13th Amendment was passed freeing slaves, thus ending the Civil War.
1870 African American's were allowed to vote.
1905 Separation of the Church and the State.
1920 Women were given the right to vote.
1948 Women's Rights were established.
1960 Poll Taxes and Literacy tests were abolished allowing for persons of all educational and financial classes to freely vote.
1968 Civil Rites Passed.
2004 Anti-discrimination Laws including discrimination of the LGBT Community.
2008 The first person of color was elected into office.
2015 Same Sex Marriage became legalized.
Living during historical times, we find ourselves looking at a world divided. Us vs Them. Red vs. Blue. Democrat vs Republican. Left vs Right. We have hot topic issues and phrases being brought up in conversations daily. We have the invention of the hashtag that gives an instant link and social credibility to the millions of people who agree/connect/rally/etc. with it. With the entirety of the worlds knowledge at our finger tips and the ability to reach people on a global scale like never before. The transmission of thought, word, and deed has never been faster.
The exchange of ideas and ideals. Practices and policies. All of these can be sent from pretty much anywhere on the globe with a powerful communication device that 99% of all people carry on them at all times.
Yet with this ability to communicate, it is the last thing that we actually do with them. It seems like we have never been more apart in our history as a nation. The above dates mentioned, are defining dates within our history where the nation was divided. It is not a complete listing, but a general representation of many of our major divisions.
We as a people have lived through many changes, some good, some bad, some ok. Regardless of which side you stand on, there is going to be those who feel that they were wronged. The above dates, caused wars, violence, and division on a national scale. Those in power didn't want to see people of color freed. Some didn't want people of color to vote.
Some didn't want women to vote. Some didn't want people of color to have rights. Some didn't want the LGBT to have the right to marry or serve their country. We have been divided and still remained American. However, with the 2016 election, we have found ourselves divided. On one side of the coin, people saw free speech finally given a platform, and a chance to "Make America Great Again". On the other side of that coin, people saw discrimination, and violence.
Some viewed it as a platform of truth and needed change, others of hate and a step backwards. We had only been so divided as a nation when it was The North vs The South. The era of Me vs Them came into existence. Four years of civil upset and unrest was birthed. Family, friends, neighbors, and collages divided into groups.
Fights exploded on the streets, in the grocery stores, and within our very homes, as tensions grew. A whitewashed hatred that only certain groups of our country experienced came to light for those any one and every one who denied its existence prior. Even with the insurmountable evidence, written and televised exposure, there was and is still parts of the nation that is like an Ostrich with its head in the sand. Only hearing what they wish to believe and dismissing anything to the contrary as "fake news."
Regardless of what has happened, and what is to come, we need to remember something that seems to have been forgotten. We are all the same people. We are the whole of our efforts, not apart from them. We must put aside the hatred and try to heal and come together once again.
Forgotten is the time of brotherhood that came about from the attacks on American soil in 2011. For a brief moment, we were one. We were Americans. There was no black and white. No red vs blue. We were united. Yes with the recent election some may feel cheated and wronged. But such is the politics of this country.
But at the end of the day, if the Government was to collapse and no longer able to function, we would be left with ourselves. Would you still follow your elected officials if there was no country to follow? Would you still subjugate yourselves to the rules and laws of the old, or would you forge a new path and try to rebuild a community and eventually a nation of new ideals and standards. It's not being said not to have civic or national pride. But to remember who WE are.
We all must reunite and remember that we are Americans. We will not always have the same viewpoints, but that we at least have the ability to chose our viewpoints. That we are not a country ruled by dictatorship. We are a Democracy.
Remember it says "We the People of the United States" not "We the People and those who think like me".
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