Renewing our Greatest National Resource, the American Spirit

Op-Ed

Renewing our greatest national resource, the American Spirit

Pioneer Press,

July Fourth, 232 years ago, the fathers of this nation signed their names to one of history's greatest documents. These signatures were far more than symbolic: Each man whose name was inked on that parchment was committing an act of treason against the British Empire.

When they said that "we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor," these were not mere words. If they fell short in their task, the gallows awaited. As Benjamin Franklin warned: "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

And when they issued that declaration, it was not simply the attempt of 13 small colonies to throw off the chafing yoke of British rule; it was one of the most important human endeavors ever undertaken. The American colonists did not simply launch a revolution against a king and parliament on the other side of the Atlantic — they launched a revolution against millennia of human history where men and women were denied the right of self-rule.

On that hot July summer day, they launched a revolution not just for their own independence, but for the cause of independence itself. It was a bold experiment that shook the Earth — and the Earth is still shaking.

With the words "all men are created equal," our founders set in motion a journey toward freedom that would lift up the face of the world. Today, millions live in freedom and peace — here in America and around the globe — because of the rebellion they began.

So on July Fourth, we should all take time to reflect on how truly blessed we are to live in America — to be able to call this land our home. For this truly is history's greatest nation. Yes, at times we've struggled and stumbled and let ourselves down, but there is no question: A more just or virtuous country the world has never known.

And we must also take time to honor those brave souls who have fought in every generation so that our flag and our freedoms would endure. From Bunker Hill and Gettysburg to the farthest reaches of the globe, fields of battle are stained with the blood of fallen patriots who gave everything for this country and its people. These heroes have earned our undying gratitude.

Since our earliest days when a colonial militia took on the world's most intimidating military might, the British regular army, Americans have braved anything and risked everything for our home and our dreams. With love, courage and steel resolve, Americans have turned the daring experiment of 13 rebel colonies into the greatest Republic in the history of nations.

But what is it that inspired the colonists of Roanoke, Jamestown and Plymouth to face death in order to carve out new lives on this foreign continent? What made America's colonies thrive and grow beyond anyone's prediction? What led these colonists to put everything on the line to form an independent union? What force created the Constitution, put a man on the moon and brought down the evil empires of the 20th Century? What has made America the world's leader in science, medicine, commerce, politics, and most important, in our commitment to integrity and justice?

What defines that unique American character? What reservoir gives strength to that unconquerable American spirit?

America is built on a rich history and a set of timeless values we have always held dear. Many of our political ideas, though perfected here, can be traced back to Greece and Rome. But what makes America unique is that we are the only country in the world built — from day one — on hopes and dreams.

We are eternal optimists. It is why we embrace freedom when others fear it. It is why we are so often the first or the highest or the fastest. It is why Lewis and Clark braved the unknown and why abolitionists eradicated the evil of slavery. It is why we led the fight against communism and the fight against polio. For America, we have always believed, nothing is out of reach.

And it is this spirit that we need to call upon now if we are to get America moving in the right direction. Where is our Marshall Plan for energy independence? Where is our Manhattan Project for energy security? Where is that pioneering, unshakable drive that refuses to accept failure and never stops until the mountain is climbed?

It is in renewing our most important national resource — the American spirit — that we can not only overcome our problems but that we can make the 21st Century America's greatest yet. And what better day to forge this resolve than July Fourth?

Republican Michele Bachmann of Stillwater represents Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

So, on July Fourth, we should all take time to reflect on how truly blessed we are to live in America — to be able to call this land our home. For this truly is history's greatest nation. Yes, at times we've struggled and stumbled and let ourselves down, but there is no question: A more just or virtuous country the world has never known.

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