Do you remember those patriotic songs we sung in our early school years? “America, the Beautiful”, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and, of course, “The Star Spangled Banner” were sung enthusiastically in my school and we loved those songs. Even then I was fascinated by the words of those songs and I think this is probably how my love of history was birthed.
So, on this 238th birthday of America, I reflect back on my recent first visit to Philadelphia. There I visited Independence Hall to see the room where the Declaration of Independence gave life to a rebellion against a mighty empire and the U.S. Constitution defined “We, the People” to unite us. At times, it has been a very painful journey “to form a more perfect Union” and we continue to evolve as a country. However, the beauty of it is that we eventually embrace our faults and change what is needed to become a better nation – “one nation under God”.
This is why I love my country and I just want to express it on her birthday.
Happy Birthday, America!
