“We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body…
We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘May the Lord make it like that of New England.’ For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.”
This passage comes from a speech delivered by John Winthrop in 1630 as he journeyed to settle the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Nearly four centuries later, its sentiments remain as powerful as ever. Winthrop’s words are often cited as the beginning of the idea of American exceptionalism, usually as a criticism. I, however, use the term with pride. I believe America is exceptional. To much of the world, it has long been a “city on a hill,” not perfect, but a beacon of freedom.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, yet as we approach this milestone, we are anything but united. It seems half the country wants to “make America great again,” while the other half questions whether America was ever great at all.
I sit somewhere else. Not only is America great now, but it always has been. With that in mind, I want this year to be one of celebration. Celebration does not mean ignoring our faults but acknowledging them honestly and recognizing the nation’s greatness despite them. To that end, I plan to write a series of articles throughout the year exploring the events of 1776 and the creation of our nation.
What makes the United States unique is that it was not created from a shared ethnicity or allegiance to a ruling family. It was founded on an idea, which Abraham Lincoln later called “a new birth of freedom.” Thomas Jefferson recognized this even before he wrote the Declaration of Independence. In 1774, he observed: “America was conquered, and her settlements made, and firmly established, at the expense of individuals, and not of the British public… for themselves they fought, for themselves they conquered, and for themselves alone they have right to hold.”
Jefferson argued that although colonists professed loyalty to the Crown, generations of living far from Britain had fostered their own habits, institutions, and values. They developed societies based on local self-government, religious diversity, and economic independence.
Life in America required adaptability and self-reliance—qualities that encouraged a more democratic and egalitarian culture than England’s.
Without realizing it at first, by 1776, the colonists had ceased being British and had become Americans, though they would not openly declare it for several more months.
They went to war, and out of that war emerged a republic.
As American historian and Brown University Professor Emeritus Gordon Wood wrote, “The Revolution did more than legally create the United States; it transformed American society… Americans had become, almost overnight, the most liberal, the most democratic, the most commercially minded, and the most modern people in the world.”
After winning independence under the principle that “all men are created equal,” a concept I will explore later this year, America became a home for people across the world who shared this vision. When French diplomat, political philosopher, and historian Alexis de Tocqueville visited in the early years of the Republic, he described a land of opportunity, where individuals were not trapped by old-world social classes and where upward mobility was possible, particularly with open land on the frontier.
Thousands flocked to America, drawn by what would come to be called “The American Dream.”
America’s greatness, however, came with profound contradictions. While many believe the American Revolution ended at Yorktown, I see it differently.
The victory over Britain and the drafting of our Constitution were only the beginning. Some issues were simply too large for our Founders to resolve if they wished to unify the new nation.
Chief among them were the balance of power between state and federal governments, and, far more consequential, the issue of slavery. Early compromises postponed rather than solved these problems.
Eventually, America had to pay for the sins of its past. The final battles of the American Revolution were fought not at Lexington or Saratoga, but at Gettysburg and Antietam, at Vicksburg and Shiloh, and ultimately in a small room across from Ford’s Theatre. America paid a terrible price, but emerged as a stronger, more unified nation; no longer a collection of states, but one nation dedicated to liberty for all.
With the Union restored, America reached new heights, growing in economic and military power. It needed that strength as it was called upon in 1917 to help make Europe “safe for democracy,” again in 1942 to defeat fascism, throughout the Cold War to contain communism, and in the 21st century to lead the fight against global terrorism. In each struggle, Americans sacrificed their sons and daughters for the cause of freedom.
Yet America still had its imperfections. It had to continue confronting racism and extremist ideologies. But within these struggles emerged millions of stories of hope and exceptionalism. One such story that captures the spirit of the nation comes from Israel Baline.
Baline was born in Siberia in 1888 to a Jewish family. When he was five, an anti-Jewish mob drove them from their home.
They fled to America seeking the same dream as thousands had before them.
Life in America was not easy, especially for a Jewish family, but it got even harder when Baline’s father died when he was young. Baline was forced to become a newsie selling papers on the street. As he grew, he taught himself how to play piano and started making extra money playing at night in the saloons. His playing improved, and in 1911, he wrote his first major hit.
In 1918, while serving in the U.S. Army, Baline wrote a musical revue to help cheer up the troops. One of those songs was too slow, so he put it away.
Twenty years later, after coming back from a European trip and seeing the rise of Nazism, when singer Kate Smith asked Baline for a song, he dusted the old one off. The Jewish immigrant, who had dealt with hardship and racism over the years, was now calling himself Irving Berlin. He has seen the dark side but knew America was still the greatest nation in the world. The lyrics to the song he gave Smith went like this: God Bless America, Land that I love, stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with the light from above, God bless America, My home sweet home.
I know not everyone shares my perspective. But as odd as it may sound, allowing differences of opinion is part of America’s greatness. We do not all have to think alike. I know America has made some mistakes. How could it not?
Over the coming year, I plan to honestly explore some of these “mistakes.” What I don’t understand is how anyone could expect perfection. What’s important is that America learned from its mistakes and improved. America is better than it was 250 years ago, 100 years ago, and yes, even 50 years ago.
I hope this anniversary year will remind us that America has done far more good than harm and has set a standard of freedom for itself and for the rest of the world to strive toward.
She is the best there is. And this year, I want to celebrate her and say with pride: May God bless America.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at james.finck@swoknews.com. Thanks to Southwest Ledger for sharing his column.
